English Quizzes for SBI PO, Clerk Prelims 2021

Directions (1-5): Rearrange the following sentences (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph and then answer the questions given below.

(A) The government’s argument was that banks would be able to track the buyers of electoral bonds through their KYC details and thus ensure that clean money comes into the system, while protecting the donor’s anonymity.
(B) Electoral bonds are bearer instruments in the nature of Promissory Notes issued by banks.
(C) There is also no cap on the quantum of electoral bonds. The MDB party was the biggest beneficiary of electoral bonds in 2017-18, accounting for 94.5% of the bonds worth a little over ₹210 crore.
(D) They are interest-free instruments that can be purchased from specified branches of the State Bank of India by any citizen of India or body incorporated in India within fixed periods.
(E) However, critics argue that this has made political funding more opaque since there is no way of knowing who donated and how much to a political party.

Q1. Which of the following is the SECOND sentence after rearrangement?
(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D
(e) E

Q2. Which of the following is the FOURTH sentence after rearrangement?
(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D
(e) E

Q3. Which of the following is the THIRD sentence after rearrangement?
(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D
(e) E

Q4. Which of the following is the LAST sentence after rearrangement?
(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D
(e) E

Q5. Which of the following is the FIRST sentence after rearrangement?
(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D
(e) E

Directions (6-15): Read the following passage and answer the questions as directed.

What do elections have to do with democracy? There seems to be a strong belief that a democratic society is (A)………………… by its elections. The principle of one person, one vote (with some conditions) is seen as a defining principle of democracy. This principle has become so dominant that it has successfully reduced the idea of democracy (B)………………………………………… . (C) As a consequence, participation in democracy, instead of being a dynamic and continuous process, has been reduced to one act of voting, that too once in a few years.

(D) By reducing character to this singular act, we have managed to build a society that is fundamentally undemocratic in democracy. Many have commented on the fact that the parties which speak for democracy have little democratic (E)ethos within them. All the political parties are dominated by families or friends or, as is often the case now, business partners. Nepotism and exclusion are the basic working principles of our political parties. The latest drama in Karnataka manifests well all the problems of our democracy.

(F) But what can democracy be other than enabling elections? To understand this, we have to first understand the …………………. of voting. What do we do when we cast our vote for one person or the other? Today when voting has become a business transaction where the voters are ‘compensated’ for their votes, what does voting really mean? And what does it actually………………..?

The process of voting is extremely important. But its importance is not because it is about choice. Very often, we tend to mistake democracy with choice — the ability to choose between different candidates. The significance of democracy does not lie in the act of voting somebody to power but only in the way that (G)…………………………………………………. Elections are a means of making sure that those who have power are accountable in some way and that they exercise that power in a democratic manner. The focus on elections as a sign of democracy is a classic instance of the means overtaking the ends. (H) Elections are only a means towards the goal of controlling those who wield power, but instead they have became the end in themselves.

(I)Thus, the essence of democracy is not really about the freedom to choose or the freedom to exert choice. Rather, it is primarily about how the elected wields power. The incorrect association of democracy with choice has even led to the absurd claim that the free-market economy reflects democracy. (J) What has happened in India is that given the emphasis on choice as being equivelent to democracy, we end up choosing people who then govern most undemocratically.

Q6. Which of the following words given in the options should come at the place marked as (A) in the above paragraph to make it grammatically correct and meaningful. Also, the word should fill in the blanks given in the two sentences given below to make them contextually correct and meaningful.

(I) He had never in his life seen a horizon so cleanly………………, a pencil line drawn without a breath of haze.
(II) He ……………….. almost every principle that governed commercial transactions in such a manner that his successors had to only apply the rules he had laid down.

(a) conduct
(b) holding
(c) defined
(d) define
(e) exaggeration

Q7. Which of the following phrases should fill the blank in (B) to make it contextually correct and meaningful?
(a) to a ritual of cast votes
(b) too a ritual of casting votes
(c) to a ritual of casting votes
(d) to an ritual of casting votes
(e) to a ritual of casting voting

Q8. In the passage given, a sentence (C) is given in BOLD. There may or may not be an error in one part of the sentence. Choose the part which has an error in it as your answer. If there is no error then choose option (E) as your answer.
(a) As a consequence, participation in democracy,
(b) instead of being a dynamic and continuous process,
(c) has been reduced to one act of voting,
(d) that too once in a few years.
(e) No Error

Q9. The sentence given in (D) has four words given in BOLD. Amongst the given BOLD words which of the following must replace each other to make the sentence contextually correct and meaningful.
(a) character-managed
(b) managed-fundamentally
(c) fundamentally-democracy
(d) democracy-character
(e) No change required

Q10. A word is given in bold in (E). Choose the word which is similar in meaning to the word given in bold in (E). If no such word is their, choose option (E) as your answer.
(a) physical
(b) spirit
(c) guide
(d) mental
(e) None of the above

Q11. In the passage given, a paragraph (F) is given in BOLD with two blanks. Corresponding to the paragraph 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 paragraph contextually correct and meaningful.

(a) A-D
(b) B-D and C-D
(c) B-D, C-D, B-F and C-F
(d) A-E
(e) B-E and B-F
L1Difficulty 3
QTags cloze test
QCreator Bank English

Q12. Which of the following phrases should fill the blank in (G) to make it contextually correct and meaningful?
(a) power is exercise by those elected
(b) power is exercised by them elected
(c) power is exercised by those elect
(d) power is exercised by those elected
(e) power is exercising by those elected

Q13. In the passage given, a sentence (H) is given in BOLD. There may or may not be an error in one part of the sentence. Choose the part which has an error in it as your answer. If there in no error then choose option (E) as your answer.
(a) Elections are only a means towards
(b) the goal of controlling those who
(c) wield power, but instead they have
(d) became the end in themselves.
(e) No Error

Q14. The sentence given in (I) has four words given in BOLD. Amongst the given BOLD words which of the following must replace each other to make the sentence contextually correct and meaningful.
(a) essence-exert
(b) exert-primarily
(c) primarily-wields
(d) essence-wields
(e) No change required

Q15. The sentence given in (J) has four words given in BOLD. Amongst the given BOLD words one may or may not be wrongly spelt. Choose the word that has a wrong spelling as your answer. If all words are correctly spelt, choose option (E) as your answer.
(a) happened
(b) emphasis
(c) equivelent
(d) undemocratically
(e) No Error

Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. The correct rearrangement is BDAEC.

S2. Ans.(e)
Sol. The correct rearrangement is BDAEC.

S3. Ans.(a)
Sol. The correct rearrangement is BDAEC.

S4. Ans.(c)
Sol. The correct rearrangement is BDAEC.

S5. Ans.(b)
Sol. The correct rearrangement is BDAEC.

S6. Ans.(c)
Sol. ‘Defined’ is grammatically and contextually correct for all the blanks.

S7. Ans.(c)
Sol. “to a ritual of casting votes” is grammatically and contextually correct.

S8. Ans.(e)
Sol. No Error

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. “democracy-character” should replace each other to make the sentence grammatically correct and meaningful.

S10. Ans.(b)
Sol. Ethos: the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its attitudes and aspirations.

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. A-E is the correct combination of words for both the blanks to make the paragraph correct and meaningful.