Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
English Grammar
Reading Comprehension
Correct Sentences
Vocabulary
English Grammer:-
Noun:
To put it very simply, a noun is nothing but a name. Anything that is a name, is actually a noun! Here we will
learn some rules and guidelines about how to use nouns correctly and in the proper form. And also look at
some questions that are often asked in bank exams. Let us get started.
What is a Noun?
A noun is anything that is an individual or a thing, a place, or even a feeling or idea. Basically, the noun is
any word that is used to identify a particular entity. Let us understand it better with the following
examples.
Examples of Noun
Name The teacher, the doctor, Mr. Jones, the banker, Mrs. Ray.
Thing: A ball, the swing, an umbrella.
Place: Classroom, Mumbai, the road, Canada.
Feeling: Concern, worry, beauty.
Action: Exchange, running, sleeping, breathing.
Generally in most cases to turn a singular noun to a plural noun we just add the letter “s” to the end.
The tree becomes trees and cat becomes cats.
If the noun ends in s, ss, sh, o, x or z then the plural noun will end with an “es”. Crunch will become
crunches, and mass becomes masses.
If the noun ends with f or fe the plural nouns will end with “ves”. So plural of wife will be wives and
calf will be calves.
And if the noun will end with a y, then the ending of the plural nouns will be “ies’. Puppy in its plural
form will be puppies. But if the letter before y is a vowel then you will only add a “-s”. So boy will be
boys
Points to Keep in Mind
There are also some important rules or guidelines that you must keep in mind regarding nouns, that will
be useful.
1. When dealing with a collective noun, we use gender-neutral pronouns. For example, “The class was
doing their work in silence.” We do not use the pronouns his or her.
2. If it is an animal or creature or even a baby, again we use gender-neutral pronouns.
3. There are certain words that sound plural, but are actually singular nouns and used as such in
a sentence. Some such nouns are Mathematics, Politics, Ethics, Optics, Economics etc. So, for
example, Mathematics is a hard subject for Ricky. Notice we used “is and not “are”.
4. As opposed to that there are nouns that sound singular but are actually are plural. Some such nouns
are Children, Cattle, Women. Men etc. The Women are walking towards the market. Again we used
“are” since women is a plural noun.
5. And then there are a few fords whose plural and singular noun is the same. Words like sheep, deer,
fish, aircraft, team etc can be used as both singulars as well as plural nouns.
Learn Kinds of Nouns here.
Solved Questions
Type 1 Activity
Q: Every evening(1) the mothers-in-law(2) would meet to discuss their respective days(3). Which part of
the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. No errors in the sentence.
Ans: The correct answer is “B”. The plural form of mother-in-law would be mothers-in-law and not
mothers-in-law.
Q: The laugh (1) was so loud (2) it could be heard from across the room (3). Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. No errors in the sentence.
Ans: The correct answer is “A”. The noun form of “laugh” (which is a verb) must be used here, which is
laughter.
Q: The deer (1) were terrified (2) and ran away from the car (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. No errors in the sentence
Ans: The correct answer is “D”. The plural form of deer is also deer, and the sentence is correctly formed.
Type 2 Activity
a. Hundred
b. Hundreds
Ans: Correct answer is “B”. People is a plural noun by itself. So the correct sentence is “Hundreds of people
met at the ground and got to work. ”
Q: Will you at least ____ the job?
a. Consider
b. Considered
Ans: The correct answer is “A’. Consider is the noun, and considered is the verb form. Here the correct
sentence will be “Will you at least consider the job?
Practice Question
Q: Woman and men (1) should be treated (2) by society equally (3). Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. No errors in the sentence.
Ans; Option A. Should be ‘men’.
Q: It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of his life. Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. No errors in the sentence.
Ans: Option D. ‘Experience’ can be both singular and plural.
Q: He was certain that the ____ was false.
a. Informations
b. information
c. information’s
d. None of the above
Ans: Option B
Q: The punch knocked out for of his ____
a. tooth
b. teeth
c. tooths
d. None of the above
Ans: Option B
Kinds Of Noun
Now that we have learned about nouns, let us learn about certain kinds or types of nouns including the
collective nouns. Having knowledge about the various kinds of nouns will ensure we use them correctly in
a sentence. Let us get started.
Types of Noun
Proper Noun
The first kind of noun we will deal with is a proper noun. A proper noun is the name of a specific individual
person or place or thing of some kind. Basically, if the noun is a name of a unique entity we call it a proper
noun. For example, the name of a person or a city or the name of a company is all proper nouns.
So “Mumbai” is a proper noun, but “city” is just a common noun. Similarly “Jaya” is a proper noun, “girl” is
not.
One thing to remember, when dealing with a proper noun we always capitalize the first letter of the name.
It is one of the easiest ways to recognize a proper noun.
Collective Nouns
You must have heard the expression “a flock of birds”. This is a collective noun. It is a name given to a
collection of specific things. Here are some examples of collective nouns commonly used.
Countable Nouns
The opposite of uncountable nouns, nouns which can be counted and measured are countable nouns. We
can enumerate these nouns. Examples are cats, dogs, human, pans, pots, shoes etc. Basically, it is any noun
which we can tally the number of.
Whether the countable noun is singular or plural will obviously depend on the situation. Like for example,
it can be, “A cat was sitting by the door” or “A few cats were sitting by the door”. Most of the nouns we come
across are countable nouns.
Abstract Noun
Moving on we come to the abstract noun. Abstract nouns are as the name suggests nouns that cannot be
touched or seen. These are intangible things. They can be a feeling or a thought or even a quality. Abstract
nouns are always treated as singular.
Some examples of abstract nouns are happiness, sadness, idea, courage, intelligent, evil, power etc.
Type 1
Q: Find the correct sentence: All the
Type 2
Q: Ram(1) was very upset that the barber(2) had messed up his hairs(3). Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. The sentence is correct
Ans: The correct answer is “C”. Hair is a collective noun, so we treat it like a singular noun. The correct
formation of the sentence is, “Ram was very upset that the barber had messed up his hair”.
Q: His experience (1) made him a better person (2) and a better teacher to his students (3). Which part of
the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. The sentence is correct
Ans: The correct option is “A”. While experience is an abstract noun, it can be used in the plural form if the
situation demands. Here the word”experience” is a countable noun and must be used in the plural form.
The correct sentence will be “His experiences made him a better person and a better teacher to his
students.”
Q: The herd(1) of fish(2) swam towards the horizon(3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. The sentence is correct
e. Ans: The correct answer is option “A”. While herd is a collective noun for animals, the collective noun
we use for fish is “School’. So the correct form of that sentence will be “The school of fish swam
towards the horizon”. Also, note it will be fish and not fishes.
Practice Questions
Q: It was a crowded city (1) the New York (2), but Alex was still enjoying the trip (3). Which part of the
sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. The sentence is correct
Ans: Option B. Proper nouns do not generally have articles in front of them.
Q: His childhood (1) was full of happiness (2) and love (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. The sentence is correct
Ans: Option D.
Q: Find the correct sentence.
Pronouns
A pronoun is a word that can be used in the place of a noun. We do not repeat nouns in a sentence, it would
get tedious and lengthy. So instead we use pronouns. Some examples of pronouns are she, her, he, his,
theirs, mines, yours etc.
So any word which effectively replaces a noun is a pronoun. So instead of saying “Raj went to the market,
and when Raj came back Raj was tired”, we say “Raj went to the market, and when he came back he was
tired”.
Types of Pronouns
Personal Pronoun: These are the pronouns that replace people, i.e. names. Examples are I, we, he,
she etc. There are two types of personal pronouns, subjective (she, he, I) and objective (her, him,
me).
Possessive Pronouns: Pronouns that represent ownership or belonging are possessive pronouns.
Examples- her, mine, his, their
Absolute Possessive Pronouns: Similar to possessive pronouns, the difference is that they are not an
adjective to the noun. They are used individually. Example: hers, theirs, yours etc.
Demonstrative Pronouns: Those which are used to indicate something or someone. Example: this,
that, those etc.
Indefinite Pronouns: Opposite to the demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns refer to no
particular thing or person, i.e. they talk about non-specific things. So examples will include us, them,
they, all, few etc. This is the largest subcategory of pronouns.
Interrogative Pronouns: These are simple to spot. They are the pronouns which we generally use in
questions. Examples: Who, where, whom, how etc.
Reflexive Pronouns: These are used to address another noun or pronoun in the sentence. They end
with -self or selves. Examples are myself, themselves, herself etc.
6] When using reciprocal pronouns, “each other” is used when talking about two persons. “One another ” is
used for more than two people. Example: “They knew each other from school” (talking about two people).
“Nobody knew one another on that bus” (talking about several people).
Type 1
Q: If you ask me (1), the real contest is between you (2) and I (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. The sentence is correct
Ans: The correct option is “C’. If there are two pronouns separated by between, both should be objective
pronouns. I is a subject pronoun. The correct sentence will be ” If you ask me, the real contest is between
you and me”.
Q; My friend and myself (1) decided to visit the fair, but he (2) cancelled at the last minute (3). Which part
of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. The sentence is correct
Ans: The correct option is “A”. Myself is a reflexive pronoun. But in the subject of the sentence, we use a
subjective pronoun. The correct sentence will be “My friend and me decided to visit the fair but he
cancelled at the last minute”.
Type 2
Q: Which of the following sentences is incorrect.
Practice Questions
Q: It (1) was a very confusing night, they (1) did not even know what to do with themself (3). Which part of
the sentence is incorrect?
Ans: Part 3 is correct. It will be ‘themselves’.
Q: “What are (1) the chances of my (2) getting through?” she (3) asked. Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
Ans: Part 2 is correct. It will be ‘me’.
Q: Which is the correct sentence?
Verbs
Verbs are the action words in a sentence. They are extensively covered in banking and PO exams due to
their importance. Let us learn about the types of verbs and the correct use of verbs.
Verbs
The Verbs in a sentence tell you what the subject of a sentence is doing, or how it is being. They are
associated with people, tense, voice of speech or mood. Verbs are the heart of a sentence, they help the
sentence convey the core message. Even just the verb can express a thought, like for example”Run!” or
“sit.”
Here we will be covering some important type of verbs that are generally confusing. Once you learn how to
use the correct form of verbs, it will be smooth sailing.
Action Verbs
Action Verbs indicate an action or the occurrence of an event. They are used when something is happening
in a sentence. Even if the word is something that happens figuratively (like a symbol) it will be an action
verb. Let us take a look at some examples.
Non-action
Non-action verbs do not indicate an occurrence of an event, they indicate the mood, emotion,
feeling, opinion etc. Some examples of non-action verbs are
I have the best seat in the house.
He felt cold all of a sudden.
I am a great player.
She is on her way.
Phrasal Verb
Now there are many other kinds of verbs such as transitive, intransitive, auxiliary, modal etc. The one we
will be focusing on here is a special verb known as Phrasal Verb.
Here the verb is not one word, but a string of words, or a phrase. The meaning of the original word will
differ from that of the resulting phrase. We form the phrase by using a verb followed by an adverb or
a preposition. Let us look at some examples of phrasal verbs. These are just some examples, there are
hundreds upon hundreds of phrasal verbs.
Phrasal
Meaning Example
Verb
Explain or
No one can account for his
Account for justify
whereabouts on Monday.
something
Write/ take
Let me jot down my address,
jot down down
you can mail the letter to it.
something
a deal or
adjust to How do you cope with the daily
cope with
something requirements of your job.
or someone
move or
progress He has missed a few days, but he
Get on
from must get on with his studies.
something
Solved Questions
Q: There was (1) a great number (2) of people in the street walking (3) towards the entrance. Which part
of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: Option “A” is the answer. People here are in the plural sense, so ‘was’ is wrong, since it refers to
singular. The correct sentence will be “There were a great number of people in the street walking towards
the entrance.”
Q: Despite their devotion and dedication (1) the business failed (2) to take in (3). Which part of the
sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: Option “C” is the answer. ‘Take in’ means to take care of someone, here the phrasal verb should be
‘take off”, which means to be successful. Therefore correct sentence here is ” Despite their devotion and
dedication the business failed to take off.”
Q: The chairman (1) and the director is (2) being investigated by the CBI (3) for fraudulent
activities. Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: Option “B” is the correct answer. The two nouns Chairman and Director are separated by an ‘and’, but
both are preceded by ‘the’. So both are being talked about separately and so plural verb must be used, i.e.
‘are’. So the correct sentence will read as “The chairman and the director are being investigated by the CBI
for fraudulent activities.”
Practice Questions
Q: All the gold is (1) accounted for (2), I checked (3) twice. Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: Option B. It will be ‘accounted for’.
Q: The hotel has a revolving (1) restaurant, it is (2) what made (3) it famous. Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans; Option C. “makes’ not ‘made’.
Q: The mother as well as (1) her children are (2) out on a picnic by the river (3). Which part of the sentence
is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: Option C. Will be ‘is’ not ‘are’.
Adjectives
An adjective is any word that describes a noun. It gives us more information about the subject of our
sentence, which is the noun. They could be describing the quality, quantity, state, shape etc of the noun.
Some examples of an adjective are big, few, beautiful, scary, tasty etc.
So an adjective will modify a noun (describe) for the benefit of the reader. Take for example the following
instance: “Alex has a dog”. This sentence will give you the information that Alex has a dog. But if we add the
appropriate adjectives, the sentence will be “Alex has a beautiful, brown, furry dog”. Now in this instance,
you have far more information about the dog. It is easy to spot the adjectives (beautiful, brown and furry)
as they are directly before the noun.
Adverbs
Now adverbs describe verbs and adjectives and also other adverbs. They modify the verbs and help us get
more information about the verb or the noun by modifying the adjective. Let us see some examples of this,
Adjectives vs Adverbs
There are many ways an adjective and an adverb relate to each other. One is obviously that we use adverbs
to describe adjectives in many cases. Another relation is that people often use an adverb for linking verbs
instead of the adjective.
A linking verb is a verb which relates to feelings and other such intangible things. It describes a sensory
experience (like feeling or taste or smelling). The adjectives we use for such verbs are known as predicate
adjectives. And confusing the need of an adverb instead of a predicate adjective is a common mistake. Let
us take a look at an example,
“The room smells badly”. Now, this may seem like a correct sentence but it is not.
The verb smell here is a linking verb, so we will use a predicate adjective and not the adverb ‘badly’
So the correct sentence will be “The room smells bad”.
Solved Examples
Q: There was no doubt (1) in his mind that his project (2) was the most best (3). Which part of the sentence
is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The correct option is C. Here the adjective ‘best’ (good, better, best) is already a superlative. It does
not need ‘most’ as an added superlative to form a compound adjective. So the correct sentence will be
“There was no doubt in his mind that his project was the best.”
Q: Rahul’s mother was unhappy (1), his marks were lowest (2) than the class average (3). Which part of the
sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The answer is B. Here Rahul’s marks were not the lowest in the class, but they were less than the class
average marks. So the degree of comparison should be the comparative degree. The adjective ‘lower’
would be the correct form. The correct sentence will be “Rahul’s mother was unhappy, his marks were
lower than the class average”.
