IBPS PO Prelims English Language Mini Mock Test 12

Table of Contents

Directions (1-8): Read the passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/ phrases have been given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

Once a Persian trader arrived in Vijayanagar with some very good-quality cats. The cats were so special that he wanted to give them to King Krishna Dev Rai as a gift. He brought his cats to the palace and met the King. The Queen and the King both liked the cats very much. Though the trader said that he wanted to give the cats to the royal couple as a gift, the Queen insisted that he should be given one thousand gold coins; not as a price but as a reward. Later the Queen gave one cat each to her maids along with a cow to feed the cats with milk in order to keep them healthy.

One cat was given to Tenali Ramakrishna also along with a cow. The Queen instructed everyone that since the cats are of a very special breed, they must be taken full care of.

After a gap of one month King Krishna Dev Rai wanted to know how the cats had grown. All the maids brought their cats to the palace. Tenali Ramakrishna also brought his cat. All the cats looked very healthy, but Tenali Ramakrishna’s cat was the healthiest of all.

The Queen and the King were utterly surprised to see that Tenali Ramakrishna’s cat was in the best of her shape. The reason behind their surprise was that once the King had given a horse to Tenali Ramakrishna for rearing; but despite the financial support from the royal treasure for rearing the horse, he had almost starved it to death. And this time, despite no financial support from the royal treasure except a cow for feeding the cat with milk, his cat had outgrown the other cats.

The Queen and the King were very happy to see such beautiful and healthy cats purring and playing around.

A silver bowl each of milk was given to all cats to drink. All the cats drank milk from the bowls, but to the utter surprise of the Queen and the King, Tenali Ramakrishna’s cat didn’t even sniff at it. Instead the cat ran into the lap of Tenali Ramakrishna and began purring affectionately.

“Tenali Ramakrishna!” said King Krishna Dev Rai, “I have every genuine reason to be bewildered at the behaviour of this cat. Animals are guided by their natural instincts. No matter how thoroughly assuaged a cat may be, but it will drink milk at the first available opportunity; whereas your cat has acted much against its natural instinct. Could you please explain to me the reason behind it?”

“I agree, My Lord,” said Tenali Ramakrishna, “but the cat is not to be blamed. In fact there is a well-known saying that the cats close their eyes while drinking milk; and I wanted to rid this cat from this bad habit. On the very first day when I took the cat home, I put boiling hot milk in bowl and placed it before this cat. As is natural with the cats, this cat also put its mouth in the bowl with its eyes closed and burnt itself. It is since then that she has not touched milk.

Hearing this the Queen and the King burst into laughter. “But your cat is in a very good state of health. How is it? It has not been drinking milk either,” said King Krishna Dev Rai.

“My Lord! I had a lot of mice in my house. They had been causing damage to our clothes and other household things. I made use of this cat. Everyone of us knows that cats love eating mice. My Lord! There is a saying — ‘A burnt child dreads the fire.’ I only took advantage of the situation. It couldn’t drink milk because it had burnt its mouth, but it had to eat something in order to assuage its hunger, and mice are the best alternative for any cat on earth. Thus, I managed to save cow’s milk for my children, and also didn’t let the cat starve. You can yourself see, My Lord, that the cat is in the best of its health.

The Queen and the King had a hearty laugh and decided to keep the cat in the palace. They also allowed Tenali Ramakrishna to retain the cow with himself as a gift from the royal couple.

Q1. Why was Tenali Ramakrishna’s cat in the best of her shape?

(a) Because Tenali Ramakrishna had reared the cat with utmost care.

(b) Because he had fed the cat with milk several times a day.

(d) Because his cat had eaten only mice.

(e) Other than the given options

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Q2. What was so special about the cats that the Persian trader wanted to give them to King Krishna Dev Rai?

(I) The cats were the most beautiful cats found in Persia.

(II) The cats were a scientifically developed breed.

(III) The cats were good sniffers like dogs.

(a) Only (I) and (II)

(b) Only (II) and (III)

(d) All (I), (II) and (III)

(e) None of these

Q3. What was the reason for the surprise of the Queen and the King?

(a) All the cats drank milk from the bowls but Tenali Ramakrishna’s cat didn’t.

(b) Ramakrishna’s cat ran into his lap and began purring affectionately.

(d) Only (a) and (c)

(e) All (a), (b) and (c)

Q4. Who is to be blamed for the cat behaving against its natural instinct? Select the most appropriate answer.

(a) Tenali Ramakrishna himself

(b) The cat itself

(d) The boiling milk

(e) Abundance of mice

Q5. Why did Tenali Ramakrishna put boiling hot milk before the cat?

