English Language Practice Test for IBPS Clerks & RRB Exams

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Directions (Q. No. 1-10) : Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions. 

The sun, while going on his daily rounds saw a princess and fell in love with her. Whenever he could slip away from the heavens he would take human form and go down to the princess to spend some time with her. The princess too became quite fond of him and would wait for him to come. One day the Sun decided to send her a blood red ruby as a token of his love for her. He put the gem in a silk bag, and calling a crow that was flying past, asked the bird to deliver the gem to his beloved. Crows had milky white feathers in those days and it was considered auspicious if a crow came anywhere near you. So the sun was pleased that he had found a crow to deliver the gem. As the crow sped through the sky with the silken bag, the aroma of food lured him. Looking down the crow saw that a wedding feast was in progress, and immediately it was distracted from its mission. Food was one thing it could never resist!

Alighting on a tree nearby, it hung the bag on a twig and went off to find some food. While the crow was feasting, a merchant passing by saw the bag on the tree, and knocked it down with a pole. When he opened the bag and saw its contents he almost swooned in joy. Quickly pocketing the ruby, he filled the bag with dry cow dung that was lying there, and then deftly returned the bag to the branch. It was all done so quickly that the crow missed all the action. After having its fill, it flew up to the tree, and picking up bag, took it to the person it was intended for. The princess was in the garden. When the crow gave her the bag, she took it eagerly, knowing that it was from the sun.

But when she saw its contents she reeled back in shock and anger. Believing that it was Sun's way of telling her that he did not care for her, she flung the bag away, rushed to her palace, and never came out again. When the Sun learnt of what had happened he was furious. So great was his anger that when he turned his scorching gaze on the crow, its feathers were burned black. Its feathers have been black ever since. The ruby did not stay with the man who stole it. It fell out of his pocket and rolled into a deep pit. Men have been trying to dig it out ever since. Many precious stones have been found in the process, making Myanmar one of the richest sources of rubies and sapphires, but the ruby that the Sun sent to the princess is yet to be found.

1. What did the Sun send for the princess as a token of his love ? 
   1. He sent her the crow 
   2. He sent her dry cow dung 
   3. He sent her a red ruby 
   4. He gifted her the city of Myanmar 
   5. None of the above 
2. Why did the princess fling the gift away ? 
   1. She did not like rubies 
   2. The crow was known to bring bad luck 
   3. She had found cow dung in the bag 
   4. She thought the Sun was playing a cruel joke on her 
   5. She had wanted the sun to personally deliver it 
3. What led to the discovery of precious stones in Myanmar ? 
   1. Humans discovered the stones in their search for the lost ruby 
   2. The crow spread the news of the lost ruby
   3. The princess went in search of the lost ruby and discovered other precious stones 
   4. The merchant went in search of the ruby that fell off his pockets 
   5. The merchant's clumsiness led to the discovery of precious stones 
4. How did the crow get its black colour ? 
   1. The crow was punished by the Sun for its clumsiness 
   2. The crow was burned black by the scorching gaze of the angry Sun 
   3. The crow was not considered auspicious any more 
   4. The crow was cursed by the merchant 
   5. None of these
5. What could be an appropriate title for the story ? 
   1. The Careless Black crow
   2. Myanmar and its Mineral Riches 
   3. The Sun and the Princess
   4. The -Depressed Princess 
   5. The sun and the ruby

Directions (Q. No. 6 - 8) : Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage. 

6. Token

1. Symbol 
2. Insurance 
3. Slip 
4. Assurance 
5. Investment 

7. Deftly 

1. Skillfully 
2. Blindly 
3. Eagerly 
4. Rightfully 
5. Innocently

8. Auspicious 

1. Religious
2. Lucky
3. Fulfilling
4. Charming 
5. Normal

Directions (Q. No. 9-10) : Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning of the word printed in bold as used in the passage : 

9. Scorching 

1. Cool 
2. Heated 
3. Warm 
4. Silent 
5. Composed 

10. Furious 

1. Beaming 
2. Angry 
3. Forgiving 
4. Calm 
5. Sulking

Directions (Q. No. 11 - 20) : In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words phrases are suggested, one of which best its the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case. 