Q: Australia is (1) a very unique (2) country (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The correct option is B. There are some words that do not have degrees of comparison. By their very
meaning, they convey they are superlative. Some such words are unique, universal, entire, ideal etc. So the
phrase ‘very unique’ or ‘most ideal’ etc are wrong. The correct sentence will be “Australia is a unique
country”.
Q: The students felt sadly (1) that their teacher (2) was leaving (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The answer is A. The word felt will imply that it is a linking verb, dealing with sensory things. So we
know that instead of using an adverb (sadly in this case) we must use an adjective. So the correct sentence
will be “The students felt sad that their teacher was leaving”.
Practice Questions
Q: The surgeon (1) efficiency stitched (2) up the wound (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: B (correct adverb form is “efficiently”)
Q: He could only eat (1) the fruits as everything (2) else contained eggs and he was allergic (3). Which part
of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: A (could eat only; adverb will follow the verb)
Q: Don’t ride your bicycle (1) so dangerous (2) in the middle of the road (3). Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: B (dangerously is the correct adverb)
Paragraph Jumbles
In this section on Para Jumbles, we will focus mainly on solved examples. This section is very common in
the most prestigious exams like CAT, IBPS, SSB, RRB and many others. Hence a good understanding and
practice are warranted here. Let us see!
Para Jumbles
Most of the information given in the section on parajumbles is unnecessary for the purpose at hand, i.e.,
sorting the sentences. In essence what we are looking for are things that can help us in connecting the
sentences. Some approaches are given below to help identify the sequence of sentences. Generally, in a
given parajumble more than one approach will be applicable at the same time, therefore practices
identifying which approach/approaches apply to the parajumbles you have to solve.
Practice Questions
DIRECTIONS for the Questions: Sentences given in each question, when properly sequenced, form a
coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a letter. Choose the most logical order of the sentences
from among the four given choices to construct a coherent paragraph.
Q 1:
A. By reasoning, we mean the mental process of drawing an inference from two or more statements or
going from the inference to the statements, which yield that inference.
B. So logical reasoning covers those types of questions, which imply drawing an inference from the
problems.
C. Logic means if we take its original meaning, the science of valid reasoning.
D. Clearly, for understanding arguments and for drawing the inference correctly, it is necessary that we
should understand the statements first.
A) ACBD B) CABD C) ABCD D) DBCA [CAT – 1998]
Answer: B) CABD
Q 2: Commercially reared chicken can be unusually aggressive, and are often kept in darkened sheds to
prevent them from pecking at each other.
A. The birds spent far more of their time — up to a third — pecking at the inanimate objects in the pens, in
contrast to birds in other pens which spent a lot of time attacking others.
B. In low light conditions, they behave less belligerently but are more prone to ophthalmic disorders and
respiratory problems.
C. In an experiment, aggressive head-pecking was all but eliminated among birds in the enriched
environment.
D. Altering the birds’ environment, by adding bales of wood-shavings to their pens, can work wonders.
6. Bales could diminish aggressiveness and reduce injuries; they might even improve productivity since a
happy chicken is a productive chicken.
A) DCAB B) CDBA C) DBAC D) BDCA [CAT – 2000]
Ans: D) BDCA
Subjective Verb Agreement
Verbs must agree with subjects in number and in person (1st/2nd/3rd). A subject is
a noun or pronoun. A verb is an action performed by the subject. In the following section, we will
see many such examples of the Subjective Verb concept. We also have exercises that will help you
cement the concept of Subjective Verb in a proper way.
Subjective Verb Agreement
Verbs must agree with subjects in number and in person (1st/2nd/3rd). Subjects and verbs must
agree in number. This is the cornerstone rule that forms the background of the concept. For
example, consider this: The dog growls when he is angry. The dogs growl when they are angry.
Following is a roadmap or rules that you can follow to avoid any mistakes in the Subject-Verb
Agreement:
Part I
Don’t get confused by the words that come between the subject and verb; they do not
affect agreement. The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good.
Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement. For example,
The colours of the rainbow are beautiful.
When sentences start with “there” or “here,” the subject will always be placed after the verb, so care
needs to be taken to identify it correctly. For example, “There is a problem with the balance sheet.
Here are the papers you requested.”
Subjects don’t always come before verbs in questions. Make sure you accurately identify the subject
before deciding on the proper verb form to use. For example:
Does Lefty usually eat grass? Where are the pieces of this puzzle.
If two subjects are joined by and, they typically require a plural verb form. Example: The cow and
the pig are jumping over the moon.
The verb is singular if the two subjects separated by and refer to the same person or thing. For
example: Red beans and rice is my mom’s favorite dish.
Part II
If the words each, every, or no come before the subject, the verb is singular. No smoking and
drinking is allowed. Every man and woman is required to check in.
If the subjects are both singular and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and
not only/but also the verb is singular. For example: Jessica or Christian is to blame for the accident.
The only time when the object of the preposition factors into the decision of plural or singular verb
forms is when a noun and pronoun subjects like some, half, none, more, all, etc. are followed by a
prepositional phrase. In these sentences, the object of the preposition determines the form of the
verb. For example:
All of the chicken is gone. All of the chickens are gone.
The singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement. For example: Four quarts of oil
was required to get the car running.
If the subjects are both plural and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and
not only/but also, the verb is plural. For example:
Dogs and cats are both available at the pound.
Part III
If one subject is singular and one plural and the words are connected by the words or, nor,
neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, you use the verb form of the subject that is nearest
the verb. For example:
Do your sisters or your girlfriend want any pizza?
Indefinite pronouns typically take singular verbs. Example: Everybody wants to be loved. Except for
the pronouns (few, many, several, both) that always take the plural form. For example:
Few were left alive after the flood.
If two infinitives are separated by and they take the plural form of the verb. For example:
To walk and to chew gum require great skill.
When gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence they take the singular verb form of the verb, but
when they are linked by and they take the plural form. Example:
Standing in the water was a bad idea. Swimming in the ocean and playing drums are my hobbies.
Collective nouns like the herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a singular verb form. Example:
The herd is stampeding.
Titles of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated as singular and take a singular verb. For
example: The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.
Final Rule – Remember, only the subject affects the verb!
Prepositional Phrases and Why They Matter
Example: The boxes of cake mix are on the shelf.
The verb is “are,” but what is the subject? Is it “boxes” or “cake mix”? In order to figure out the
subject, we must eliminate the prepositional phrase which is often times in between the subject and
the verb.
A prepositional phrase is a two – to four – word phrase (sometimes more) that begins with a
preposition (above, among, at, below, beneath, between, in, of, over, to, under). A verb must agree
with its subject, not with the object of a prepositional phrase, which often comes between the
subject and the verb.
Example: The boxes of cake mix are on the shelf.
Since “of” is a preposition, we ignore the prepositional phrase “of cake mix.” Therefore, “boxes” is
the plural subject, which matches perfectly with the plural verb “are.”
Practice Questions:
Q 1: Everyone (has/have) done his or her homework.
Ans: has
Q 2. Each of the students (is/are) responsible for doing his or her work.
Ans: is
Q 3. Either my father or my brothers (is/are) going to sell the car.
Ans: are
Q 4. Neither my sisters nor my mother (is/are) going to sell the house.
Ans: is
Q 5. The samples on the tray in the lab (need/needs) testing.
Ans: need
Q 6. Mary and John usually (plays/play) together.
Ans: play
Q 7. Both of the dogs (has/have) collars.
Ans: have
Q 8. Neither the dogs nor the cat (is/are) very hungry.
Ans: is
Q 9. Either the girls or the boy (walk/walks) in the evening.
Ans: walks
Q 10. Either the boy or the girls (walk/walks) in the evening.
Ans: walk
Q 11. At the end of the fall (comes/come) the hard tests.
Ans: come
Q 12. The slaughter of animals for their fur (has/have) caused controversy.
Ans: has
Q 13. The student, as well as his teacher, (was/were) going on the field trip.
Ans: was
Q 14. The hard tests (comes/come) at the end of the fall.
Ans: come
Q 15. Both of my roommates (has/have) decided to live in the dorms.
Ans: have
In English grammar, we often form long and complex sentences. There are a few connecting words that
help us build the bridges between two simple sentences and allow us to form fuller sentences. Let us learn
about two such connecting categories of words Conjunctions and Prepositions.
Conjunctions
Conjunctions are words that link other words to form complex sentences. A conjunction does not abide by
any particular rules, they can connect any two words together (does not have to be nouns, pronouns,
adjectives). Because conjunctions can connect two verbs, we use them to connect simple sentences.
Some common examples of conjunctions are: and, because, but, yet etc.
She will pick up the eggs and the vegetables from the market
He wanted to study but he could not find the time
She was late because her car broke down.
Types of Conjunctions
Coordinating Conjunctions
These are connecting words that can join words, sentences, phrases etc that are of the same grammatical
rank (similar syntax). The most common coordinating conjunctions are and, for, but, so, or, yet, nor etc. Let
us look at some example
She went to get food and some medicines from the grocery store
Mr. Jones neede a vacation but he could not afford to leave work.
There were no buses that day so I took the car
Correlative Conjunctions
These conjunctions are in pairs. They are to be written together in the same sentence. Some examples are
neither and nor, either and or, not only and but also. Some examples are
Subordinating Conjunctions
These are the conjunctions that come before and introduce the subordinating or dependent part/clause of
a sentence. They join the dependent and the independent clauses. It will usually indicate a contrast or an
effect or some such relation. Some common subordinating conjunctions are, after, before, until, though,
etc.
Prepositions
Prepositions too are connecting words that help make sense of a sentence. They generally connect a noun
or a pronoun with the rest of the sentence. They precede nouns/pronouns in a sentence and help to form
the relation of the noun with the sentence. For example, Alex left his books at school.
Some other examples of preposition are too, with, of, between, on, until, behind etc. These prepositions at
a time, or a location or direction or some type of relation. Let us see a few examples of all.
Conjunctions vs Prepositions
There are some words that can be both conjunctions and prepositions. There are certain subordinating
conjunctions which are also prepositions. Some such examples are: before, after, until, since etc.
If the word is followed by a dependent or subordinating clause then it is a conjunction. If the following
words are objects, nouns or pronouns then it will be a preposition. Let us look at some examples
Alex will wait here until we finish talking about Here until connects the subject of the sentence to
his behavior its dependent clause, so it is a conjunction
Solved Examples
Q: Such was his handwriting (1) as I could not (2) read anything (3). Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The correct option is B. The correct conjunction here will be “that”. so the correct sentence will be,
“Such was his handwriting that I could not read anything”
Q: Not only (1) was the bus driver very late (2) but he was rude (3) to the passengers. Which part of the
sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The answer is B. Not only/but also are correlative conjunctions and must always be used together in a
sentence. In the above sentence ‘also’ is missing. The correct sentence will be “Not only was the bus driver
very late but he was also very rude to the passengers.”
Q: Hardly Alex had (1) reached his class when the teacher (2) started handing out the exam papers
(3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The correct option is A. Hardly is a conjunction that should be immediately followed by the verb. So
the correct sentence will be, “Hardly had Alex reached his class when the teacher started handing out the
exam papers.”
Q: My uncle asked (1) me to inquire if all the trains (2) were upon time (3). Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The correct answer is C. Upon is a proposition of space. Here the correct preposition will be ‘on’ which
relates to time. So the correct sentence will be, “My uncle asked me to inquire if all the trains were on
time.”
Practice Questions
Q: The prisoner was (1) found guilty about (2) the robbery (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: B (for, not about)
Q: We must cultivate (1) a habit to (2) being on time since a young age (3). Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: B (of not to)
Q: He was neither tall or skinny (1) as per the (2) given description (3). Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: A (either is followed by ‘nor’ not ‘or’)
Q: Mr Jones had decided (1) to leave both his job or his home (2) and move to Chicago (3). Which part of
the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: B (and is the correct conjunction, not or)
Phrasal Verbs
In grammar, phrasal verbs play an important part in the English language. They can be confusing at times
since the phrase has a different meaning to the individual words. And hence it is heavily tested in bank
exams such as IBPS, SSC etc. Let us learn a few important phrasal verbs.
Phrasal Verbs
Verbs are not necessarily just one word. At times an entire phrase is considered a verb. Here the main verb
is followed by an adverb or a preposition. And the entire idiom or phrase together is known as a phrasal
verb. Let us see some examples of this.
“See to” is a phrasal verb. The verb ‘see’ is followed by a preposition ‘to’,
Another phrasal verb is “hang up”. Here the verb is ‘hang’ which is followed by the adverb ‘up’.
One very important thing to know about Phrasal verbs is that the meaning of the phrase or the idiom will
often be different than the meaning of the individual words. So the phrase will have an individualistic
meaning. Some examples of this are as follows
Take the phrase “blow up”. The meaning of the phrase is “to explode”. The individual words have
different meaning and the phrase have a totally different meaning.
“Look up” is a phrasal verb that means to search for something. Again the meaning of the phrase is
different from the meaning of the words that make up the phrase.
Ask after Enquire about I met her last night, she asked after your grandmother.
Breakthrough An achievement or success The invention of planes was a breakthrough for mankind.
To be excited and lose After his recent success, Alex got carried away and ended u
Carry away
control alienating himself from his friends.
Drop in Visit someone The doctor decided to drop in and check on Mrs Smith
Have an argument or
Fall out He and his brother had a falling out over that car.
quarrel
Escape punishment or The robber got away with only a minor fine due to the lack o
Get away with
consequences evidence against him.
Hold out Resist difficulties The army held out even in sub-zero temperatures.
The police decided to look into the matter after they wer
Look into Investigate
convinced it was a robbery.
grab or accept an
Jump at I jumped at the chance to work with Mr Ray.
opportunity with eagerness
Stay somewhere
Put up I put up at my aunt’s place till the storm passed.
temporarily
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The correct answer is C. Burn away is not the phrasal verb to be used here. The correct verb is ‘burn
out’ which means to be exhausted and tired. So the correct sentence will be “The job was taking a toll on
Roger, he was completely burnt out.
Q: As soon as he reached (1) home he set up (2) doing the housework (3). Which part of the sentence is
wrong?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The correct answer is B. Set up means to establish something. the correct phrasal verb here should be
‘set about’ which means to start doing some work. So the correct sentence will be “As soon as he reached
home he set about doing the housework”.
Q: It was getting late (1), so the teacher decided to wind (2) his work and leave for home (3). Which part of
the sentence is wrong?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The answer is B. Here the verb that is correct is “wind up”. ‘wind’ means air, whereas ‘wind up’ means
to wrap up something. So the correct sentence will be “It was getting late, so the teacher decided to wind
up his work and leave for home”.
Q: As the storm weakened the wind died ____.
a. down
b. away
c. off
d. none of the above
Ans: The correct answer is A. ‘Die down’ means to gradually disappear or weaned. So the correct sentence
will be “As the storm weakened the wind died down”.