(a) Because he wanted to use the milk of the cow for his children

(b) Because he wanted to save his clothes from mice

(d)Because he wanted the cat to eat mice rather than drink milk

(e) Not clear from the story

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Directions (6-8): Choose the word/group of words which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning as the word/ group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.

Q6. Utterly

(a) Mildly

(b) Not

(d) Little

(e) Moderately

Q7. Rearing

(a) Bringing up

(b) Raiding

(d) Selling

(e) Hiring

Q8. Sniff

(a) Drink

(b) See

(d) Attract

(e) Smell

Directions (9-13): Rearrange the following sentences (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) and (F) to make a meaningful paragraph and then answer the questions which follow:

(A) In fact, according to mainstream economists, it is inevitable and a necessary evil in any economy.

(B) It is thus important for every nation to maintain this reserve of labour force to maintain an optimal level of unemployment.

(D) This is because it helps avert inflation by providing a reserve army of labour which keeps wages in check.

(E) The problem, however, only emerges when governments indirectly facilitate unemployment in order to curb inflation through various policies and frameworks, depriving a large population of its fundamental rights.

(F) But contrary to popular belief unemployment is not always disadvantageous to the economy of a state.

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Q9. Which of the following sentence should be the SIXTH (LAST) after rearrangement?

(a) A

(b) B

(d) E

(e) F

Q10. Which of the following sentences should be the FIRST after rearrangement?

(a) A

(b) B

(d) D

(e) E

Q11. Which of the following sentences should be the FIFTH after rearrangement?

(a) A

(b) B

(d) E

(e) F

Q12. Which of the following sentences should be the SECOND after rearrangement?

(a) A

(b) B

(d) E

(e) F

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Q13. Which of the following sentence should be the THIRD after rearrangement?

(a) A

(b) E

(d) F

(e) C

Directions (14 – 15): Which of the phrases (a), (b), (c) and (d) given below should replace the phrase given in bold in following sentence to make the sentence grammatically meaningful and correct? If the sentence is correct as it is, and no correction is required, mark (e) as the answer.

Q14. Because of his efficiency, the Director wanted him to work as his assistant.

(a) wanted to him

(b) wants him to be

(d) wanted of him

(e) No correction required

Q15. Highly intelligent people seldom tolerate any ambiguity.

(a) tolerate hardly any ambiguity

(b) hardly tolerate ambiguous

(d) hardly tolerate any lacuna

(e) No correction required

Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)

Sol. In the second last paragraph of the passage, Tenali Ramakrishna explains that the reason for his cat’s being in the best of her shape is that his cat did not drink milk and had eaten only mice. Hence, (d) is the correct option.

S2. Ans.(e)

Sol. The only information which has been given about the cats that the trader wanted to gift the king is that they were ‘good-quality cats’. Hence none of the given options is true. Hence, (e) is the correct option.

S3. Ans.(d)

Sol. It is given in the sixth paragraph of the passage that “to the utter surprise of the Queen and the King, Tenali Ramakrishna’s cat didn’t even sniff at it (milk).”. Hence, (a) is true. It is also given in the fourth paragraph that “…Tenali Ramakrishna’s cat was in the best of her shape. The reason behind their surprise was…”. Hence, (c) is also true. Hence, (d) is the correct option.

S4. Ans.(a)

Sol. Usually, cats are fond of drinking milk but Tenali had once served hot milk to his cat which had caused burns to the cats due to which she refrain drinking milk. So, it was Tenali Ramakrishna who is to be blamed for the cat’s behaving against its natural instinct. Hence (a) is the most appropriate answer.

S5. Ans.(c)

Sol. It is given in the eight paragraph of the passage that ‘…..there is a well-known saying that the cats close their eyes while drinking milk; and I wanted to rid this cat from this bad habit……….. I put boiling hot milk in bowl and placed it before this cat.’ From this we can conclude that (c) is the correct option.

S6. Ans.(c)

Sol. ‘Utterly’ means ‘completely’. Hence, ‘Extremely’ is the word which is most similar in meaning to it

S7. Ans.(a)

Sol. ‘Rearing’ means ‘to bring up and care for (a child) until they are fully grown’ . Hence, ‘Bringing up’ is the word which is most similar in meaning to it

S8. Ans.(e)

Sol. ‘Sniff’ means ‘draw up air audibly through the nose to detect a smell’ . Hence, ‘Smell’ is the word which is most similar in meaning to it

S9. Ans. (d)