English Quiz For LIC AAO 2019
Life Insurance Corporation of India has released the notification for various posts for the Recruitment in 2019-20. This is a great opportunity for all those who aspire to get a Government Job this year. Now the next step is to start practicing for the exam from now itself. Thus, the English Language can be an impetus for your success as it helps you save crucial time and score good points in lesser time and effort. So, instead of boiling the ocean, try building up a strong vocabulary, an effective knowledge of grammar, and efficient comprehension skills so as to be on the ball to face this particular section. Here is a quiz on English Language being provided by Adda247 to let you practice the best of latest pattern English Questions for LIC AAO 2019.
Directions (1-8): Read the following passage and answer the following questions. Some words are highlighted to help students to answer some of the questions.
The early Elizabethan drama, before the regular playhouses were constructed, permeated a broad gamut of the social life of the times. Nicholas Udall’s plays were school plays enacted by the boys as part of the liberalized school curriculum. In spite of their amateur playing, the boys used to be requisitioned to stage the plays before the royal dignitaries or in the court itself. The early English tragedy had its advent at the Inns of the Court. Gorboduc was written and produced by two lawyers at the Inner Temple. Oxford and Cambridge became important centers for staging Latin drama, so much so that even Queen Elizabeth used to visit the universities to witness the performances. Later, the royal court, with the ostensible purpose of regulating theatre, assumed the function of theatrical organization, providing grants and costumes to several amateur boy groups. John Lyly staged several comedies for Queen Elizabeth and established the genre of Elizabethan comedy. Tragedy, however, could not find patronage either at the royal court or in London. It had to await the advent of adult acting companies and the erection of Public theatres on the outskirts of London. It is in these theatres like the Curtain, the Rose, and the Globe, that the Elizabethan stage came into being, a stage that introduced the plays of Marlowe and Shakespeare.
While the growth of Elizabethan drama as a native tradition was a steady one moving self-assuredly without meekly copying classical models, the same would not have been possible without Elizabethan Drama registering itself as significant European theatre since the Greek drama of the fifth century B.C. In its European phase, Elizabethan theatre not only integrated within itself various elements of classical drama but also the Greek formulations about comedy and tragedy. The task for the Elizabethans was not only to be forcefully English but also thoughtfully European and distinctively Elizabethan.
The Latin form, with its division into five acts, of the plays of Terence and Plautus structured English romantic comedy right from Ralph Roister Doister. The plays abounded in classical themes like love, intrigue and friendship and character types like the braggart lover, the parasite servant, and the scheming old man. The comedy developed into two distinct traditions of the romantic and the critical comedy. Beginning with Udall’s Ralph Roister Doister, the romantic comedy grows through the court plays of Lyly like Compaspe (1581), Mother Bombie (1590) and Endimion (1583), George Peele’s The Arraignment of Paris (1584) and Robert Greene’s Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (1590) and culminates in Shakespeare’s comedies like A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595), As You Like It (1600) and Twelfth Night (1601). Primarily meant for aristocratic entertainment, romantic comedy pursues the theme of love—love as a blend of sentiment, foible, eccentricity, artifice, dedication and self-centredness. Romantic love is more in the nature of the ludicrous rather than the ridiculous. Melodramatic to the core and farcical in treatment, this comedy, set in a pastoral or old-world ambience, evokes a romantic mood and an atmosphere of exhilaration, celebration, chivalry and enchantment. With song and imaginative idealism, romantic comedy provides an escape route into a world of fancy and imagination from the grim realities of life.
The other tradition of comedy belongs to the redoubtable Ben Jonson who presented what are called the comedies of humour like Every Man in His Humour (1598), Volpone (1606) and The Alchemist (1610). Essentially city comedies, Jonson evolves his plays as social purgatives to the prevalent moral degradation. Funny yet serious, the laughter evoked is carefully controlled. Falling back on the tradition of rogue fiction, Jonson’s protagonists are rouges who succeed until the end by their ability to gull others for their avaricious needs. Their eventual failure is a moral corrective driven home forcefully by the playwright.
Q1. Which of the following sub-fields of English Literature are being discussed in the above passage?
It discusses Elizabethan Poetry and English Romantic Playwright
It discusses Elizabethan Comedy and English Tragedy.
It discusses Greek Drama and Greek Comedy.
Options (a) and (b)
None of the above
Solution:
The correct answer is the option (b). The answer to the question can be derived from the first and the third paragraphs. The passage is discussing Elizabethan Drama and its two sub-genre which are Elizabethan Comedy and English Tragedy.
Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
Q2. What were the uses of the plays of the genre of Romantic comedy as mentioned in the passage?
(I) They provided entertainment to the ruling class.
(II) They provided an escape route into a world of fancy and imagination from the grim realities of life.
(III) They illustrated love as a blend of sentiment, foible, eccentricity, artifice, dedication and self-centredness.