Practice Questions
Q: The heavy rains (1) caused the car (2) to break out (3). Which part of the sentence is wrong?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: C (break down)
Q: She decided (1) to look after (2) her old school friends (3) on Facebook. Which part of the sentence is
wrong?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: B (look up)
Q: He put up (1) an appearance of innocence (2) till the guilt caught up (3) with him. Which part of the
sentence is wrong?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: A (put on)
Q: Mary instantly broke ____ in tears on after the exam.
a. in
b. up
c. out
d. down
Ans; D
Q: Even though their wealth was gone, the family decided to keep ___ with appearances.
a. up
b. in
c. to
d. none of the above
Ans: A
Articles
There are certain words in the English language that we use rather frequently. And so it is essential that
we learn their correct usage and syntax. Articles are three such words, and they are also important from
an exam point of view. Let us get started.
Articles
Articles in a way are similar to adjectives. They also define a noun. Articles will help us specify whether the
noun is a specific noun or an unspecific noun. There are two types of articles in Grammar. Let us learn
about them and their correct usage.
Indefinite Articles
There are two indefinite articles “a” and “an”. Indefinite articles are used to talk about non-specific nouns.
They refer to a noun which is generic rather than one particular thing. Take the following examples.
Mary wanted to go to a park (This implies that mary wanted to go to any park, not a particular one)
Could you pass me a pencil? (Here again, talk is about any pencil at hand, not one specific one)
A or An
Now let us discuss when we must use ‘an’ instead of ‘a’. The general rule is that if the following noun will
begin with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) then we use ‘an’ and not ‘a’. For example, “She went out and bought an
umbrella.” However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Let us take a look at them,
If the noun starts with a consonant, but we pronounce it as a vowel, we will use ‘an’. This happens
when the first letter of the word is silent. Take for example the word ‘honest’.
And if the word starts with a vowel, but we pronounce it with a consonant voice, then we will not use
‘an’ but use ‘a’.
Definite Article
There is only one word which we call the definite article, it is “the”. The definite article is used when we are
talking about specific nouns. The use of “the” points to the reader that the noun we are talking about is one
specific thing, person, place etc. Let us see an example,
Mary wanted to go to the park. (here we are talking about a specific park that Mary wanted to visit.
We may have introduced the club earlier in the write up)
Could you pass me the pencil? (Again here the pencil being talked about is a specific pencil)
Omission of Article
Now there are certain nouns before which we do not use any articles as it is not necessary. Let us see a few
such incidents where we omit the articles before nouns.
We generally do not use articles before abstract nouns. These are intangible nouns which cannot be
counted.
Also, we do not generally use articles before proper nouns. So we do not put a/an/the before names
of people or places etc
Another time we generally omit articles is before plural nouns.
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The correct option is C. Although honest starts with a consonant (H) bit we pronounce it like a vowel
(O). So we will use “an” instead of “a”. So the correct sentence will be “There was no doubt in my mind that
Alex was an honest man”.
Q: Rome is a (1) smallest country (2) in the world (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The correct option is A. Since we are talking in superlative terms the correct article here would be
“the’. If the word was smaller than it would be ‘a’. So the correct sentence will be “Rome is the smallest
country in the world.
Q: She tried (1) one more time but (2) it was a unsuccessful (3) attempt. Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The correct option is C. The noun “unsuccessful” starts with a vowel. So we use ‘an’ in place of ‘a’. The
correct sentence will be “She tried one more time but it was an unsuccessful attempt”
Q: Since bus (1) was late, we did not reach (2) the game on time (3). Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: The correct option is A. Bus is a common noun, and we use an article before it. Since we are talking
about a specific bus, we will use “the”. So the correct sentence will be “Since the bus was delayed we did not
reach the game on time”.
Practice Questions
Q: The official language (1) of India is the Hindi (2) and English (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: B (no article before languages)
Q: He was (1) on the terrace (2) flying the kites (3). Which part of the sentence is incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: C
Q: Mark was told (1) she will be there in a hour (2), so he rushed over (3). Which part of the sentence is
incorrect?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. Sentence is correct
Ans: B
Tense
English Grammar has many topics such as Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Modals, Tense, Active and
Passive Voice etc. Let us learn more in detail about the topic of Tense in this article. Many banking and
aptitude tests have a section on English grammar, where they ask you about the different grammar rules
and sentences related to tense, active/passive voice, modals, etc. Therefore it is imperative to be
methodical while learning the English Grammar. The article here explains the topic Tense in detail.
Present tense
It is used to express a
Subject + Verb (base
Simple Present habitual action, fact or
form)+ Object
general truth.
Used to describe an
Is/am/are + ‘ing’ form
Present Continuous action going on at the
of present participle
time of speaking.
To express an action
Has/have + past
Present Perfect that has just got
participle
completed.
Used to express an
Has/have+ been+ ‘ing’
Present Perfect action that began in the
form of the present
Continuous past and is still
participle
continuing.
Past Tense
Expresses a continuing
was/were + ‘ing’form of
Past Continuous action at some point in
present participle
time in the past.
It is utilised to express
an action that was
Past Perfect has + past participle
completed at a certain
time in the past.
Used to express an
action which began
had + been + ‘ing’ form
Past Perfect Continuous before the time of
of present participle
speaking and continued
up to that time.
Future Tense
To express an action
Shall/Will + base form of
Simple Future that will take place in
the verb
the future
Solved Questions
Check out the following examples and questions for a better understanding.
Fill in the blanks with the right form of the tense of the verbs given in the bracket.
1. Rani sleeps for more than ten hours. ( Sleep – Simple Present Tense)
2. He will pass the examination this year. ( Pass – Simple Future Tense)
3. We were playing cricket yesterday. ( Play – Past Continuous)
4. The postman is delivering letters. ( Deliver – Present Continuous)
5. He felt hot and sticky. ( Feel – Simple Past)
6. He will be reading a novel at this time tomorrow. ( Read- Future Continuous)
7. All the students have paid their fees. ( Pay – Present Perfect)
8. The train had arrived at the station when I reached there. ( Arrive – Past Perfect)
9. She will have done her work before I reach. ( Do – Future Perfect)
10. India has been progressing very fast since independence. ( Progress – Present Perfect Continuous)
11. I had been waiting for you since morning. ( Wait – Past Perfect Continuous)
12. Tomorrow, at this time, I shall have been flying to London for two hours. ( Fly – Future Perfect
Continuous)
A. is going
B. go
C. going
D. goes
Ans. Option D
2. We ….. to a new place, as the old place was too small for us.
A. shifted
B. shifts
C. is going to shift
D. shifts
Ans. Option A
3. Ram … football in the same club as me.
A. plays
B. played
C. play
D. will have played
Ans. Option A
I am drinking tea.
He played cricket.
They will help you.
See the structure of Active voice and Passive voice in more detail here.
Passive Voice – Here, the subject receives the action that is expressed by the verb. Therefore, we can say
that the verb is in passive when the subject of the verb is acted upon.
It is generally used to show the action, which means that the focus is on the action and not the subject who
does the action. Sentences in Passive Voice are not simple, as more importance is given to the action rather
than the subject.
Take a look at the following examples:
Figure of Speech
Punctuation
Solved Questions
Direct/Indirect Speech
In exams, there are questions where you to convert the indirect speech into direct speech and vice versa.
Thus, students cannot afford to skip direct/indirect speech or make any mistakes in it. Because in the
exam you have to attempt all the questions.
Direct/Indirect Speech
Step 1: Make a note of the reporting verb that is used to decide the tense of the indirect speech.
Step 2: Change the place and time to indicate the actual place and time that is meant by the speaker.
Step 3: Also, use an appropriate pronoun for the object and the subject.
Step 4: Additionally, make a proper structure/word order of the sentence.
Now, we will discuss each of these steps in detail
Step 2: Changes are done in the word expressing Place, Time, and Connection
Place or time mentioned in the sentence should be changed accordingly to indicate the actual time or
place.
On 1st, April 2015: ‘I will come tomorrow,’ he said.
On 2nd June 2015: He said that he would come the next day.
‘She was not here,’ Ramya said. She said that she was not there.
Type I
In these questions, an idiom is given by four alternatives. The candidate is required to choose that
alternative which correctly expresses the meaning of the given idiom.
Directions: In each of the following questions, an idiomatic expression/ a proverb has been given, followed
by some alternatives. Choose the one which best expresses the meaning of the given idiom/ proverb.
Q1: To turn over a new leaf [Railways, 1995]
A) To change completely one’s course of action. B) To shift attention to new problems after having
studied the old ones thoroughly. C) To cover up one’s fault by wearing new marks. D) To change
the old habits and adopt new ones.
Q2: A fair crack of the whip
A) Severe punishment B) A good luck check C) A period of importance D) Failure of
administration
Q3: To talk one’s head off
A) To talk loudly B) Talk in whispers C) To talk to oneself D) Talk excessively
Q4: To wrangle over an ass’s shadow [SBI PO 1984]
A) Act in a foolish way B) To quarrel over trifles C) Waste time on petty things D) To do
something funny.
Q5: To take with a grain of salt
A) Take with some reservation B) To take with total disbelief C) Take wholeheartedly D) To
take seriously.
Q6: Hobson’s choice [Railways, 1991]
A) Feeling of insecurity B) Accept or leave the offer C) Feeling of strength D) Excellent
choice
Q7: To take the bull by the horns [Railways, 1995]
A) To punish a person severely for his arrogance. B) To grapple courageously with a difficulty that
lies in our way. C) To handle it by a fierce attack. D) To bypass the legal process and take action
according to one’s own whims.
Type II
Directions: I each of the following questions, four or five alternatives are given for the phrase in italics in
the sentence. Choose the one which best expresses the meaning of the phrase in italics.
Q1: He has come up during the last five years. [Stenographer’s Exam, 1991]
A) fallen in rank B) risen in status C) become proud D) become humble
Q2: After tolerating a lot of exploitation at the hands of the authorities they finally decided to stand up for
their rights.
A) seize B) enforce C) negotiate D) vindicate
Q3: The boss should not have called Arun names in front of others.
A) abused B) summoned C) scolded D) praised
Q4: Last evening I was held up at the meeting. [NDA 1995]
A) kept B) detained C) stopped D) delayed
Q5: I have a problem to square up with the manager.
A) work out B) consider C) discuss D) settle
Q6: Sachin is not cut out for this kind of work.
A) work out B) consider C) discuss D) settle
Type III
Directions: In each of the following questions, a sentence has been given in Active (or Passive) Voice. Out of
the four alternatives suggested selecting the one which best expresses the same sentence in Passive (or
Active) voice.
Q1: Mona was writing a letter to her father.
A) A letter was written to her father by Mona.
B) A letter has been written to her father by Mona.
C) A letter was being written by Mona to her father.
D) A letter was written by Mona to her father. [Stenographer’s Exam 1994]
Q2: He teaches us Grammar.
A) Grammar is taught to us by him.
B) We are being taught Grammar by him.
C) grammar is being taught to us by him.
D) We are taught Grammar by him.
Q3: Do you imitate others?
A) Are others imitated by you?
B) Are others being imitated by you?
C) Were others being imitated by you?
D) Have others been imitated by you? [Stenographer’s Exam, 1995]
Q4: I saw him conducting the rehearsal.
A) He was seen conducting the rehearsal.
B) I saw the rehearsal to be conducted by him.
C) He was seen by me to conduct the rehearsal.
D) I saw the rehearsal being conducted by him.
Q5: Have the box broken. [Clerk’s Grade, 1996]
A) Have the broken box. B) Break the box. C) Get someone to break the box. D) They have
broken the box.
Reading Comprehension:
Paragraph Fillers
Paragraph fillers test the reading comprehension of the candidates. A paragraph of three or more lines is
given here. Following the paragraph are four sentences that will either sum up the paragraph or make it
meaningful in one way or the other. The sentences summarise or steer the paragraph in a given direction.
Let us see with the help of the following sections. The basic thought here is that a paragraph contains one
coherent thought.
Example 2: Galileo was persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church, to the point that he was put under house
arrest and his books were banned. When the great physicist, Dr Stephen Hawkings was invited to the
Vatican, it is said that the Pope asked him what did he wish to see? The Physicist answered, “ The trial
records of Galileo”. __________________.
Random Fillers
If the sentence has to go at the end then it is most probable that it will sum up the idea presented in the
main paragraph. It should not contradict it as that would make it a part of a different paragraph. However,
the sentences that go in the middle are asked too. Let us see an example:
Example 3: Kashmir is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It has something for everyone.
_______________________. The white snow-capped mountains, the crystal clear and cool springs, the red chinar
trees, the meadows filled with flowers, and fruit-bearing tree orchards are a sight to behold! One should
visit this paradise on earth, at least once in his lifetime.
1. There are different seasons and every season has its attractions.
2. The place is very beautiful and most safe place to travel to.
3. The people are hospitable and friendly.
4. The travel costs very less.
Answer: Let us begin considering each sentence in the options. But first, let us see what the paragraph is
talking about. The paragraph talks about Kashmir and how it has “something for everyone”. This is the
central idea presented in the paragraph and the option that you choose must be coherent with this. Now
let us analyze the options one by one.
The first option seems correct. It builds on the idea presented in the main paragraph. The second sentence,
is correct but doesn’t contribute to the idea of the paragraph and is not to be considered. Similarly, the
third and the fourth sentence are both correct but don’t seem to flow with the central idea of the
paragraph. Hence the first option is correct.
Practice Questions
Q 1: Complete the following:
First, it spins a web in the shape of a bell. Then it fixes it to plants under the water. Next, it swims up to the
top of the water and traps a tiny bubble of air with its hairy back legs. It drags the bubble to its web. And
does this many times until its home is full of air.___________________.
1. The greetings, cards, and small gifts not only failed to cheer her but also made her feel more lonely.
2. The twin staysails were working again now, and she was creeping along on her course, but the
fatigue was beginning to tell.
3. The next day she got the wind she had asked for – too much of it.
4. A squall struck before daylight, heeling Felicity Ann dangerously.
Answer: 1) The greetings, cards, and small gifts not only failed to cheer her but also made her feel more
lonely.
A. BCAD
B. DBAC
C. ABCD
D. CABD
Answer: Let us first understand the pattern of the question. The question has two fixed clauses marked
with 1 and 2. All the other sentences are to be fit between the two clauses. The trick is to look for
the pronouns. Make the combinations in your head and read them. Try and see which combinations make
sense out of the ones that you tried. In the above case, the combination BCAD seems to fit the best. The
sentence is thus “In spite of an unprecedented boom in the market the paper dealer could not push up his
sales and had to remain content with the volume of sale lower than what he had sold the previous year.”
Level II Difficulty
Let us try and increase the difficulty a bit. Remember there are no fixed rules to solve these questions. The
more you read, the better you will get. Assemble the following paragraph:
A. Or they look through a small pair of lenses arranged as a microscope into a drop of water
or blood and magnify by as much as 2000 diameters the living creatures there, many of which are
among man’s most dangerous enemies.
