English Quizzes For NABARD Grade A 2022- 3rd August

Directions (1-5): In each of the questions given below a sentence is given with a blank. Below each of the question five options are given. Choose the phrase which fits the blank most appropriately.

Q1. He dropped the plan like ____________ when he realized how much it would cost him.
(a) A hot potato
(b) A couch potato
(c) drop of the hat
(d) cut corners
(e) devil’s advocate

Q2. He’s been in prison several times for all sorts of crimes; he’s ____________
(a) last straw
(b) off one’s rocker
(c) a piece of cake
(d) a fish out of water
(e) a bad egg

Q3. I agree with what you say, but I’ll play ____________ so that we can cover all the possibilities that may arise.
(a) devil’s advocate
(b) bad book
(c) ear candy
(d) easy as pie
(e) fancy pants

Q4. It can be cheaper ____________ for a new washing machine than to get your old one repaired.
(a) ill wind
(b) to identify theft
(c) in a trice
(d) to stump up
(e) to pass the buck

Q5. The late-night parties make the hotel a haven for ____________ and a hell for anyone with children.
(a) nitty-gritty
(b) night owls
(c) scot-free
(d) scapegoat
(e) charley horse

Direction (6-10): Which of the following phrases (I), (II), and (III) given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold letters to make the sentence grammatically correct? Choose the best option among the five given alternatives that reflect the correct use of phrase in the context of the grammatically correct sentence. If the sentence is correct as it is, mark (e) i.e., “No correction required” as the answer.

Q6. The Economic Survey emphasizing the need for ensuring macroeconomic stability in view of both domestic and global developments and in this the importance of fiscal discipline is stated to be paramount.
(I)having emphasis on the need to ensure
(II)have emphasized the need for ensuring
(III)had emphasized the need for ensuring

(a)Only (I) is correct
(b)Only (II) is correct
(c)Only (III) is correct
(d)Both (I) and (III) are correct
(e)No correction required

Q7. Trade watchdogs has warned about cheap Chinese imports seriously damaging India’s domestic industry and economy.
(I)have warned
(II)had warned earlier
(III)could warn

(a)Only (I) is correct
(b)Both (I) and (II) are correct
(c)Both (II) and (III) are correct
(d)All are correct
(e)No correction required

Q8. The government has just utilised the presentation of the budget for 2018-19 sounded a fanfare in self-adulation.
(I)sounding a fanfare of self-adulation
(II)to sound a fanfare of self-adulation
(III)towards a sound fanfares in self-adulation

(a)Only (I) is correct
(b)Both (I) and (II) are correct
(c)Both (II) and (III) are correct
(d)All are correct
(e)No correction required

Q9. Over the years, India’s ties with Asean have expanded to as many as 30 platforms for cooperation, including an annual leaders summit and seven ministerial dialogues.
(I)has expanded to many of the
(II)expanding as far as
(III)in an expansion of many as

(a)Only (I) is correct
(b)Only (II) is correct
(c)Only (III) is correct
(d)Both (I) and (II) are correct
(e)No correction required

Q10. We are all like God’s children confined to this Planet Earth which is nothing more than a playground where we are supposed to learn some of the basics and not the whole truth.
(I)which we are supposed to take as
(II)that supposed to be learned as
(III)where one suppose to learn

(a)Only (I) is correct
(b)Only (II) is correct
(c)Only (III) is correct
(d)Both (I) and (III) are correct
(e)No correction required

Directions (11-15): In the passage given below there are blanks which can be filled with four of the five options given below without altering the meaning of the statement. Choose the most inappropriate word in each case which does not fit into the provided blank as your answer.

US President Donald Trump claimed (11) _____________ Saturday in the (12) _____________ into Russian interference with the 2016 White House election, following the release of a (13) _____________ memo implying partisanship at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The declassified Republican document released Friday claimed that Democratic-funded research (14) _____________ the FBI to spy on a former Trump campaign (15) _____________. “This memo totally vindicates ‘Trump’ in probe,” the president tweeted, referring to himself in the third person.

Q11.
(a) vindication
(b) exoneration
(c) indictment
(d) substantiation
(e) acquittal

Q12.
(a) probe
(b) investigation
(c) dissect
(d) wringer
(e) inquest

Q13.
(a) controversial
(b) untenable
(c) contentious
(d) debatable
(e) disputable

Q14.
(a) provoked
(b) prompted
(c) repressed
(d) caused
(e) induced

Q15.
(a) aide
(b) assistant
(c) referee
(d) supporter
(e) abettor

Solutions

S1. Ans. (a)
Sol. Option (a) is the correct choice. ‘A hot potato’ means a controversial issue or situation which is awkward to deal with. The expression ‘couch potato’ simply means “idler” or “lay about”. The expression ‘At the Drop of a Hat‘ means that something is happening instantly, without any delay. ‘Cut corners’ means to do something perfunctorily so as to save time or money. ‘devil’s advocate’ means a person who advocates an opposing or unpopular cause for the sake of argument or to expose it to a thorough examination.

S2. Ans. (e)
Sol. Option (e) is the correct choice. ‘A bad egg’ means Someone or something that disappoints expectations. ‘Last straw’ means the last of a succession of irritations, incidents, remarks, etc., that leads to a loss of patience, a disaster, etc. ‘off one’s rocker’ means a mad or an insane person. ‘a piece of cake’ means something that is very easy to do. ‘a fish out of water’ means a person in a completely unsuitable environment or situation.