Only (I)
Both (II) and (III)
All of (I), (II) and (III)
None out of (I), (II) and (III)
Both (I) and (III)
Solution:
The answer to the question can be derived from the last three sentences of the third paragraph.
From the last third sentence, (I) and (III) can be inferred and from the last sentence, (II) can be inferred.
Each of (I), (II) and (III) are correct.
Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
Q3. What were the idiosyncrasies of the comedies of humour presented by Ben Jonson?
The chortling conjured up was cautiously controlled.
The leading character used to deceive others to satiate their greed.
The plays were evolved as social purgatives to the prevalent moral degradation.
Options (a) and (c)
Options (a), (b) and (c)
Solution:
The correct answer can be derived from the last paragraph. Option (c) can be derived from the second sentence.
Chortling means laughter
Conjured up means to evoke
Option (a) can be inferred from the third sentence and the option (b) can be inferred from the fourth sentence.
So, all of options (a), (b) and (c) are the correct answer.
Hence, option (e) is the correct answer.
Q4. What does the author mean by the sentence ‘Romantic love is more in the nature of the ludicrous rather than the ridiculous’?
The drama of the Romantic love genre used to be melodramatic and funny instead of something that deserve derision.
The drama of the Romantic love genre used to be absurd deserving disdain instead of being funny.
The drama of the Romantic love genre used to be something that deserve insult instead of being out of place yet hilarious
Options (b) and (c)
None of the above
Solution:
Ludicrous means ‘so foolish, unreasonable, or out of place as to be funny or hilarious or amusing’;
Ridiculous means ‘deserving or inviting insult or mockery; absurd’;
The answer to the question can be derived from the last-third and last-second sentences of the third paragraph. It can be inferred from the paragraph that the drama of the Romantic love genre used to be melodramatic to the core and farcical in treatment and used to evokes exhilaration, celebration and were funny and hilarious.
Among the given options, only option (a) supplies the correct meaning to the sentence.
Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
Q5. What are the elements of the Elizabethan dramas?
(I) It had to be in English language.
(II) It had to inculcate the elements of European theatre and Greek formulations about comedy and tragedy.
(III) It had to be displays the traits of Elizabethan.
Only (I)
Both (I) and (II)
Both (II) and (III)
Each of (I), (II) and (III)
None of (I), (II) and (III)
Solution:
The answer to the question can be derived from the second paragraph, specifically from the last sentence and first sentence. The elements of the Elizabethan dramas were that it had to be forcefully English but thoughtfully European and distinctively Elizabethan.
Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.
Q6. Which of the following words is an ANTONYM of ‘artifice’?
calumny
candour
torpor
volubility
prescience
Solution:
Artifice [noun] means ‘clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others’;
Calumny [noun] means ‘making of a false statement meant to injure a person’s reputation’;
Candour [noun] means ‘the quality of being open and honest; frankness’;
Torpor [noun] means ‘inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigour or energy’;
Volubility [noun] means ‘the quality of talking or writing easily and continuously’;
Prescience [noun] means ‘the power to foresee the future’;
From above, it can be understood that ‘candour’ is a synonym of ‘artifice’.
Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
Q7. Which of the followings is a SYNONYM of ‘purgatives’?
perfidy
gall
culpability
aesthete
cathartic
Solution:
Purgative [noun] means ‘a thing that rids one of unwanted feelings or memories’;
Perfidy [noun] means ‘an act of deliberate betrayal; a breach of a trust’;
Gall [noun] means ‘the trait of being rude and impertinent’;
Culpability [noun] means ‘a state of guilt’;
Aesthete [noun] means ‘one who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature’;
Cathartic [noun] means ‘that releases emotional tension, especially after an overwhelming experience’;
From above, it can be understood that option (e) is the correct answer.
Q8. Which of the followings is a SYNONYM of ‘avaricious’?
Reticent
Gossamer
Apathetic
Covetous
Dogmatic
Solution:
Avaricious [adjective] means ‘having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain’;
Reticent [adjective] means ‘disinclined to talk, not revealing one’s thoughts’;
Gossamer [adjective] means ‘characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy’;
Apathetic [adjective] means ‘marked by a lack of interest’;
Covetous [adjective] means ‘inordinately desirous; excessively eager to obtain and possess (especially money); avaricious.
Dogmatic [adjective] means ‘highly opinionated, not accepting that one’s own belief may not be correct’;
From above, it can be understood that the option (d) is the correct answer.
Directions (9-15): In the following questions a part of the sentence is given in bold, it is then followed by three sentences which try to explain the meaning of the phrase given in bold. Choose the best set of alternatives from the five options given below each question which explains the meaning of the phrase correctly without altering the meaning of the given sentence.
Q9. While the industry insists it must stick together and speak with one voice, there have been individual voices of disapproval.
(I) While the industry insists it must stick together and speak virulently, there have been individual voices of disapproval.
(II) While the industry insists it must stick together and speak concordantly, there have been individual voices of disapproval.
(III) While the industry insists it must stick together and speak in complete accord, there have been individual voices of disapproval.