B. In front of the tiny pupil of the eye they put, on Mount Palomar, a great monocle 200 inches in
diameter, and with it see 2000 times farther into the depths of space.
C. Or they can bring happenings of long ago and far away as coloured motion pictures, by arranging
silver atoms and colour-absorbing molecules to force light waves into the patterns of original reality.
D. Or, if we want to see distant happenings on earth, they use some of the previously
wasted electromagnetic waves to carry television images which they re-create as light by whipping
tiny crystals on a screen with electrons in a vacuum.
2. Or if we want to see into the centre of a steel casting or the chest of an injured child, they send the
information on a beam of penetrating short-wave X rays, and then convert it back into images we can
see on a screen or photograph. Thus almost every type of electromagnetic radiation yet discovered
has been used to extend our sense of sight in some way.
Answer: The correct sequence is BADC. If you follow the ‘or’s you will see the sequence is very natural.
Practice Questions
Q 1: Find the correct sequence of the sentences in the paragraph:
1. Rowson and Moor (1966) conducted the study of the development of sheep conceptus during the
first fourteen days.
2. King et al (1982) found that on Day 11 trophoblast vesicle began to elongate, by Day 13th vesicle
entered the contralateral horn, by Day 18 both horns were occupied in ewes.
Ans: C, A, B.
Level II Difficulty
Q 2: Detect the correct sequence of the sentences in the following:
1. Finally, he found his car keys in the back of his right pocket of his blue-jeans.
A. Everything he had dreamed of, everything he had hoped for, all his life raced in his head in jumbled
blurry images when he felt the cold steel of a gun pointed at him and a hoarse male voice telling him
to give him his wallet.
B. Somehow, he knew this wouldn’t end well. He just couldn’t have that perfect life he had dreamed of,
could he?
C. Then things took a turn for the worse.
Ans: C, A, B.
Q 3: Suggest the best sequence of the sentences that result in a coherent paragraph:
Long ago, in a land of mist and magic, a land forgotten by time itself, in a small village, a county of the
kingdom there lived a
A. young boy with big ambitions: he dreamed of becoming a knight in the king’s army, King Harold’s
army.
B. His parents were old and needed him there to help them with the animals and with the work around
the house.
C. Mark, the young village boy, was an only child.
D. He was sure that life meant more than that. It had to. Village life was not for him.
E. But he wanted more than that. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life caring for the pigs and
goats.
2. He was aware that his parents needed him but on the other hand, he couldn’t bury himself there.
Ans: A, C, B, E, D
Paragraph Contents
In these type of questions, you spot certain things or points that have been discussed in a given paragraph.
For example, let us see the following paragraph:
Example 1
Read the following passage and answer the questions at the end.
And yet it is one of the simplest ideas that anyone ever had. Here I want to persuade you
how evolution explains the beginning of life on earth. Darwin uncovered the theory of evolution and the
method of natural selection. The idea of evolution is probably one of the most important ideas that anyone
has ever had. Today, thanks to Darwin, we know why life is the way it is. We can predict how life will be in
the future. We can even postulate about the life on other planets. How amazing is that! Now answer the
following questions:
Practice Questions
Q 1. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
The constitution of India is very well written. It not only defines the need for fundamental human rights
but also ensures that we do not abuse these laws. The access to justice is one such law but in the present
political scenario, this right like other such rights has been hidden from the marginalized section of the
society. As a result, we can say that for such classes of the society, there is no such thing as a constitution.
The above paragraph says what about the Indian constitution?
Paragraph Conclusions
Paragraph conclusions or paragraph inference questions forms a section of the reading
comprehension.The main aim of this section is to check your ability to understand and read a given
paragraph in a short span of time. These questions will present a paragraph and a set of sentences in the
form of options. Out of these options, you will have to select the one that best describes the ideas present
in the given paragraph.
Which of the following most accurately represents the ideas presented in the paragraph?
A) The girl was afraid of dogs.
B) The dogs were very timid.
C) The girl was bitten by one of the stray dogs.
D) The girl was bitten.
Answer: Well, you say, the answer is clearly C. The girl was bitten by one of the stray dogs. You would be
wrong. Read the paragraph again. It doesn’t say it anywhere that the girl was bitten by a stray dog. Out of
the four options given, the only option that is actually mentioned in the paragraph is that the girl was
bitten. Hence, the answer is D.
Practice Questions
Q 1. Read the paragraph carefully and answer the questions at the end.
What if I told you that the moon was once present right here on the surface of the earth! Well not exactly in
the form that you see now, but for many years there was the hypothesis that in a destructive event of
gigantic proportions, the moon was actually part of the earth that just separated from it. maybe the earth
collided with another ancient planet that doesn’t exist anymore or a huge meteor or comet just snapped
part of the earth after it collided with it. It is possible but is that what actually happened. Many scientists
argue against it and propose a different hypothesis that the moon was formed by the debris leftover after
the formation of the earth.
According to the author, how was the moon formed?
Paragraph Restatement
In IBPS exams there are mainly two types of paragraph restatement questions. In the preliminary
exam, you will have to read a passage and answer many questions that will ask you questions on the
main ideas present in the paragraph. However, in mains, your writing skills are checked and you are
asked to write a paragraph precis. This article should help you answer both types of questions
comfortably.
Paragraph Restatement
In the following section, a passage is present. At the end of the passage, questions are given. All you
need to do is select the correct option in each case.
Passage I
The author dedicates this work to the thousands of sympathetic and well-wishing friends of the
Negro race. He is trying to show how the Negro problem can be solved in peace and goodwill rather
than by brutality. His idea is that the Golden Rule furnishes the only solution. He believes that at the
bottom of southern society there is a vein of sympathy and helpfulness for the Negro and that this
feeling should be cultivated and nourished that it may grow stronger and finally supplant harsher
sentiments.
There are two factions striving for the mastery of the south to-day, one seeking political power on
the idea that Negro manhood is to be crushed and serfdom established, and the other willing that the
Negro should have a freeman’s chance and work out his destiny as best he can with the powers God
has given him. This faction is ready to give its sympathy and help, and it is the efforts of this class that
the author desires to endorse and encourage.
The story weaved into the work is subordinate to the discussion of facts, and not paramount; it is
intended to be mild, thus putting it in keeping with the character of the heroine whose deeds it
portrays; and should the day ever come when America can rise to the height of adopting and
following her sentiments, it will then indeed be the “Sweet land of liberty,” for the black as well as the
white man.
Questions
Q 1: Choose the incorrect statement.
A) The Count is holding the author against their will.
B) The author has been asked to write three letters but, the author is still considering options to
escape.
C) The author wants to convince us that Count is a nice person irrespective of his vices.
D) The author is being held in Bistritz.
Ans: A) The Count is holding the author against their will.
Q 2: Which of the words would best describe the count.
A) Evil B) Heinous C) Murderer D) Mysterious
Ans: D) Mysterious.
Cloze Test
A Cloze test is an exercise where the candidate is provided with a paragraph. The given paragraph
has missing words or blanks which need to be filled. Sometimes the blanks will have a word in
the brackets accompanying it. The candidate will be asked to pick a word similar to the word in the
braces. Here we will see all types of Cloze test questions. Cloze test is a very important section and
questions are duly expected from it.
Cloze Test
The first type of questions in this test will include long passages that will have missing blanks and
you will have to fill these blanks with the help of words that are present at the end. Each option will
have a number or a symbol or an alphabet that will mark it. Following the paragraph passage, the
questions corresponding to the blanks will be present. Let us see with the help of an example.
In the following passage, there are blanks, each of which has a number. These numbers are present
below the passage and against each, we have five options. One of which either replaces the blank
appropriately or they will ‘require no change’. Find out the appropriate word that should be fit in the
blank. In case, there is no correction, mark option(e) as your answer.
Type I
Example 1
I do remember it. And I’m grateful. But I can’t help feeling that a woman capable of taking other
people’s lives and juggling with them as if they were India-rubber balls as she did with ours, is likely
at any moment to break out in a new place. My gratitude to her is the sort of (1) ______ [hat tip] you
would feel toward a cyclone if you were walking home late for dinner and it caught you up and
deposited you on your doorstep. Your Aunt Lora is a human (2) _____[storm]. No, on the whole, she’s
more like an earthquake. She has a habit of splitting up and altering the face of the world whenever
she feels like it, and I’m too well satisfied with my world at present to (3) _____[enjoy] the idea of
having it changed.”
Little by little the garrison of the studio had been (4) _______ [small slice] down. Except for Steve, the
community had no regular members outside the family itself. Hank was generally out of town. Bailey
paid one more visit, then seemed to consider that he could now absent himself altogether. And the
members of Kirk’s bachelor circle stayed away to a man.
Q 1.
A) Tippy
B) Gratitude
C) Excellence.
D) Battle.
Answer: Gratitude
Q 2.
A) Cyclone
B) giant
C) Chin
D) Hunter
Answer: Cyclone
Q 3.
A) Good
B) relish
C) delicious
D) Happy
Answer: relish
Q 4.
A) slice
B) whittled
C) Cut
D) levelled
Answer: whittled
Type II
Complete the following paragraph with the help of the words given at the end.
His ideas about girls and (1)[female]_______ were of a sentimental and modest quality; they were
creatures, he thought, either too bad for a modern (2) [word stock] _______, and then frequently most
undesirably desirable, or too pure and good for life. He made this simple classification of a large and
various sex to the exclusion of all (3) [halfway] _______ kinds; he held that the two classes had to be
kept apart even in thought and remote from one another. Women are made like the potter’s vessels–
either for worship or contumely and are withal (4) [soft] _____ vessels. He had never wanted
daughters. Each time a daughter had been born to him he had concealed his chagrin with great
tenderness and effusion from his wife and had sworn unwontedly and with passionate sincerity in
the bathroom.
Q 1.
A) birds
B) women
C) students
D) nice people
Answer: B) women
Q 2.
A) Diction
B) linguistics
C) Word well
D) vocabulary
Answer: D) vocabulary.
Q3
A) intermediate
B) middle
C) half
D) split
Q4
A) broken
B) damaged
C) Clear
D) fragile
Answer: Fragile
Practice Questions
Read the following paragraph and complete it using the words given in the options:
He was a manly man, free from any strong (1) [mother] ________ strain, and he had loved his dark-
eyed, dainty bright-coloured, and active little wife with a real vein of passion in his sentiment. But he
had always felt (he had never allowed himself to think of it) that the promptitude of their family was
a little (2) [insensitive]_______ of her, and in a sense an intrusion. He had, however, planned brilliant
careers for his two sons, and, with a certain human amount of warping and delay, they were
pursuing these. One was in the Indian Civil Service and one in the rapidly developing motor business.
The daughters, he had hoped, would be their mother’s care.
Q 1.
A) maternal
B) Paternal
C) Mother
D) Childish
Ans: A) maternal
Q 2.
A) tactful
B) indelicate
C) insensitive
D) non-proportionate
Fillers
In the IBPS and SBI eams, Fillers are a fairly new addition. We have already seen paragraph fillers
where we saw paragraphs that were missing a line from them. Here we will see similar questions, we
will fill out missing lines, words and more. Let us begin.
Fillers
Let us first see an example of a paragraph that takes a filler word in each sentence. We will call this
the type I examples. Let us see below.
Type I
In each of the questions below, the paragraphs are missing some words. Choose the words from the
given options that best fit the blanks in the paragraphs.
Example 1: “No, no, he found it. Its owner is unknown. I beg that you will look upon it not as a
battered billycock but as an __________ (1) problem. And, first, as to how it came here. It arrived upon
Christmas morning, in company with a good fat goose, which is, I have no doubt, _______ (2) at this
moment in front of Peterson’s fire. The facts are these: about four o’clock on Christmas morning,
Peterson, who, as you know, is a very honest fellow, was returning from some small jollification and
was making his way homeward down Tottenham Court Road.”
A) intellectual (1), roasting (2)
B) serious (1), dancing (2)
C) intelligent (1), cooking (2)
D) unpleasant (1), pecking (2)
Answer: Let us see the first filler. When reading the sentence, we see that there is a hint word “but”
after battered billycock. This means that whatever goes in the blanks must be opposite in meaning to
battered billycock. Also, the use of the article “an” rules out the option B). A billycock means a British
feather hat, a battered billycock thus means a hat that has been overused or damaged. This phrase is
for something that is unpleasant. This rules out option D).
Now out of the two options, C) and A) the blank (1) could be filled with either of the two. Thus we will
look at the second filler. For the second filler, we see the goose is put on the fire. Thus it is
roasting on the fire. Hence the correct filler is A).
Type II
In the questions given below, a paragraph has a missing sentence. The missing sentence is present
below in the options. Select the correct option.
Example 2: In the 1960’s the government committees set out to change the condition of the
marginalised sections of the society. As a result, numerous affirmative action schemes were
announced. ___________________. Perhaps the problems are too intricate to be solved by a scheme. We
need to change the way people think and behave.
A) These schemes were very successful.
B) These schemes worked on a very limited level.
C) It is a shame that none of it has been able to abolish the marginalisation from the society.
D) The schemes were not made for the rich and the affluent but for the poor and the needy.
Answer: The answer is C) It is a shame that none of it has been able to abolish the marginalisation
from the society. Let us see how. Before the blank, we see that a number of schemes were announced.
After the blank, we get a picture that these schemes didn’t work and we need to do something more.
Thus we cancel A) and D) are immediate. Also, the option B0 talks of a limited scope of action while
as our paragraph states that the schemes failed entirely. So the correct option is C).
Practice Questions
In the following questions, either a sentence or a word is missing. Pick out the correct fillers given at
the end.
Q 1: “The further points, that he is middle-aged, that his hair is grizzled, that it has been ______(1), and
that he uses lime-cream, are all to be gathered from a close examination of the lower part of the
lining. The lens discloses a large number of hair-ends, clean cut by the scissors of the barber. They all
appear to be adhesive, and there is a distinct odour of lime-cream. This dust, you will observe, is not
the gritty, gray dust of the street but the fluffy brown dust of the ________(2), showing that it has been
hung up indoors most of the time, while the marks of moisture upon the inside are proof positive
that the wearer _______ (3) very freely, and could, therefore, hardly be in the best of training.”
A) (1) recently cut, (2) house, (3) perspired
B) (1) burnt, (2) factory backyard, (3) moved
C) (1) scratched, (2) road, (3) danced
D) (1) trimmed, (2) river, (3) cried.
Ans: A) (1) recently cut, (2) house, (3) perspired
Q 2: Then the toys in the store of Horatio Mugg began to have lots of (1) _____. They told stories, sang
songs, made up riddles for one another to guess and played tag and hide-and-go-seek. They were
allowed to do all this because it was (2)_____ and no one was watching them. But as soon as daylight
came and Mr Mugg or Miss Angelina or Miss Geraldine or any of the customers came into the store,
the toys must be very still and (3) _____.