S3. Ans. (b)
Sol. Option (b) is the correct choice. ‘a devil’s advocate’ means a person who advocates an opposing or unpopular cause for the sake of argument or to expose it to a thorough examination. The expression ‘bad book’ means to be in disgrace or out of favour. ‘Ear candy’ expression is used when Music with an instant appeal but with little lasting significance is played. ‘As easy as pie’ is a popular colloquial idiom which is used to describe a task or experience as pleasurable and simple. ‘fancy pants’ expression is used when Someone who is dressed fancy or act in a fancy matter. Therefore, only option (b) makes a viable choice.

S4. Ans. (d)
Sol. Option (d) is the correct choice. ‘To stump up’ is a phrasal verb which is used while paying an amount or type of money for something, especially unwillingly. An unfortunate event is referred as ‘ill wind’. ‘to identify theft’ can also be used alternatively to identify fraud or unfair practices. ‘in a trice’ means a short period of time. ‘to pass the buck’ means to shift the responsibility for something to someone else.

S5. Ans. (b)
Sol. Option (b) is the correct choice. ‘night owls’ refers to someone who regularly stays up late at night, or who prefers to work at night. ‘nitty-gritty’ means the heart of the matter; the basic essentials; the harsh realities. ‘scot-free’ means Without incurring payment; or escaping without punishment. ‘scapegoat’ is the expression used for the one who is blamed or punished for the sins of others. ‘charley horse’ means Leg cramp or stiffness.

S6. Ans. (c)
Sol. “had emphasized the need for ensuring” is the correct phrase that makes the sentence grammatically correct. It is to be noted that the sentence structure requires the use of helping verb to make it meaningful and grammatically viable. Since the subject is singular [The Economic Survey], the verb following it should also be singular which isn’t the case in the first two expressions. However, the third expression provides the required meaning to the sentence considering the latter part of it. Hence only option (c) is the correct choice.

S7. Ans. (d)
Sol. All the above expressions can be used to replace the existing phrase to make the sentence grammatically correct and logically meaningful. It is to be noted that the subject is plural, so the phrase “has warned” is already incorrect as the verb is singular. Among the three given expressions, all three are suitable enough to make the sentence contextually and grammatically viable. Hence option (d) is the correct choice.

S8. Ans. (b)
Sol. Read the sentence carefully, it can be well verified that the given sentence is meaningless as there is an error in the highlighted part of the sentence which needs to be replaced by a correct and meaningful expression. Among the three options, the first and the second expressions provide a contextual meaning to the sentence. They both make sure that the sentence follows the correct grammar structure and the intended meaning of the sentence remains intact. However, the third expression isn’t correct as the number of the noun is shown as plural despite denoting a singular adjective. The word self-adulation implies the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance. Hence option (b) is the correct choice.

S9. Ans. (e)
Sol. The expression “have expanded to as many as” is grammatically correct and doesn’t require any correction. The idiom “as many as” is used to suggest that a number or amount is surprisingly large. The expressions given as the three options are not suitable enough to make the sentence grammatically correct. Hence option (e) is the correct choice.

S10. Ans. (e)
Sol. The expression “where we are supposed to learn” is the correct form and it suits to the grammatical structure of the sentence. It is to be noted that the word “where” is used for the reference “playground” describing a location and thus it doesn’t require any correction. All the three options are not suitable in the context of their usage in the sentence. Hence option (e) is the correct choice.

S11. Ans. (c)
Sol. Option (c) is the correct choice. The correct word required here is ‘vindication’ which as a noun means the action of clearing someone of blame or suspicion. ‘vindication’ is similar in meaning with ‘exoneration’, ‘substantiation’ and ‘acquittal’. ‘exoneration’ means the action of officially absolving someone from blame. ‘substantiation’ refers to provide evidence to support or prove the truth of. ‘indictment’ means a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime. Therefore, the word that doesn’t fit into the blank is ‘indictment’.

S12. Ans. (d)
Sol. Option (d) is the correct choice. The correct word that is required here is ‘probe’ which is used here as a noun and refers to a thorough investigation into a crime or other matter. ‘dissect’ means analyse (a text or idea) in minute detail and ‘inquest’ means a discussion or investigation into something that has happened, especially something undesirable. Whereas; ‘wringer’ means a device such as a mangle for wringing water from wet clothes, mops, or other objects. Thus, option (d) makes the correct choice which doesn’t fit into the blank.

S13. Ans. (b)
Sol. Option (b) makes the correct choice as it doesn’t fit into the theme of the paragraph. The correct word is ‘controversial’ which is similar in meaning to ‘contentious’, ‘debatable’ and ‘disputable’. ‘Untenable’ means especially of a position or view not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection. Thus, it fails to make the paragraph coherent and meaningful.

S14. Ans. (c)
Sol. Option (c) is the correct choice. ‘provoked’ means stimulate or give rise to (a reaction or emotion, typically a strong or unwelcome one) in someone. ‘prompted’ means (of an event or fact) cause or bring about (an action or feeling). ‘induced’ means succeed in persuading or leading (someone) to do something. However, the word ‘repressed’ means restrained or oppressed. Therefore, the word that doesn’t fit into the blank is ‘repressed’.

S15. Ans. (c)
Sol. Option (c) is the correct choice as it fails to fit into the blank. The word ‘referee’ doesn’t make the paragraph coherent and logical. The correct word required here is ‘aide’ which is similar in meaning with ‘assistant’, ‘supporter’ or ‘abettor’.