English Quizzes, for SBI/IBPS PO Mains 2021

Directions (1-5): In the questions given below a sentence is given with two blanks in each. Corresponding to each question two columns are given with three words in each column. Which combination of words from the two columns will perfectly fit into the blanks to make the sentence contextually correct and meaningful.

Q1. The __________ loss of an estimated 153 billion hours of labour during 2017 due to rising temperatures around the globe is a reminder to governments that they are not doing enough to ___________ curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Column I Column II
(A) unrelenting (D) gloriously
(B) staggering (E) conversely
(C) combating (F) dramatically

(a) C-E
(b) B-D and C-F
(c) B-F
(d) A-D
(e) B-D

Q2. There has been little appreciation of the ________ for Moscow from NATO’s continued expansion into the former Eastern Europe and the erstwhile USSR. The geopolitical ____________ of greater engagement with Moscow has never been more urgent, as hawks in the U.S. administration make no secret of their preference for confrontation over dialogue.

Column I Column II
(A) provocation (D) stemming
(B) aberration (E) imperative
(C) veneration (F) venality

(a) A-F
(b) B-D
(c) B-F
(d) A-E
(e) C-D

Q3. India has suffered from a major burden of malaria for decades, with high levels of ___________ and death. But the declining trend of the __________ shows that sustained public health action can achieve good results.

Column I Column II
(A) egregious (D) scourge
(B) morbidity (E) galvanize
(C) ambiguity (F) aberration

(a) A-E
(b) B-D
(c) C-F
(d) A-F
(e) C-D

Q4. One issue that requires monitoring in India is _________ to combination therapy using artemisinin. Recent reports indicate that some patients in West Bengal became resistant to the treatment protocol used for the falciparum parasite, which causes _________ cerebral malaria and leads to a high number of deaths.

Column I Column II
(A) prevaricated (D) debilitating
(B) acrimonious (E) perplexing
(C) resistance (F) weaning

(a) B-D
(b) C-F
(c) C-D
(d) B-E
(e) A-E

Q5. To understand what this clash of the global economic titans ___________ for the world trading system, it is instructive to examine the path of their mutual conflict thus far. The troubles began over the summer when US and China started taxing $50 billion worth of the other’s imports, followed by the U.S. slapping $200 billion of Chinese exports with a 10% tariff, to be ___________ up to 25% by the year-end.

Column I Column II
(A) chastises (D) castigated
(B) enervates (E) demurred
(C) portends (F) ratcheted

(a) A-F
(b) C-F
(c) C-D
(d) B-D
(e) A-E

Directions (6-10): In the following questions a sentence is given, some words are given in bold which may have grammatical or spelling error or they may be contextually incorrect. Two columns (I) and (II) are given, column (I) consists of bold words of the sentence and column (II) consists of the appropriate replacement for the bold words. Match the correct replacements. If the sentence is correct mark no error as your answer.

Q6. For its part, the IT department fears that start-ups may be used as convenient tools to launder illegally acquired money, so a tax on investments beyond a certain threshold is necessary to entrench such shady operations. But while the intent of such an angel tax may be justifiable, the arbitrary nature of it means the cost of unintended consequences could be larger than the supposed benefits.

COLUMN I COLUMN II

(A) launder (D)chortle

(B) entrench (E) deter

(a) (A)-(D)
(b) (B)-(E) &(C)-(F)
(c) (A)-(D) & (B)-(E)
(d) (B)-(E)
(e) No error

Q7. Popular deposit schemes such as chit funds and gold schemes, usually do not come under the purview of government regulators. But these unregulated schemes have also been misused by some miscreants to culminate the money of depositors with the promise of unbelievably high returns in a short period of time. The Saradha chit fund scam in West Bengal is just one example of such a hienous financial crime against depositors.

COLUMN I COLUMN II

(A) purview (D) gainsay

(B) culminate (E) swindle

(a) (A)-(D)
(b) (C)-(F)
(c) (B)-(E) & (C)-(F)
(d) (B)-(E)
(e) No error

Q8. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley engenders that revenues will not be hit by the rate cut. The implicit assumption is that higher sales volumes will compensate the rustic. Developers may be forced to raise base prices as critical inputs, particularly cement (taxed at 28%), eschew high levies that can no longer be offset.

COLUMN I COLUMN II

(A) engenders (D) reckons

(B) rustic (E) exchequer

(a) (A)-(D) & (B)-(E)
(b) (A)-(D) & (C)-(F)
(c) (B)-(E) & (C)-(F)
(d) (A)-(D), (B)-(E), (C)-(F)
(e) No error

Q9. Another provision envisages a political role for the military as a guardian of the Constitution. Thursday’s parliamentary vote initiating these changes will have to be ratified in a popular referendum, but few doubt the establishment’s capacity to secure it. The economy has returned to a growth trajectory following an International Monetary Fund loan in 2016, in exchange for cuts in public subsidies.

COLUMN I COLUMN II

(A) envisages (D) mitigated

(B) ratified (E) lambasted

(a) (A)-(D) & (C)-(F)
(b) (B)-(E) & (C)-(F)
(c) (A)-(D), (B)-(E), (C)-(F)
(d) (A)-(D) & (B)-(E)
(e) No error

Q10. The weakness in the farm sector is undergrinding the unprecedented softness in food prices. The December CPI data showed continuing deflation in food items. While the RBI’s inflation calculus clearly benefits from the ongoing trend in price gains, the MPC is justifiably vociferous of the tenuousness of the assumptions it has made for its forward projections.