A) (1) sweets, (2) school, (3) excited.
B) (1) food, (2) good, (3) sleepy.
C) (1) fun, (2) night, (3) quiet.
D) (1) sleep, (2) day, (3) calm.
Ans: C) (1) fun, (2) night, (3) quiet.
Inferences
In inferences section of the bank exams, the questions will ask you to sum up or select the meaning
of a sentence, word inside a sentence or an entire passage. The idea behind the inference section is
to present the candidate with passages, sentences or phrases that have a specific meaning. These
questions check the candidate on his reading comprehension abilities.
Inferences
The strategy of answering inference is very simple. A candidate has to have a three-prong approach
to such questions. The first method is the deduction. In such questions, the option will be something
that is not directly visible in the passage or the sentence. Rather you will have to deduce it. Let us see
this strategy and others with some examples.
Deduction
Example 1: The scholarship was difficult to get. His marks were very satisfactory. He had waited
three months for the email to come. It was supposed to be the happiest day in his life. He shut
his computer and left the room.
Speculation
The word speculation means the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence. In these
types of questions, you will be asked to speculate on the basis of the passage. Let us see an example
of speculation. Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
Example 3: All the pain and suffering comes from the stupidity of humans. Their stupidity to believe
nonsense and force this nonsense on others is what causes pain and suffering in the world. In the
words of the great philosopher called Voltaire,”If you believe in absurdities, you can commit
atrocities”.
Q 1: What do you think the author will feel about a person who believes in ghosts?
A) The person is absurd and should change his beliefs.
B) The person’s beliefs are dangerous to others.
C) The author does not say anything about ghosts.
D) Voltaire was a great philosopher.
Answer: You may immediately go ahead and select D) but Voltaire is not the main topic of the
passage. Please consider all options before you answer. The option A) doesn’t follow from the
passage. The passage presents the idea that a person who believes in ridiculous things or
superstitious or illogical things can easily commit evil deeds against others. So the obvious option to
infer from that is B) The person’s beliefs are dangerous to others.
Examination
The examination questions will present a passage and ask the candidate about the state of thought of
a given character. In other words, a passage will present the views and opinions of a particular
author and you will have to guess on those bases the feelings of the author. Let us see an example.
Example 4: A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that
profound secret and mystery to every other. A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by
night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret; that every room in
every one of them encloses its own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of
breasts there, is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it!
Q 1: What does the author mean by “in some of its imaginings”:
A) That even the people who are very close keep secrets from each other.
B) Each person has a different imagination than the other.
C) That each person’s secrets are different than the other person that he is sharing a space with.
D) Every person has an independent existence no matter how close he gets to others.
Answer: The word imaginings means thoughts or fantasies. Thus the author speculates about the fact
that even though the people might seem close to each other, they can still harbour great secrets from
each other. Thus the correct option is A).
Practice Question
Q 1: Something of the awfulness, even of Death itself, is referable to this. No more can I turn the
leaves of this dear book that I loved, and vainly hope in time to read it all. No more can I look into the
depths of this unfathomable water, wherein, as momentary lights glanced into it, I have had glimpses
of buried treasure and other things submerged.
In the above, what would describe the condition of the author best?
A) The author is deeply sad and disturbed and unable to focus.
B) The author is distracted from a book by something else.
C) The author is depressed and wishes to read a book.
D) The author is talking about life and how it is a book that we all have to read.
Ans: B) The author is distracted from a book by something else.
Jumbled paragraphs
Jumbled paragraphs are part of the reading comprehension in the IBPS PO, SO and SBI exams. The
questions on Jumbled paragraphs will have a set of sentences that all belong to the same paragraph.
The sentences are just not in the order that they should be. There will be hints all spread within the
question. Your job is to pick these hints and select the correct order of the sentences.
Jumbled Paragraphs
As we shall see, this section is similar to the other reading comprehension sections. But before we
start with an example let us know about the various kinds of sentences in a paragraph.
A paragraph starts with what is known as the topic sentence. This sentence introduces the topic and
the domain of the paragraph. Then follow the supporting sentences. The supporting sentences
contain further information about the topic sentence. The conclusion or the concluding sentence is
the last part of the paragraph. It sums up the supporting sentences and also points to the topic
sentence.
The paragraph thus has to follow a natural order: Topic sentence > Supporting Sentences >
Concluding Sentence. Your task will primarily be to spot these sentences. Let us practice with some
examples now.
Paragraph Completion
When preparing for competitive exams such as IBPS and other banking exams, students should pay special
attention to the area of Reading Comprehension. Not only is it important from an exam point of view, but
also enhances your grip on the language and its understanding in general. Let us now learning the finer
aspects and some tips that will help you with paragraph completion.
Paragraph Completion
Just as we have seen sentence completion or sentence fillers, paragraph completion is of similar nature.
Here you have to pick the best option (from the given options) that perfectly fits into the paragraph
provided. So in nature, it is very similar to sentence fillers. And our technique for tackling such questions is
similar as well.
Generally, the sentence which finishes and completes the paragraph comes during the last part of the
paragraph (i.e. the concluding sentence). However, this is not always the case. There can be three types of
sentences for paragraph completion. These are,
Initiating Sentence: Where you have to figure out what the starting sentence of the paragraph must
be. A perfect introductory statement.
Connecting Sentence: A sentence that acts as a connector between the initiating and concluding
sentences.
Concluding Sentence: This is the most difficult one. Your choice of the last sentence must perfectly
pair with the rest of the paragraph and conclude it in a logical and complete manner.
Double Fillers
While preparing for your banking competitive exams and even for your day-to-day life, mastering the
English language has huge benefits. One such important factor in this process is improving and honing
your vocabulary. Even for solving tricky double fillers questions this is the key. Let us take a look.
Double Fillers
Fillers are nothing but sentence fillers, an exercise in completing the sentence correctly. These fillers and
double fillers test the student’s vocabulary and grasp of the English language. This is done to ensure that
the candidates have a basic knowledge of the language and its grammatical syntax.
Single filers are when only one word or phrase is needed to complete the sentence. Double fillers, as the
name suggests, require two words to logically complete the sentence.
The candidate must choose the most appropriate option from the list of options given. Considering that
there are two important words/phrases missing, this exercise has a higher level of difficulty and
complexity.
There are certain pointers you can keep in mind while answering these tricky double fillers questions. Let
us take a look at a few of them,
3] Use Connotation
When we use words in a sentence we must be mindful of their connotation. Other than the definition of the
word, they also invoke a certain feeling or an idea which can be positive, negative or neutral. So in case of
questions with double fillers, look out for certain words that suggest any such idea.
For example, the word “childish” has a negative connotation. However, if the word used is “youthful’ then
the suggested connotation is positive.
Contrast Indicators: They help contrast or differentiate things. So we look for an option that has an
opposite meaning than the one used in the sentence. Some common examples are but, although, yet,
while, rather, though, etc.
Support Indicators: Words that continue the same line of thought, i.e. support what is said.
Examples: and, also, likewise, similarly, etc.
Cause and Effect Indicators: These words indicate how one thing led to the other, i.e. the cause and
subsequent effect of something. Examples are because, for, therefore, consequently, etc
a. uncertain, confused
b. certain, confident
c. confident, uncertain
d. confident, certain
Ans: Note the word “yet” in the sentence. This is a contrast indicator. So the words but be opposite of each
other, which leaves us with option C.
Type I
Without water …….(1)……. animal can survive. In desert regions, the greatest …..(2)…. to life is dying
up. But many creatures are able to make use of …..(3)…… little water that exists in arid areas. One of
nature’s masterpieces …(4)…. creatures equipped to …..(5)….. with desert life is the hardy camels.
Stories range the desert lands far and wide about ….(6)….. endurance feats by camels. It is said that
camels can …..(7)….. a distance of about 800 miles in eight days through continuous travel …..(8)…..
an intake of a single drop of water. The popular ….(9)…. that camels store water in their hump is
….(10)…. in a way, water is indeed stored there but in the form of fat.
1. (a) every (b) no (c) any (d) desert (e) exceptional
2. (a) need (b) worry (c) threat (d) requirement (e) inadequacy
3. (a) what (b) the (c) very (d) that (e) extremely
4. (a) for (b) about (c) among (d) with (e) of
5. (a) live (b) resist (c) bear (d) cope (e) mix
6. (a) remarkable (b) little (c) tolerable (d) popular (e) obvious
7. (a) measure (b) reduce (c) lead (d) reach (e) cover
8. (a) for (b) without (c) accepting (d) receiving (e) except
9. (a) proverb (b) guess (c) belief (d) version (e) statement
10. (a) baseless (b) wrong (c) misleading (d) correct (e) untruthful
Correct sentence:-
Error Detection
Error Detection forms a subsection of the reading comprehension. It forms a subset of the section on
correct sentences. The main aim of error detection is to be able to identify sentences that can be
corrected or that need correction. That section will follow but here in this article, we will see how to
identify wrong sentences. Let us begin.
Error Detection
A sentence is defined as a collection of words that have a meaning. In the English language, the
sentences usually follow a grammatical structure of subject followed by the verb and then the
object. It is also the SVO – structure. Further, there are other parts of a sentence, parts like the
articles, the tense, the punctuation, the articles, modals etc. We will see examples of each case in the
following sections. Let us begin now.
Other Errors
Q 1: The (1) radically polarised/ (2) sections of the society /are (3) no good to anyone./ (4) No
error.
A) (1) B) (2) C) (3) D) (4)
Answer: The sentence seems to be correct. So the option to be chosen here is D (4).
Q 2: The (1) function was held/ at Mumbai /(2) and as a result, /(3) not much of them/ (4) were able
to attend it.
A) (1) B) (2) C) (3) D) (4)
Answer: The phrase not much of them is used for uncountable nouns. Hence the error here is in (3)
and the correct option is C) (3).
Q 3: (1) The then/ (2) Prime Minister had issued/ (3) an order though /he was not (4) supposedly
to/.
A) (1) B) (2) C) (3) D) (4)
Answer: The correct sentence is: The then prime minister had issued an order though he was not
supposed to. So the answer is D) (4).
Passage Errors
Sometimes the sentences will be given as part of a passage and you will be asked to pick the
incorrect sentence. Let us see with the help of a few examples.
In the following passage, sentences have been numbered in order. Some or all of them are incorrect.
Detect the incorrect sentences.
(1)Very orderly and methodical he looked, with a hand on each knee, and a loud watch ticking a
sonorous sermon under his flapped waist-coat, as though it pitted its gravity and longevity against
the levity and evanescence of the brisk fire. (2) He had a good leg, and was a little vain of it, for his
brown stockings fitted sleek and close, and were of a fine texture; his shoes and buckles, too, though
plain, were trim. (3) He wore an odd little sleek crisp flaxen wig, setting very close to his head:
which wig, it is to be presumably, was made of hair, but which looked far more as though it were
spun from filaments of silk or glass.
A) (1) B) (2) C) (3) D) (1) & (3)
Answer: The correct sentence is: He wore an odd little sleek crisp flaxen wig, setting very close to
his head: which wig, it is to be presumed, was made of hair, but which looked far more as though it
were spun from filaments of silk or glass. Thus the correct option is C) (3)
Practice Question
In the following passage select the incorrect sentence.
(1) His linen, though not of a fineness in accordance with his stockings, was as white as the tops of
the waves that broke upon the neighbouring beach, or the specks of sail that glint in the sunlight far
at sea. (2) A face habitual suppressed and quieted, was still lighted up under the quaint wig by a pair
of moist bright eyes that it must have cost their owner, in years gone by, some pains to drill to the
composed and reserved expression of Tellson’s Bank. (3) He had a healthy colour in his cheeks, and
his face, though lined, bore few traces of anxiety. (4) But, perhaps the confidential bachelor clerks in
Tellson’s Bank were principally occupied with the cares of other people; and perhaps second-hand
cares, like second-hand clothes, come easily off and on.
A) (1) B) (2) C) (3) D) (1) & (2)
Ans: D) (1) & (2)
Sentence Improvement
Sentence Improvement section is a frequent part of the IBPS PO, SO, SBI and RBI exams. In these questions,
the knowledge about the rules of the grammar is checked. The candidate must expect questions that check
the concepts of tenses, verbs, suppositories, adjectives, modals, conjunctions, prepositions, articles etc.
The questions are present in a multiple choice format. Here we will see many examples forming the
various kinds of questions that are present in this section of the paper.
Sentence Improvement
In the paper, you will see that a sentence is present with a word or phrase or a clause in bold or
underlined. Below this option will be present. You will be asked to select the option that can replace the
word/ phrase/ clause in a way that the sentence becomes free of any grammatical mistakes. Sometimes,
however, the sentence may be given as such and you shall be asked to identify the error. Let us see this
with the help of some examples and their solved explanations.
Practice Questions
Q 1: Khan is enough kind to help me pack my stuff and move out.
A) Kinder enough
B) Kindly enough
C) enough kindly
D) kind enough
E) No improvement
Ans: D) Kind enough
Q 2: Some people think that mathematics is only a product of the human brain, and is not something that is
inherent in the Universe.
A) to the
B) for the
C) in the
D) with the
E) No improvement
Ans: A) to the.
Sentence Formation
Sentence Formation is a subsection of the correct sentence section of IBPS PO, SO, SBI, RBI, SSC and
many other exams. In this section, we will see various types of sentences and methods to form such
sentences. We will also see how to detect and check for errors in the sentences with regards to the
sentence formation. In the section below, we will see the different types of sentences and the
various types of errors that can be present in them. Let us see!
Sentence Formation
A sentence is a meaningful collection of words. However, with the rules of grammar in mind, we can
say that a sentence is a group of words that has a subject, a verb, and an object. In English, this is
known as the SVO structure or the SUbject-Verb-Object structure. The subject comes first, then
comes the verb and, following which comes the object. Let us first see the different types of the
sentences. In the space below we will discuss definitions and examples of the various types of
sentences. Let us begin with what is known as the simple sentence.
Source: Wikimedia
Simple Sentence
A sentence is a simple sentence if it contains only an independent sentence. This type of sentence
doesn’t contain any dependent clause. Let us see some of the examples:
The dog barked. This is a simple sentence. Harsh takes a walk in the morning. The trains are late
today etc. are all simple sentences. All of these sentences have a single independent clause. Let us
see a sentence correction example of this section:
Example 1: He always gets into trouble for hurt his classmates.
A) hurting his B) having been hurt C) his hurt D) his hurting E) No correction
required.
Answer: In the context of the sentence the correct option here would be A) hurting his. This is the
present continuous tense and is thus suitable with respect to the given sentence.
Compound Sentence
These sentences are of two clauses. Each of them is an independent clause, so we can say that
every combination of two independent clauses will form a compound sentence. The two clauses will
be connected with what we call the “FANBOYS” conjunctions. The FANBOYS conjunctions are the
following:
F for
A and
N nor
B but
O or
Y yet
S so
All of these conjunctions signal that the sentence is a compound sentence. We call them the
coordinating conjunctions. For example, The teacher said good grades are for good students only.