Even after 69 years of independence it is disgraceful that we are yet to put our infrastructure in ______________ (11). There are two types of infrastructure in the country. One is the basic infra-structure such as water supply, drainage, education etc. The other is for comfort such as excellent roads, high speed trains etc. We have not ______________ (12) on either. What is the problem? Is it lack of money or funds? It may not ______________  (13) be so. We simply do not know how to go about things. What we have done is that we have ______________  (14) a number of layers of decisionmaking authorities and too ______________  (15) agencies - and regulations. We must get a number of ______________  (16) to get anything done. We need leadership not only in politics but also in administration. We need definition of our objectives such as what we need, why we need, and when we need it. ______________  (17) important point is clarity of ideology. Lastly and most importantly, identification of a right person for the job is ______________  (18). What we need is systemic change. Leadership and commitment make all the ______________  (19) in getting things done. There has to be an appreciation that ______________  (20) in infra-structure delivers a force multiplier for the economy.

11.

1. organise 
2. place 
3. vicinity 
4. commitment 
5. duty 

12. 

1. accomplished 
2. attained 
3. established
4. qualified 
5. delivered

13. 

1. quietly 
2. inevitably
3. because 
4. necessarily
5. voluntarily 

14. 

1. created 
2. resulted
3. caused 
4. invented
5. influenced 

15. 

1. great 
2. abundant
3. many 
4. much
5. manifold 

16. 

1. hardships 
2. attempt
3. bribe 
4. clearness
5. skill 

17. 

1. Another 
2. Different
3. Others
4. Moreover 
5. Distinctly 

18. 

1. expected 
2. dependent
3. awaited 
4. inherent
5. essential

19.

1. basics
2. similarity
3. difference 
4. rigidity
5. modesty 

20. 

1. building 
2. investment
3. developing 
4. generating
5. modifying

Directions (Q. No. 21-30) : Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The number of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is (5) i.e., "No Error". (Ignore the errors of punctuation, if any).

21. The principal (1)/ introducing me (2) / to some of her (3)/ teaching staff. (4) / No error. (5).

22. The doctors said that (1)/ he was making good progress (2)/ and would not (3)/ need an operation. (4) / No error (5).

23. Instead of (1)/ to buy books, (2)/ I borrow them (3)/ from the library. (4)/ No error (5)

24. By the times (1)/ we reached the classroom, (2)/ the lecture had (3)/ already begun. (4)/ No error (5)

25. The Indian government (1)/ should make sure that (2)/ men and women are (3)/ given equal opportunities. (4)/ No error (5)

26. The foundation about (1)/ a strong relationship is (2)/ based on mutual respect (3)/ and shared experiences. (4)/ No error (5)

27. The campaign is an (1)/ ongoing initiative to (2)/ engage with teenagers and create (3)/ awareness in skin care. (4)/ No error (5)

28. The percentage of girls (1)/ enroll in government schools (2)/ in urban centres has (3)/ touched rock bottom. (4)/ No error (5)

29. I forced my way (1)/ into the house (2)/ and saw that (3)/ the brothers were fighting. (4)/ No error (5)

30. A new studies has (1)/ revealed that (2)/ commercial diets can help (3)/ weight loss in the short term. (4)/ No error (5)

KEY

1. 3 
2. 3 
3. 1 
4. 2 
5. 3 
6. 1 
7. 1
8. 2 
9. 1 
10. 4 
11. 2 
12. 5
13. 4 
14. 1 
15. 3 
16. 4 
17. 1 
18. 5 
19. 3 
20. 2 
21. 2 
22. 5 
23. 2 
24. 1 
25. 5 
26. 1 
27. 4 
28. 2 
29. 4 
30. 1 

Shared by Shravan Varma Gadiraju

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