COLUMN I COLUMN II

(A)undergrinding (D) undergirding

(B) calculus (E) didactic

(a) (A)-(D) & (C)-(F)
(b) (A)-(D) & (B)-(E)
(c) (B)-(E) & (C)-(F)
(d) (A)-(D)
(e) No error

Solutions

S1. Ans. (c)
Sol. Here, the given sentence has discussed the consequences of the failure of government’s part for controlling the rising global temperatures. Here, in the first blank, “staggering” which means “deeply shocking; astonishing” and “dramatically” in second blank which means “by a strikingly large amount or to a strikingly large extent; greatly”, perfectly fits in to make a contextually meaningful and grammatically correct statement.
Unrelenting: not yielding in strength, severity, or determination
Combating: take action to reduce or prevent (something bad or undesirable)
Conversely: introducing a statement or idea which reverses one that has just been made or referred to.

S2. Ans. (d)
Sol. The given statement discusses the limited reaction on the part of Moscow towards the continued expansion of NATO in Eastern Europe and USSR. Here, in the first blank, “provocation” which means “action or speech that makes someone angry, especially deliberately” and in second blank “imperative” which means “of vital importance; crucial” fits perfectly in the given blanks to make a contextually meaningful and grammatically correct statement.
Aberration: a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically an unwelcome one
Veneration: great respect; reverence
Stemming: originate in or be caused by
Venality: quality of being open to bribery or overly motivated by money

S3. Ans. (b)
Sol. The satement has mentioned the high number of malaria cases in India which have led to high death rates. It further states the improved condition due to sustained public health actions. Here, in the first blank, “morbidity” which means “the condition of being diseased” and in the second blank “scourge” which means “a person or thing that causes great trouble or suffering”, fits perfectly to form a contextually meaningful and grammatically correct statement.
Egregious: outstandingly bad; shocking
Ambiguity: the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness
Galvanize: shock or excite (someone) into taking action
Aberration: a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically an unwelcome one

S4. Ans. (c)
Sol. Here, the given statement discusses the need to monitor a therapy which has been adopted to a severe disease, cerebral malaria. Most patients, affected by the disease have been resistant to treatment. Here, in the first blank, “resistance” which means “the refusal to accept or comply with something” and in second blank, “debilitating” which means “(of a disease or condition) making someone very weak and infirm” perfectly fits to make the statement grammatically and contextually meaningful. Hence, option (c) is the most suitable answer choice.
Prevaricated: speak or act in an evasive way.
Acrimonious: (typically of speech or discussion) angry and bitter
Perplexing: completely baffling; very puzzling
Weaning: be strongly influenced by (something), especially from an early age

S5. Ans. (b)
Sol. The paragraph given here discusses the US- China trade war where, “portends” which means “be a sign or warning that (something, especially something momentous or calamitous) is likely to happen”, fits perfectly in the first blank and “ratcheted” which means “cause something to rise (or fall) as a step in what is perceived as an irreversible process”, fits perfectly in the second blank. Hence, option (b) is the most suitable answer choice.
Chastises: rebuke or reprimand severely
Enervates: make (someone) feel drained of energy or vitality
Castigated: reprimand (someone) severely.
Demurred: raise objections or show reluctance

S6. Ans. (d)
Sol. Here, the given paragraph mentions how start-ups may use the tax exemptions available for them as a tool of money laundering. Here, “entrench” makes the statement grammatically incorrect which will thus be replaced with “deter”. Hence, option (d) is the most suitable answer choice.
Launder: conceal the origins of (money obtained illegally), typically by transfers involving foreign banks or legitimate businesses.
Chortle: laugh in a noisy, gleeful way.
Entrench: establish (an attitude, habit, or belief) so firmly that change is very difficult or unlikely
Deter: discourage (someone) from doing something by instilling doubt or fear of the consequences
Justifiable: able to be shown to be right or reasonable; defensible
Preclude: prevent from happening; make impossible.

S7. Ans. (c)
Sol. The paragraph given above mentions the gold schemes and cit funds which are not under the regulation of government regulators and therefore have been used by miscreants for fraudulent activies. Here, “culminate” will be replaced with “swindle”, which will make the statement contextually correct. Also, “hienous” will be replaced with “heinous” as the given spelling is incorrect. Hence, option (c) is the most suitable answer choice.
Purview: the scope of the influence or concerns of something
Gainsay: deny or contradict
Culminate: reach a climax or point of highest development
Swindle: use deception to deprive (someone) of money or possessions

S8. Ans. (d)
Sol. The paragraph given above mentions the statement by FM Arun Jaitley who has assured that there won’t be revenue hits sue to the rate cut. He has further stated that the higher sales volumes would compensate the national income growth which may force the developers to raise base prices as an inevitable consequence of rate cuts. Here, all the three highlighted words have been incorrectly placed and will therefore require improvement. Hence, option (d) is the most suitable answer choice.
Engender: cause or give rise to
Reckon: be of the opinion
Rustic: made in a plain and simple fashion
Exchequer: a royal or national treasury.
Eschew: deliberately avoid using; abstain from
Entail: involve (something) as a necessary or inevitable part or consequence

S9. Ans. (e)
Sol. All the highlighted words make the statement grammatically and contextually meaningful and therefore do not require any improvements. Hence, option (e) is the most suitable answer choice.

S10. Ans. (a)
Sol. The paragraph given above discusses how the weaknesses in the farm sector have supported deteriorating farm prices and also that the MPC is well aware of the fragility of the assumptions it had made regarding the sector. Here, “undergrinding” and “vociferous” have been incorrectly use and do not contextually fit in the paragraph. We will replace “undergrinding” with “undergirding” and “vociferous” with “cognizant”. Hence, option (a) is the most suitable answer choice.
Undergirding: provide support or a firm basis for
Vociferous: expressing or characterized by vehement opinions; loud and forceful
Cognizant: having knowledge or awareness