He waited for her, but she had made her mind.
Example 2: A man or a woman are not to be told what to do and what not to!
A) is B) were C) might D) could E) No need for improvement
Answer: The correct answer is A) is as the conjunction here is or.
Complex Sentence
The third type of sentences are the complex sentences. The complex sentences have one or more
than one dependent clauses. They may also contain an independent clause but must have at least
one dependent clause. The dependent clauses can be identified with the help of conjunctions that
are known as the subordinating conjunctions.
Following are some of the examples of subordinating clauses: if, when, as, before, until, after, since,
while, though, before, even, though, unless etc. are all subordinating clauses that if put in front of a
clause making it a dependable clause. Examples of complex sentences are: If wishes were horses,
beggars would ride. It will not rain until August.
Example 3: His admission was delayed if the summer internship doesn’t take him.
A) is delayed B) was delay C) is delaying D) would be delayed E) No
improvement needed.
Answer: The correct sentence here is: “His admission would be delayed if the summer internship
doesn’t take him.” So the correct option is A) is delayed.
Sentence Connectors
As per the IBPS exam pattern, Sentence Connectors section has a number of sentences. Some of these
sentences can be connected and form a more complex but grammatically correct sentence. Here we will
study tips and tricks to identify such sentence connectors. There are a number of options, each option is a
sentence or a clause. Your task is to identify these sentences or clauses and figure out which of these
sentences can be written together. Let us begin.
Sentence Connectors
Sentence connectors are phrases or words. These when put at the beginning of two sentences, connect
them in a way that retains their original meaning. This is what we call the coherence of the sentence
connectors. For example, consider the following:
Example 1: Directions: In the below question, two sentences are grammatically correct and meaningful.
Connect these by the words present in the options. Connect the statements in the best possible way such
that their coherence is not lost. Choose the answers accordingly from the options to form a correct and
coherent sentence(s).
Sentences – I: It is getting late.
II: We should leave.
i) Although. ii) Considering that. iii) Even though.
A) i) only. B) ii) only C) iii) only D) Both i) and iii) E) Both ii) and iii).
Answer: First of all note that the sentences have to be put together in the order they are present. That is to
say that we have to put sentence I first and sentence II second. Now if we write Although it is getting late,
we should leave, it will form a grammatically correct sentence. But it is not coherent. The sentence is
logically incorrect. We see that option iii) forms the following sentence: Even though it is getting ate, we
should leave. This seems to make sense. Therefore the correct option is E) Both ii) and iii) sentence
connectors that will form a coherent sentence.
N Now that, …
H How, …
B Before, Because, …
U Until, Unless, …
S Since, So that,…
Sometimes you may have to change the order of the sentences to connect them. Consider the following
example.
Example 2:
In the below question, two sentences are grammatically correct and meaningful. Connect these by the
words present in the options. Connect the statements in the best possible way such that their coherence is
not lost. Choose the answers accordingly from the options to form a correct and coherent sentence(s).
Sentences – I: He goes home on a bus.
II: This is the bus.
i) He takes to ii) After. iii) Even though.
A) i) only. B) ii) only C) iii) only D) Both i) and iii) E) Both ii) and iii).
Answer: Consider the sentences first. The sentence I states a fact that we explain in the second sentence
itself. In the first option, the word to has been added. This is a hint word. We can connect the two sentences
as follows:
He goes home on a bus and this is that bus.
This is the bus he takes to go home.
We see that out of the three only option i) is a coherent sentence connector. Hence the correct answer is i)
He takes to.
Practice Questions
Directions: In the below question, two sentences are grammatically correct and meaningful. Connect these
by the words present in the options. Connect the statements in the best possible way such that their
coherence is not lost. Choose the answers accordingly from the options to form a correct and coherent
sentence(s).
Q 1: I: He works from his garage.
II: He never leaves his house.
i) Considering that ii) Although iii) Even though iv) As such
A) i) only B) ii) only C) iii) only D) iv) only E) ii) and iii)
Ans: A) i) only.
Q 2: As long as:
i) the politicians are sincere
ii) the country will not be saved
iii) we are all going to be fine.
iv) we will never be able to sleep in peace.
A) Only i) and iii) B) Only i) and ii) C) Only i) and iv) D) Only ii) and iii)
Ans: A) Only i) and iii)
Phrase Replacement
In the Phrase Replacement sections, a candidate’s knowledge of the English language is put to test. In
this section usually, the candidate is asked to replace a phrase from a given sentence. This phrase can
be replaced by one of the phrases present in the options. This is a very important section and we will
try and do as many examples as we can. Let us begin.
Phrase Replacement
As we have already made clear, this is a very important section of the IBPS PO, SO exams. Let us first
begin by stating some important phrasal verbs here. These phrasal verbs are very important for any
candidate planning to appear for the IBPS PO, SO, SBI exams. Let us list them below:
act up: behave or function improperly. Example: I think I need to take my car to the mechanic
because it’s acting up again.
add up: calculate a sum. Example: I added up the receipts and got a total of 8000.
add up to: Be equal an amount. Example: The total bill adds up to three thousand rupees.
add up: make sense. Example: His story doesn’t add up. I think he is lying.
ask out: invite on a date. Example: I can’t believe that Joe finally asked me out on a date!
ask over: invite to one’s home. Example: Why don’t we ask the neighbours over for dinner?
B
blow up: make explode; destroy using explosives. Example: The terrorists blew the bridge up.
blow up: suddenly become very angry. Example: When Harsh heard the news, he blew up and
rushed out of the room.
break down: analyze in detail. Example: We need to break this problem down in order to solve it.
break down: stop working properly. Example: The truck broke down in the desert.
break down: become mentally ill. She broke down after her husband died.
break in: wear or use something new until it is comfortable. Example: I need to break these shoes in
before I go hiking.
break in: interrupt. Example: While we were discussing the situation, Terri broke in to give her
opinion.
C
call on: invite someone to speak at a meeting or a classroom. Example: Professor Jim called on Tim
to answer the question.
care for: like someone or something. Example: I don’t care for sour cream on my potato.
carry on: continue (a conversation, a game). Example: Please, carry on. I didn’t mean to interrupt
you.
catch on: slowly start to understand. Example: He caught on after a few minutes.
catch up: make up for lost time. Example: I will never catch up. I am too behind in my work.
catch up with: speed up to be at the same place as a person or thing in front of you. Example: I had to
run to catch up with the others.
catch up on: become up-to-date. Example: I need to catch up on world events.
check by: go to a place to see if everything is OK. Example: We need to check by the office to see if the
documents are ready.
D
die down: diminish in intensity. Example: The controversy about the president’s affair finally died
down.
die off/out: become extinct. Example: Whales are in danger of dying off.
disagree with: cause to feel sick due to food or drink. Example: Spicy food disagrees with me.
do away with: abolish. Example: Most rational people want to do away with the death penalty.
do over: repeat. Example: You made many mistakes, so I want you to do the report over.
do without: manage without something one wants or needs. Example: I couldn’t do without a car in
California.
draw up: create ( a contract). Example: Let’s draw an agreement up before we go any further with
this project.
dress down: reprimand severely. The mother dressed her son down for skipping school.
dress down: dress casually. Example: I am dressing down because we’re going to a barbecue by the
beach.
dress up: decorate. Example: You could dress this house up with some bright colors.
dress up: wear elegant clothes. She always dresses up at work.
Now let us see some examples.
Expected Questions
Directions: In the following questions, select a suitable replacement for the word in bold.
Q 1: I am used to hard work.
A) work hard B) working hard C) working D) no improvement
Answer: The correct sentence will be ” I am used to working hard”. Work hard is a phrasal verb
while as hard work is an adjective clause. Hence the correct option is A) working hard.
Q 2: I cannot listen what she is saying.
A) hear what B) listen for what C) listen to that D) no improvement
Answer: The correct sentence is “I can’t hear what she is saying.” So the correct option here is A)
hear what.
Practice Questions
Q 1: A country will cease to be a member of the EU two years after the trigger of Article 50 unless it
reaches an agreement with the European Council to extend that period.
A) triggering of B) triggered of C) triggering on D) triggering in E) No improvement
is required
Ans: A) triggering of
Q 2: Nostalgia gripped the veterans as they spoke about small incidents, painful moments, happy
times, togetherness and bonding during the sessions that was engaged and engrossing.
A) was engaging B) were engage C) were engaging D) are engaging E) No
improvement is required
Ans: C) were engaging.
Type I
Directions: In each of the following questions, find out which part of the sentence has an error. If there is
no mistake, the answer is “no error”.
Q1: The road (a) / to famous monument (b) / passes through a forest (c) / No error (d).
Q2: Our housing society comprises of (a) / six blocks and (b) / thirty-three flats in an (c) / area of about
thousand square metres. (d) / No error (e).
Q3: Now that she is living in her own flat, (a) / she cleans the windows, (b) / twice a week in the summer
and once a week in the winter. (c)/ No error (d).
Q4: With little imagination and enterprise, (a)/ the tournament could have been transformed (b) / into a
major attraction (c) / No error (d).
Q5: These display (a) / the (b) / remarkable variety. (c) / No error (d). [N.D.A.]
Q6: If you have faith in Almighty (a) / everything will turn out (b) / to be all right. (c) / No error (d).
Q7: According to the Bible (a)/ it is meek and humble (b) / who shall inherit the earth. (c) / No error (d).
Q8: I am not wealthy, (a)/ so I can not afford (b) / to buy a expensive car. (c) / No error (d).
Q9: Sunita opened a almirah (a) / full of books (b)/ and took one of them (c) / for reading. (d) / No error
(e). (B.S.R.B 1992)
Q10: Most people would have (a) / attended the union meeting (b) / if they had (c) / had longer notice of it.
(d) / No error (e)
Q11: My father is (a) / in bad mood (b0 / today. (c) No error (d).
Source: Wikimedia
Type II
Directions: The following sentences may contain errors in grammar, usage, diction (choice of words)
or idiom. No sentence contains more than one error. You will find that the error if there is none, is
italicised and numbered. Assume that all other elements of the sentences are correct and cannot be
changed. If there is an error, select the italicised part that must be changed to make the sentence correct.
The number of that italicised part is your answer. If there is no mistake, the answer is “No error”.
Q1: The brand proposition now therefore had to be (1) / that Keo Karpin Antiseptic Cream is more
effective (2) / because it penetrates deep down (being light and non-sticky) and works from within (3) /
(because of its ayurvedic ingredients) to keep skin blemish, free and helps cope with cuts, nicks, burns and
nappy rash. No error (4). [MBA]
Q2: It is argued that if the income of capitalists is taxed sufficiently (1) / by putting a ceiling to (2) / the
maximum income of capitalists and by introducing legislation for the welfare of labourers and by
freezing prices, the aims of socialism will be realised (3) / No error (4).
Q3: The average student, devoid of (1) / good accommodation or atmosphere for study at home, utilises
public libraries for (2)/ a great advantage to himself (3) / No error (4).
Q4: Whereas Gandhi appealed to (1) / the good sense of the human nature and sought after bringing out
(2) / the kinder elements in the capitalists and other selfish individuals, Nehru believed in a legally
regulated way of disciplining (3) / the selfish elements in society. No error (4).
Type III
Directions: In each sentence below, four words/ groups of words which are labelled (a), (b), (c), and (d)
have been printed in bold type. One of which may be either inappropriate in the context of the sentence or
wrongly spelt. If all the four are appropriate and also correctly spelt, mark ‘All correct’ as the answer.
Q1: The exhistence (a) / and attributes (b) / of the colonial (c) / army were decisive (d) / to the outbreak
of Civil War. All correct (e).
Q2: The success of a man (a) / in business (b) / depends over (c) / his attention to small things (d) / All
correct (e).
Q3: No country (a) / can isolate (b) / itself from international (c) / politics (d) / All correct (e).
Q4: He appears (a) / to be unreasonably (b) / anxious (c) / about solving his neighbour’s (d) / problem. All
correct (e).
Q5: A very important secret of (a) / the art of writing (b) / biographies (c) / is that the secondary
characters must be deleneated (d) / with the same care as the central figure. All correct. (e)
Q6: The peculiar (a) / dress he wears (b) / gave him a comical (c) / appearance (d) / All correct (e).
Q7: If a country is to prosper, (a) / it must produce goods both for domestic (b) / consumption (c) / and
for imports abroad (d) / All correct (e).
Vocabulary:-
Synonyms
The Synonyms and antonyms are an important concept to learn while you are working on your
vocabulary. Synonyms are often used to flavour the text and make it diverse and colourful.
Synonyms and Antonyms are featured in many competitive exams and thus we have this section
dedicated to the concepts of Synonyms and Antonyms.
Your objective here is to be able to develop a strong vocabulary. We will state some words and their
synonyms that may appear in a graduate level examination. However, to qualify this section, you
will have to develop a very strong vocabulary by memorizing at least a few words and their
synonyms and antonyms every day till the day of your exam. Let us see some examples of synonym
words here.
A B
Quick-
Abandon: Leave Forsake Bright: Vivid
witted
C D
E F
G H
I J
K L
We encourage you to build on similar vocabulary through memorizing exercises. Now let us see
some examples.
Synonyms
Example 1: The food that was served was rather unpleasant, but her company made up for
everything.
In the above sentence, the word(s) in bold can be replaced by which of these words.
A) Vexatious B) Torpor C) Jolly D) Aberrant
Answer: A lot of books and online articles that you read while preparing for bank exams will tell you
that there are rules and shortcuts that will allow you to guess the synonyms or antonyms of the
words that you come across in a sentence. However, this is not true. The only strategy that works
with vocabulary is to start learning new words. A few words each day should do the trick. As far as
this example goes, you will see that the words do sound similar.
We are looking for a word whose meaning is somewhat similar to unpleasant. Vexatious means
something that is very frustrating or something that annoys. We reject this an consider this as a
viable option. Jolly means something that is pleasant and jocular, so jolly is rejected. Let us first see
the other two. Torpor, although sounds bad but it actually means lethargy or laziness. So this is also
not the correct option. Finally, aberrant means something that is diverging, it may be unpleasant
but that is not what the word means. Hence the correct option is Vexatious.
Antonyms
Let us consider the following questions:
Q 1: “In a politically enlightened community, neither the Kings nor the gods have anything to say!”
The word in the bold is exactly opposite in meaning to?
A) Civilised B) Stupid C) Uncivilised D) Uneducated
Answer: At first you may think that you want to find the words that have the opposite meaning to
enlighten. But wait, three of the options have a meaning exactly opposite to enlighten. So which one
to choose. The context matters here and if you have been asked to pick a word from a given
paragraph, you will have to guess its meaning in the context.
For example, in the given sentence, the word enlightened has been used as informed or educated, so
the opposite word from the options would be uneducated. The answer thus is Uneducated.
Remember the more you work on your vocabulary, the better you will get. Also, when you are asked
to find the synonym or the antonym of a word, take the context into consideration. If you don’t know
the meaning of the word, you may be able to guess it from the context sometimes.