All of (I), (II) and (III)
Only (III)
Both (II) and (III)
Only (I)
None out of (I), (II) and (III)
Solution:
Virulently [adverb] means ‘(of a disease or poison) extremely severe or harmful in its effects’;
Concordantly [adverb] means ‘in agreement; consistent’;
With one voice means ‘in complete agreement; unanimously, concordantly, in complete accord’.
Among the given sentences, (II) and (III) provide the correct meaning to the phrase.
Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
Q10. The model of perfect competition presented above is once in a blue moon in practice.
(I) The model of perfect competition presented above is very prominent in practice.
(II) The model of perfect competition presented above is very rare in practice.
(III) The model of perfect competition presented above seldom occurs in practice.
Both (I) and (II)
Both (II) and (III)
Only (III)
Only (II)
Only (I)
Solution:
The phrase ‘once in a blue moon’ means ‘very rarely’; ‘hardly ever’; ‘almost never’; ‘very seldom’;
Among the given sentences, sentences (II) and (III) provide the correct meaning to the highlighted phrase.
Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
Q11. ‘’Last year, my collection appeared to disappear in a few days because it sold like hot cakes,’ the author recalls proudly.’
(I) ‘’Last year, my collection appeared to disappear in a few days because it was appreciated very much,’ the author recalls proudly.
(II) ‘’Last year, my collection appeared to disappear in a few days because it was sold in large quantities,’ the author recalls proudly.’
(III) ‘’Last year, my collection appeared to disappear in a few days because it was lauded by many people,’ the author recalls proudly.’
Only (II)
Both (II) and (III)
None out of (I), (II) and (III)
All of (I), (II) and (III)
Both (I) and (III)
Solution:
Sell like hot cakes means ‘be sold quickly and in large quantities.
Lauded means to appreciate.
Among the given sentences, only (II) provides the correct meaning to the highlighted phrase.
Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.
Q12. At some point, Pete finished making his boat and Karina came to Cowes to launch it, but I went down with flu and couldn’t be at the ceremony.
(I) At some point, Pete finished making his boat and Karina came to Cowes to launch it, but I caught flu and couldn’t be at the ceremony.
(II) At some point, Pete finished making his boat and Karina came to Cowes to launch it, but I contracted flu and couldn’t be at the ceremony.
(III) At some point, Pete finished making his boat and Karina came to Cowes to launch it, but I succumbed to flu and couldn’t be at the ceremony.
None out of (I), (II) and (III)
All of (I), (II) and (III)
Both (I) and (III)
Both (II) and (III)
Both (I) and (II)
Solution:
Go down with means ‘begin to suffer from (an illness)’; ‘contract’; ‘succumbed to’;
All the three sentences provide correct meaning to the highlighted phrase.
Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
Q13. He thought city people were made of money and time obliged them to pay a dollar for a loaf of bread.
(I) He thought city people were pillaging, and for a time obliged them to pay a dollar for a loaf of bread.
(II) He thought city people were inane, and for a time obliged them to pay a dollar for a loaf of bread.
(III) He thought city people were very rich, and for a time obliged them to pay a dollar for a loaf of bread.
Only (II)
None out of (I), (II) and (III)
All of (I), (II) and (III)
Only (III)
Both (I) and (III)
Solution:
Be made of money means ‘be very rich’.
Inane means ‘lacking sense or meaning; silly’;
Pillage means ‘rob a (place) using violence, especially in wartime’;
Among the given sentences, only (III) provides the correct meaning to the highlighted phrase.
Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.
Q14. The General Election campaign, to all intents and purposes, is well underway.
(I) The General Election campaign, in all important respects, is well underway.
(II) The General Election campaign, virtually, is well underway.
(III) The General Election campaign, practically, is well underway.
Both (I) and (II)
All of (I), (II) and (III)
Both (II) and (III)
Both (I) and (III)
None out of (I), (II) and (III)
Solution:
For all intents and purposes means ‘in all important respects’; ‘essentially’; ‘virtually’; ‘practically’;
All the three sentences provide the correct meaning to the highlighted phrase.
Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
Q15. The Coast Guard took this criticism to heart and proposed two significant changes to its boat defect recall laws.
(I) The Coast Guard cohered and proposed two significant changes to its boat defect recall laws.
(II) The Coast Guard construed and proposed two significant changes to its boat defect recall laws.
(III) The Coast Guard pillaged and proposed two significant changes to its boat defect recall laws.
All of (I), (II) and (III)
Only (I)
Both (I) and (III)
Only (II)
None out of (I), (II) and (III)
Solution:
Cohere means ‘form a unified whole’;
Construe means ‘interpret (a word or action) in a particular way’;
Pillage means ‘rob a (place) using violence, especially in wartime’;
Took this criticism (something) to heart means ‘to take criticism seriously and be affected or upset by it’.
None of the three sentences provide the correct meaning to the highlighted phrase.
Hence, option (e) is the correct answer.
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