Practice Questions
Q 1: Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows,
Most of the human history has been the Paleolithic period or the old stone age. There is also a
mesolithic period that comes about 20000 years ago. The exponential change in the development of
the human civilization, however, came in the recent few centuries.
The word in the bold can be replaced by the following word without changing the meaning of the
sentence.
A) Tremendous B) Fast C) Great D) Increasing
Ans: A) Tremendous.
Q 2: Read the following paragraph and answer the following question
“These bottles are harrowing. How could you spend so much money on something that is so drab?
You should have called me and confirmed at least. This is what you always do!”
Which of the following words represents the antonym for the word in bold?
A) Gruesome B) Horrible C) Attractive D) Adorable
Ans: C) Attractive.
The odd one out section is a very scoring section of the vocabulary section. This section is asked majorly in
the IBPS PO, IBPS SO, SBI, RBI, and other similar exams. The questions in the Odd one out section are
designed to check your vocabulary. The questions are generally formulated in a way where you are
provided with a set of given words that are related in some way. There is one option that doesn’t relate to
the other words in the same way, which becomes the Odd one out.
Type I Questions
These questions are based on the straightforward word-meaning logic. The words are provided in groups
and you are asked to pick out the odd word or the odd group. Let us see some examples.
Q: Pick the option that doesn’t belong to the following classification.
A) Caustic B) Brazen C) Vitriolic D) Mordant
Answer: This will tell you that there are no shortcuts to a good vocabulary. Let us see the options one by
one. Caustic means something that is corrosive, a mordant. Vitriolic means something that is bitter or
unpleasant. Hence the three words have a somewhat similar meaning. Now we have brazen which means a
thing or a person which is bold and without shame. Hence the odd one out here would be B) Brazen.
A. In Mesopotamia, we had the Syrian Kingdom, thriving during the Shang dynasty.
B. The Shang dynasty was a copper age civilization.
C. The bronze civilization is a recent age in the hierarchy of humans.
D. The weapons used by the Shang dynasty were made of copper and were very advanced.
Answer: If you read the sentences aloud, they are all talking about either the Shang dynasty or the copper
age civilizations except the option C which talks about the Bronze civilizations. Hence the odd sentence
here is C.
Q: The following sentences are labelled as A, B, C, and D. They form a paragraph and/or a logical set. Pick
out the one that doesn’t belong.
A. We haven’t been able to decipher the writing of the Indus valley civilizations which existed right
before the Vedic period.
B. In the Vedas, which followed the Indus valley civilization, we find a direct reference to a stratified
society.
C. The classification that segregated the social classes on the basis of their birth, finds its roots in the
Rigveda.
D. However, there is an opinion that the caste system is a post-Vedic phenomenon.
Answer: All of the sentences talk about the Vedas. So which one is the one that doesn’t belong? Consider
each sentence one by one.
A. This option talks about the Indus valley civilization and its relation to the Vedic period. The main
subject is, however, the Indus valley civilization.
Option B through D, talk about the Vedas and the caste system. In all of these sentences, the caste system
or the stratification of the society is the main topic, so these are related to each other. hence, the correct
option here is A.
Practice Questions
Q 1: Pick the option that doesn’t belong to the following classification.
A) Salmagundi B) Gallimaufry C) Farrago D) Portfolio
Ans: D.
Q 2: The following sentences are labelled as A, B, C, and D. They form a paragraph and/or a logical set. Pick
out the one that doesn’t belong.
A. We believe that many modern languages of Europe and Asia are a subset of a larger mixture.
B. Some linguists argue that this is as a result of the fact that most of the civilizations originated from a
smaller group of people who had their own language.
C. Similar to it is the fact that when the Europeans colonized America, they bought their cultural
influence with them.
D. Sanskrit words can be found in many languages including Greek, English and many Indian
languages.
Ans: C.
Idioms
Idioms/Phrases are widely asked in the bank PO, SO, SBI and RBI exams. In this article, we will list
many phrases, use them in sentences and see what kind of questions are based on the knowledge of
these Idioms/Phrases. All of the phrases that we will use in the articles have come at one point or the other
in one of the exams that we are preparing for.
Idioms
The dictionary definition of the word idiom is that idiom is a group of words established by usage as
having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words. It is an expression that has a specific
meaning. For example, a sweeping statement is an idiom. It sounds like a statement that is very
impressive, however, its meaning is exactly opposite. To make a sweeping statement means to make a
thoughtless statement. So don’t be fooled by the people who tell you that there is a rule or a method that
tells you what a given idiom means.
As this section forms the part of the vocabulary, you will have to memorize these idioms and their
meaning. Let us state some idioms that have already been asked in the exams that we are preparing for.
Let us state some examples that you will commit to your memory.
Practice Questions
Q 1: What do you understand by the following sentence: “The President seems to have a seamy side”.
A) The President is a hardworking guy.
B) The President is an idiot.
C) The President is an unpleasant and immoral person.
D) The President has a tattoo.
Ans: C) The President is an unpleasant and immoral person.
Q 2: Pick the option that represents the meaning of the following sentence: The Economic Policies and the
Social Policies should never be at loggerheads.
A) The Economic Policies and the Social Policies should be similar.
B) Economic Policies and the Social Policies should not be similar.
C) These Policies should be in disagreement with each other.
D) The Economic Policies and the Social Policies should never be in disagreement with each other.
Ans: D) The Economic Policies and the Social Policies should never be in disagreement with each other.
Phrases
The dictionary meaning of a phrase is “a small group of words standing together as a conceptual unit,
typically forming a component of a clause.” Phrases are a group of words that have a known meaning. You
may say that Phrases and idioms are the same, but there is a difference. We will learn the difference and
use many phrases in the article given below.
Suggested Videos
Let us see a few examples of questions that may appear in your paper, based on the concepts of phrases.
But first, let us see some commonly used phrases of the banking exams.
A Picture paints a thousand words: Means that a visual representation of an event or happening is
always very descriptive.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing: Someone whose appearance is a deception. A person who is dangerous
but pretending to be friendly.
Above Board: Something fair and honest.
Against the Clock: Rushed and short on time.
Actions speak louder than words: It is better to act than to talk about action.
Back to the drawing board: When an attempt fails and it’s time to start all over.
To bite off more than you can chew: To take on a task that is way too big.
Can’t judge a book by its cover: Cannot judge something primarily on appearance.
Don’t count your chicken before the eggs have hatched: Don’t make plans for something that is not
possible.
Get over it: To move beyond something that is bothering you.
Get up on the wrong side of the bed: Someone who is having a horrible day.
Being a good Samaritan: Someone who helps others when they are in need, with no conditions.
Hit below the belt: Contrary behaviour to the principles of fairness.
Hit the nail on the head: Do something exactly right or say something exactly right.
The icing on the cake: Something is an icing on the cake when it improves on something that you
already have or in other words if you already have it good and get something on top of what you
already have, it is an icing in the cake.
Solved Examples
Example 1: Read the following sentences and answer the questions that follow at the end.
I: Einsteins’ theory of relativity was a challenge of imagination.
II: We are to meet each other face-to-face.
A) I is a phrase and II is an idiom.
B) II is a phrase while II is the idiom.
C) They are both phrases.
D) They are both idioms.
Answer: The answer is A) challenge of imagination is a phrase whereas face-to-face is an idiom.
Example 2: What is the meaning of the phrase in bold?
The scientist explained his thesis in the worst way possible. It was all Latin and Greek.
A) Very strange B) It was difficult C) The thesis was impressive D) The thesis was in Greek.
Answer: The phrase “Latin and Greek” is used for something that is very difficult to understand. So the
answer here is B) It was difficult.
Practice Questions
Q 1: Someone is adding “fuel to fire” if they are:
A) Putting out the fire.
B) Starting a fire.
C) Want a situation, that is bad to get worse.
D) Want to help settle a situation that is very hot.
Ans: C) Want a situation, that is bad, to get worse.
Q 2: Deep down, he knew that he was wrong.
The words in the bold can be best described by the option:
A) In the depth of a well.
B) The person lives in a deep place.
C) This means the deep secrets of a person.
D) It means the deep feelings of a person.
Ans: D) It means the deep feelings of a person.
Source: Erewise
Dictator: A ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained control by force.
Truant: A schoolboy who frequently cuts classes.
Triumvirate: A group of three powerful people.
Demagogue: A political leader appealing to popular desires and prejudices.
The correct option is Demagogue.
Practice Questions
Q 1: Write the one-word substitution for: “Murder of a brother”.
A) Fratricide B) Effeminate C) Truism D) Altruist.
Ans: A) Fratricide.
Q 2: What word from the following given words would you use to represent “A doctor who specializes in
diseases of the nose”.
A) Rhinologist B) Extempore C) Speleology D) Chauffeur.
Ans: A) Rhinologist.
Type I
In this type of questions, the sentences will be given and you will be prompted to find the options
that best fit the blanks. Complete the following sentences using the words given at the end.
1. The most celebrated tin mines ____ Cornwall are, still, close ____ the sea.
A) in, to B) at, to C) in, in D) in, at
Answer: To select the correct option, always make sure that after you have selected a suspected
option, you read out the sentence aloud and try to see which option makes the most sense. Cornwall
is a place and thus the correct article to go in would be “in”. Also with the sea, we use to which shows
that the mines are closed. Therefore the correct option is A) in, to and the complete sentence will
be: “The most celebrated tin mines in Cornwall are, still, close to the sea.”
2.Complete the following sentence using the words given at the end
The whole country was ______ with forests and swamps. The ______ part of it was very misty and cold.
A) made, Pointed
B) covered, Greater
C) Playing, Likely
D) Filled, Snake
Answer: Again use the options that seem appropriate and read out the sentence once. The option
for the first blank should be “covered” as the other words are less suitable. Similarly, the option that
goes in the second blank will be “greater” as can be seen from the option that is B) covered, greater.
Type II
There may be excerpts from novels and books. These paragraphs would have a meaning and the
missing word will be crucial to the completion of the meaning in one way or the other. Let us
consider the following solved examples.
Example 1: At eleven he had a horror of death. Within six impressionable years, his parents had
died and his grandmother had faded off almost _______, until, for the first time since her marriage, her
person held for one day an unquestioned supremacy over her own drawing room.
A) imperceptibly B) suddenly C) Tragically D) violently
Answer: When you answer questions like these make sure that you read all the parts of the
paragraph. For example, here if you focus only on the first part only, you will see that every option
fits the blank perfectly. So for the answer, the first part is not relevant. In the second part, you
should see that the sentence talks about the grandmother. It says that one day, for the first time the
grandmother ” held an unquestioned supremacy.” This hints at the fact that the death of the
grandmother was not a crucial or a great impact on the subject of the sentence. So the blank should
be filled with something of a similar meaning. Something not that important or in other words A)
imperceptible.
Type III
There will be questions that require you to read a complete paragraph to be able to answer
correctly. However, there will always be a hint, either in the beginning or at the end of the
paragraph that should open it up for you.
Read the following paragraph and fill in the blanks.
At sixteen he had lived almost entirely within himself, a _______ boy, thoroughly un-American, and
politely bewildered by his contemporaries. The two preceding years had been spent in Europe with
a private tutor, who persuaded him that Harvard was the thing; it would “open doors,” it would be a
tremendous tonic, it would give him innumerable self-sacrificing and devoted friends. So he went to
Harvard–there was no other logical thing to be done with him.
A) unfriendly B) unimaginative C) inarticulate D) unpleasant
Answer: If you read the paragraph, and try out each option once, you will see that the option is C)
inarticulate. The reason for it is in the first sentence itself. The first part says that the boy lived
almost entirely within himself. That means he was shy. The rest of the paragraph qualifies this
quality. So the correct option is C).
Practice Questions
Q 1: Fill in the blanks in the following sentence: “He learned that he was looked upon as a rather
romantic figure, a scholar, a recluse, a tower of ______.”
A) erudition B) height C) Ego D) Beauty
Ans: A
Q 2: Read the following paragraph and fill in the blanks.
“He returned to America in 1912 because of one of his grandfather’s sudden illnesses, and after an
excessively tiresome talk with the perpetually _____ old man he decided to put off until his
grandfather’s death the idea of living permanently abroad. After a prolonged search, he took an
apartment on Fifty-second Street and to all appearances settled down.”
A) convalescent B) convergant C) talkative D) repulsive
Ans: A
Multiple Meaning Words: This is going to be a really interesting chapter! Homonyms, or multiple–meaning
words, are words that have the same spelling and usually sound alike but have different meanings (e.g.
Bark– dog bark, tree bark). Right from kindergarten, we learn to use context to determine
which meaning of a multiple–meaning word is correct in a sentence.
Let’s check out a few examples of this interesting English language wonder, Multiple Meaning Words or
Homonyms:
1. Homographs (literally meaning “same writing”) are usually defined as words that share the same
spelling, regardless of how they are pronounced. If they are pronounced the same then they are also
homophones (and homonyms) – for example, bark (the sound of a dog) and bark (the skin of a tree).
If they are pronounced differently then they are also heteronyms – for example, bow (the front of a
ship) and bow (a ranged weapon).
2. Homophones (literally “same sound”) are usually defined as words that share the same
pronunciation, regardless of how they are spelled. If they are spelled the same then they are also
homographs (and homonyms); if they are spelled differently then they are also heterographs
(literally “different writing”). Homographic examples include rose (flower) and rose (past tense of
rising). Heterographic examples include to, too, two, and there, their, they’re. Due to their similar yet
non-identical pronunciation in American English, ladder and latter do not qualify as homophones,
but rather synophones.
A further example of a homonym, which is both a homophone and a homograph, is fluke. Fluke can mean:
Sentence Rearrangement
Sentence rearrangement is one of those sections that are difficult and time-consuming question asked
in Banking exams and other competitive exams. It consists of a group of jumbled sentences that need to be
re-assembled to make sense. It sounds easy but it can get tricky when more than one sentence seems to fit
perfectly. That is where we have to use vocabulary and context to decide the closest answer. Most banking
exams consist of these type of questions and we are here to break it for you:
Approaching Sentence Rearrangement
1. Check the links: There is always something connecting either in the context or in the flow of the
sentence. Usually, it is a particular theme and you can identify.
2. Related pronouns like who, what, which gives you what goes ahead. You can tell whether this will be
followed by a noun or a verb. General knowledge of grammar comes in handy.
3. Vocabulary: Knowing the meaning of the words definitely leads you to the following words. Even if
you don’t know the meaning, break the word down and look at the root word of it to get some
context. There is always a hint there.
Source: Youtube.com
2. (C)
(C) Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised far-reaching changes to simplify the goods and
services tax regime, especially for small businesses and consumers, the GST Council delivered some relief
measures on Friday.
3. (E)
(D) At its meeting in Guwahati, the Council lowered the tax rates on over 200 products, compared to 27
items in its previous meeting and about 100 tweaks since GST rates were finalised in May.
4. (A)
(E) Over 1,200 products and services had been placed in five tax brackets — 0%, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%.
5. (C)
(A) That those rates no longer hold for about a quarter of those items, and the highest tax bracket is left
with just 50 products, compared to more than 250 in July, is a tacit admission that the initial rates were
worked out in a hurry with maximising revenue being the prime consideration.
Unseen Passages
Unseen Passages in Bank exam occupy a major share in the English Section. Also, the Unseen passages with
questions and answers following them constitute one of the highest weightage in the exam. To get
expertise in it, one needs to attempt as many passages with questions and answers so as to get a clear
understanding built up on how to approach the questions and answer them for different types of English
RC or Unseen Passages.
Read English Newspaper Editorials and Articles. It will help you get clarity on English Reading
Comprehension passages with questions and answers that you should give to the questions.
Go on online and offline mediums to find as many unseen passages you can find to practice. Practice
really is the key here.
After going through the English Reading Comprehension passage with questions visualize the
answers, figure out how should they be. That visualization will lead you further towards the answer
in the passage. Time is the essence here.
Make a summary of the English RC Passage with questions and answer them deploying your best
efforts. Check your answers and match them with model answers. Please note that your RC Passage
summary should be one third of the passage size
Check that all the key points are covered in the summary of RC passage
Improve your reading speed for English Reading Comprehension passages with questions and
answers also
Ideally, a single unseen passage with 5 to 6 questions should not take more than 15 minutes of your time
to answer. If it does, don’t waste more than an extra minute on this.
Read about Multiple Meaning Words or Homonyms here in detail
Spelling
Spelling tests are also part of the banking exams like IBPS/SBI PO, SO exams etc. In this section, the
knowledge of the vocabulary of the candidate is checked. A few standard types of questions can be
asked in this section. In some questions, a few words will be given and you will be asked to pick
either the correctly spelt word or the word that is misspelt. Let us see with the help of examples.
Spelling
There is not much to discuss in this section. The reason being that there are no rules to spelling. Not
those that we should be concerned with. So here we will just state questions and at the end each
section we will see some words that are most likely to appear in these exams. Let us start.
In each of the questions mentioned below, various options are given. Only one of the options is right
and three are wrong. Pick the option that is correctly spelt.
Type I
Q 1: (A) Emancipation (B)Emancipasion (C) Emencipation (D) Emansipation
Answer: The correct option is A) Emancipation which means the fact or process of being set free
from legal, social, or political restrictions; liberation.
Q 2: (A) Hindrance (B) Corespondence (C) Insurence (D) Assurence
Answer: The correct option is A) Hindrance which means a thing that provides resistance, delay, or
obstruction to something or someone.
Q 3: (A) Measureable (B) Manageable (C) Marriagable (D) Manoevrable
Answer: The correct option is B) Manageable which means to be able to be controlled or dealt with
without difficulty.
Q 4: (A) Populas (B) Pompuous (C) Prelious (D) Presumptuous
Answer: The correct option is D) Presumptuous which means (of a person or their behaviour)
failing to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate.
Q 5: (A) Enterpreneur (B) Entreprenure (C) Entrepreneur (D) Enterprenure
Answer: The answer is C) Entrepreneur that means a person who sets up a business or businesses,
taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.
Q 6: (A) Prejudice (B) Prejudise (C) Predjudice (D) Prejudis
Answer: The answer is A) Prejudice which means a preconceived opinion that is not based on
reason or actual experience.
Q 7: (A) Independance (B) Independence (C) Independens (D) Indepandance
Answer: The correct answer is B) Independence which means the fact or state of being independent.
Q 8: (A) Loanly (B) Lonly (C) Loneli (D) Lonely
Answer: The answer is D) Lonely which means a state of solitude.
Type II
In the following questions, four words are given, only one of which is wrongly spelt. Choose the one
that is not right.
Q 1: (A) Poignant (B) Relevent (C) Prevalent (D) Malignant
Answer: The option that is wrongly spelt is B) relevent. Therefore the correct spelling is relevant
which means something or someone closely connected or appropriate to what is being done or
considered.
Q 2: (A) Vandetta (B) Verisimilitude (C) Vicarious (D) Vociferate
Answer: The option that is wrongly spelt is A) vandetta. Therefore the correct spelling is Vendetta
which means a blood feud in which the family of a murdered person seeks vengeance on the
murderer or the murderer’s family.
Q 3: (A) Embankment (B) Deliberately (C) Preceding (D) Proleferous
Answer: The word that is not correctly spelt here is D) Proleferous. Therefore the correct spelling
is proliferous which means something (of a plant) producing buds or side shoots from a flower or
other terminal part.
Match the column in banking exams are pretty common. The best practice is to go through both the
columns before jumping into the exercises. Connect with context if you don’t know by meaning, eliminate
the ones that cannot be matched, look at them at the end. Chances are all that make sense have been
matched up leaving you the ones that you could not match and that’s a small pot to choose from now.
Examples and exercises in a match the column:
(i) a quarrel or
1. slaving
an argument
Practice Questions
1. OBITUARY – ( noun )
2. SWAY – ( verb )
3. MULTINATIONAL – ( adjective )
4. LUXURY – ( noun )
5. AVID – ( adjective )
6. MANAGER – ( noun )
7. FORTUNATE – ( adjective )
8. ENTERPRISING – ( adjective )
9. AMITY – ( noun )
10. ILLUSION – ( noun )
SET – 2
1. Lucky
2. Friendship – a good relationship
3. An open box from which cattle and horse feed
4. A report in a newspaper giving the news of someone’s death
5. Good at thinking of and doing new and difficult things
6. Existing in or involving many countries
7. Something expensive and pleasant but not necessary
8. Very interested or passionate about something
9. An idea or belief which is not true
10. To move slowly from side to side
The Answer to this is:
Theme Detection
Passage Completion
Sentence Completion
Sentence completion questions under the English language, are an important part of Competitive exams
for various categories like Bank PO, MBA, CA, RRB, TOFEL, etc. These questions test the candidate’s
vocabulary and knowledge of the finer distinctions among words. There are some strategies that will
greatly help to score on these questions. Commonly these sentences are long and difficult to follow, but
with a little bit practice, one can learn to master them. Let us discuss it in detail.
Sentence Completion
Sentence completions test the skill to use the information observed in complex and incomplete sentences
in order to correctly complete them. It tests a candidate’s vocabulary power and skill to follow the logic of
sentences. These sentences are often quite complex.
Types:
There are possibly four types of sentence completions:
Restatement: Containing words such as namely, in other words, in fact, that is, etc.
Example: The pickpocket was a trickster, in other words, a ______. Here answer will be knave or scoundrel,
which restates “trickster,”
Comparison: Containing the words such as likewise, similarly, and, just as, as like as, etc.
Example: Jack was cleared of all charges; similarly, Jill was ______.
Here we have to compare ‘cleared of all charges’ with the suitable word, and hence vindicated is the
answer.
Contrast: Containing the words such as though, although, however, despite, but, yet, on the other hand, but,
however, despite, or, on the contrary, etc.
Example: Although the tiger is a solitary beast, its cousin the lion is a ______ wild animal.
Here answer should be in contrast with “solitary”. Therefore, gregarious or sociable are possible answers.
Cause and effect: Containing words such as this, therefore, consequently, because of, etc. Also contains
phrases such as due to, as a result, leads to, etc.
Example: A truck stole her parking spot; consequently, Rocky’s ______ look showed her displeasure.
Here answer should be to find the cause for someone to steal. Therefore answer may be scowling or sullen.
2. Hints:
The hints given may indicate what should go into the blank for the meaningful sentence. Here’s a test to
locate the right hint. If we change the hint, then the choice in the blank must change. We can check the hint
by putting that word or phrase into the blank itself.
4. Structure Words:
See and try for words like but, rather, although, however, and, while, but, therefore, etc.
These may reveal the sentence organization and the relationship between hint and blank. They tell about
kinds of words to look for as they change the thought process in the sentence.
5. Visualize:
Before going for the choices, think of the possible words for the blanks. It will save us from wrong choices.
If we know roughly the type of words required, the process of elimination becomes much easier. The word
we see doesn’t have to be fancy and a general idea is fine.
6. Elimination:
Ruling out the wrong choices is now easy. But remember that words have to fit in the given order for the
correct answer. If one word is a perfect choice without making sense, then the answer is incorrect. Don’t
rule out choices if don’t know their meanings. If doubts are there, leave it and return to other choices.
7. Working Backwards:
The two-blank questions can be easier as we have more opportunities to eliminate wrong choices. If we
can eliminate a choice based on one word, we don’t need to know the other word. Often, working I
backtracking way works better.
Synonyms
Directions: In each of the following questions, out of the given alternatives choose the one which
best expresses the meaning of the given word.
Q1: E A G E R [Stenographers’ Exam, 1994]
A) Clever B) Enthusiastic C) curious D) Devoted
Q2: P L A C I D
A) Clear B) Calm C) Enjoyable D) Dull
Q3: C O M M E M O R A T E
A) Boast B) Remember C) Manipulate D) Harmonise
Q4: D E I F Y [C B I 1995]
A) Face B) Worship C) Flatter D) Challenge
Q5: A M E N I T I E S
A) Pageantries B) Privileges C) Facilities D) Courtesies
Q6: D I S P A R I T Y
A) Injustice B) Unlikeness C) Partiality D) Distortion
Q7: B A R B A R I A N
A) Arrogant B) Impolite C) Uncivilized D) Unkind
Q8: L E T H A L [ Hotel Management, 1992]
A) Unlawful B) Deadly C) Sluggish D) Smooth
Q9: S E R E N E
A) Solemn B) Meak C) Delicate D) Calm
Q10: G R U E S O M E
A) Hateful B) Painful C) Tragic D) Frightful
Q11: S E C U R E
A) Secret B) Comfortable C) Safe D) Independent
Q12: T Y R A N N Y [Railways, 1991]
A) Misrule B) Power C) Madness D) Cruelty
Q13: O B L I G A T O R Y
A) Useful B) required C) Stubborn D) Agreeable
Q14: C O N N O I S S E U R [Railways, 1996]
A) Ignorant B) Interpreter C) Delinquent D) Lover of art
Q15: I M P E T U O U S
A) Violent B) Resourceful C) Pleasing D) Rash
Find Your Answers Here
Q1: C), Q2: B), Q3: B), Q4: B), Q5: B), Q6: B), Q7: C), Q8: B), Q9: D), Q10: D), Q11: C), Q12: D), Q13: B),
Q14: B), Q15: D)
Antonyms
Directions: Each of the following questions consists of a word or phrase which is italicised bold in
the sentence given. It is followed by certain words or phrases. Select the word or phrase which is
closest to the opposite in meaning of the italicised bold word or phrase.
Q1: He is a very timid person. [N D A, 1992]
A) Dashing B) Outgoing C) Bold D) Chivalrous
Q2: Raju often walks to school.
A) Rarely B) Never C) Always D) Sometimes
Q3: One can acquire fame only by being truthful, honest and faithful.
A) Lose B) Deprive C) Forsake D) Surrender
Q4: The treaty was ratified by the heads of states. [C D S, 1994]
A) Set aside B) Unsettled C) Destroyed D) Annulled
Q5: Always avoid late-night jobs.
A) inspire B) compel C) pursue D) take
Q6: Mother Teresa devoted her life to the service of the poor and the destitute.
A) Greedy B) Noble C) Rich D) Extraordinary
Q7: Many people try to resist reforms in the society. [I E S, 1994]
A) repel B) welcome C) accept D) fight
Q8: He was always prepared to refute the idea.
A) Agree B) Subscribe C) Recommend D) Endorse
Find Your Answers Here
Q1: C), Q2: A), Q3: A), Q4: D), Q5: C), Q6: C), Q7: B), Q8: D).
Vocabulary Test
Directions: In each question below, a word is given in capitals. Against this word, there are some
alternatives, one of which is either same in meaning (synonym) or opposite in meaning (antonyms)
of the word printed in BOLD TYPE. Find out which of the given alternatives is either a synonym or
an antonym of the word, oriented in capitals.
Q1: C O N S W Q U E N C E [S. B. I. P. O. ]
A) Indifference B) Affect C) Serial D) Outcome E) Divergence
Q2: E N I G M A T I C
A) Short-sighted B) Learned C) Puzzling D) Displeased
Q3: V I R T U O U S
A) Vulgar B) Insincere C) Vicious D) Miserly
Q4: I M P E T U O U S
A) Pleasing B) Rash C) Violent D) Resourceful
Q5: I N T E R I M
A) Interval B) Temporary C) Timely D) Internal
Q6: E X P U R G A T E
A) Admit B) Renew C) Stain D) Entertain
Q7: A B A T E [Bank P. O. 1996]
A) Tighten B) Increase C) Abandon D) Diminish E) Postpone
Q8: T E M P E R A M E N T A L
A) Satisfied B) Contented C) Unruffled D) Pleased
Find Your Answers Here
Q1: D) [Synonym], Q2: C) [Synonym], Q3: C) [Antonym], Q4: B) [Synonym], Q5: B) [Synonym], Q6: A)
[Antonym], Q7: B) [Antonym], Q8: C) [Antonym].
Word Association Pairs
It is a type of test of any language vocabulary. Word association pairs is a way in which words associates
with each other. And it influences the learning and remembering of words. This word association pair is an
important part of the evaluation of English vocabulary knowledge during various competitive
examinations. The term association refers to the connection or relation between words, ideas, and
concepts, which exists in the human mind and manifests in different ways. Let us discuss it in detail.
Some Characteristics
Word association pairs as a means of assessing proficiency in a foreign language have always something of
an inherent appeal to it. Some points should be kept in mind that
1) It should be relatively quick and easy both to conduct and to score,
2) It should be a nice complement to other methods of assessing learner performance,
3) It should tend to suggest that there may be something of a connection between knowledge and language
proficiency.
Whenever come across a new word, look up its synonyms & antonyms online and adopt it.
Learn synonyms and antonyms of common English words on a regular basis.
Regularly study ‘Word Power Made Easy’ by Norman Lewis to improve your vocabulary
Thesaurus is the best resource to learn synonyms and antonyms.
Two Approaches:
First Approach: One should read the given words one by one and check if the other words are their
synonyms/antonyms.
Second Approach: One should check the given options (pairs) one by one, and select the option which has a
synonym/antonym pairing. Use this approach when time is running short.
Solved Example on Word Association Pairs
Q.1: Four words are given below. Select the pair which mean the same or opposite of each other:
1. Menial
2. Minuscule
3. Impressive
4. Massive
Answer: Here option 2 is the right answer. Because Meaning of Minuscule is Extremely Small on the other
hand Meaning of Massive is Large/Heavy.
Q.2 Government must not be partial to its citizen. Find the synonym word of the underlined word.
1. Unequal
2. Favoring
3. Fairless
4. Biased
Answer: Here Biased has a similar meaning as Partial. So the answer is Biased.