14th January 2020 IBPS Clerk Mains English Daily Mock Idioms and Phrases & Error Correction

Directions (1-5): In each of the question given below a/an idiom/phrase is given in bold which is then followed by five options which then tries to decipher its meaning as used in the sentence. Choose the option which gives the meaning of the phrase most appropriately in the context of the given sentence.

Q1. The company is expected to get around this problem by borrowing from the banks.

(a) lead

(b) deceive

(c) overcome

(d) divert

(e) detach

Q2. I think he’s trying to get back at her for those remarks she made in the meeting.

(a) pursue

(b) disprove

(c) acknowledge

(d) retaliate 

(e) persuade

Q3. The city had to rebuild the bridge completely, because it was about to give out and fall down.

(a) conform

(b) reveal

(c) relent

(d) crash

(e) transmit

Q4. The lorry drivers’ strike has put back our deliveries by over a month.

(a) deferred

(b) dwindled

(c) retarded

(d) replaced

(e) conveyed

Q5. He was not emotionally stable enough to think through his decision.

(a) evaluate

(b) determine

(c) suspect

(d) estimate

(e) analyze

Directions (6-8) In each of the questions given below a sentence is given in which an idiom (or some part) is given in bold. This sentence is then followed by five idioms. Choose the idiom which can fit here and make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. If the given idiom is correct as it is and requires no correction then choose option (e) as your correct answer choice.

Q6. You don’t want to go into the NFL with some dime a dozen that you’re somehow a victim of a system that can’t stand you.

(a) chip on your shoulder

(b) piece of cake

(c) an arm and a leg

(d) bread and butter

(e) No improvement required

Q7. A pilot performing this manoeuvre would be on cloud nine for a second enemy aircraft.

(a) off-base

(b) a sitting duck

(c) spilling the beans

(d) scot-free

(e) No improvement required

Q8. Dark clouds are in the sky and it is usually at eleventh hour for rain to follow, so I need to hurry up and get my car inside the garage since it has a broken windshield.

(a) Draconian law

(b) par for the course

(c) Sword of Damocles

(d) once in a blue moon

(e) No improvement required

Directions (9-15): In the following questions, a sentence is divided into five parts with one of the parts of each sentence is highlighted in bold suggesting the grammatically correct part of the sentence. Out of the four other parts, choose the part of the sentence which contains grammatical or contextual error in it. If the given sentence is both grammatically correct and contextually meaningful, choose “No error” as your answer. 

Q9. Hours after pronouncing judgement in the/ sensational Mecca Masjid blast/ case acquitting five accused, / the NIA special court judge Ravinder Reddy has resigned, /it is learnt.

(a) sensational Mecca Masjid blast

(b) case which acquits five accused

(c) the NIA special court judge Ravinder Reddy has resigned,

(d) it is learnt

(e) no error

Q10. After Ms. Haley’s comments, / some in the administration/ suggested the sanctions/ now being considered/ could might rolled/ out by Monday.

(a) After Ms. Haley’s comments,

(b) suggested the sanctions

(c) now being considered

(d) could might rolled

(e) out by Monday

Q11. The Madras High Court on Monday/ ordered that a temple elephant in Salem city/ named Rajeswari should be euthanized/ therefore a local government veterinarian certifies/ that it would be cruel to keep/ the ailing animal alive any longer.

(a) The Madras High Court on Monday

(b) ordered that a temple elephant in Salem city

(c) named Rajeswari should be euthanized

(d) therefore, a local government veterinarian certifies

(e) the ailing animal alive any longer 

Q12. As on Monday, / only one of the/three major reservoirs in the district/had water up to the brim, / while the level in most of/ the tanks has been dropping.

(a) As on Monday,

(b) only one of the

(c) had water up to the brim,

(d) while the level in most of

(e) the tanks has been dropping

Q13. A single judge of the/ Kerala High Court had ordered/ the demolition of those parts/ of the apartment complex/ that were constructed/ violating of the CRZ norms.

(a) A single judge of the

(b) Kerala High Court had ordered

(c) the demolition of those parts

(d) of the apartment complex

(e) violating of the CRZ norms

Q14. They were tough times/ and it was tougher for/ the curator so as to keep/ the venue in a/ decent shape to/ host big matches.

(a) They were tough times

(b) and it was tougher for

(c) the curator so as to keep

(d) the venue in a

(e) decent shape to

Q15. Gayle, playing his first game/ of the season, smashed his/ second fastest IPL fifty, on 22 balls, / to lay the foundation/ for KXIP’s thrilling four-run win over/ Chennai Super Kings on Sunday night.

(a) of the season, smashed his

(b) second fastest IPL fifty, on 22 balls,

(c) to lay the foundation

(d) for KXIP’s thrilling four-run win over

(e) Chennai Super Kings on Sunday night

Solutions

S1. Ans. (c)

Sol. ‘get around’ means to release or to avoid something unpleasant or laborious.

S2. Ans. (d)

Sol. ‘get back at’ means take revenge on.

S3. Ans. (d)

Sol. ‘give out’ means to stop working.

S4. Ans. (a)

Sol. ‘put back’ means to delay it or arrange for it to happen later than you previously planned.

S5. Ans. (e)

Sol. ‘think through’ means to carefully consider the possible results of doing something.

S6. Ans. (a)

Sol. Option (a) is the correct choice. “dime a dozen” means something is extremely common, inexpensive or available anywhere. Therefore, the correct idiom required here is ‘chip on your shoulder’ which means an ingrained feeling of resentment deriving from a sense of inferiority and sometimes marked by aggressive behaviour.

piece of cake is often used to describe a situation that was easy, or required little effort.

An arm and a leg phrase is used to refer something that is very expensive.

Bread and butter means used in reference to something every day or ordinary.

S7. Ans. (b)

Sol. Option (b) is the correct choice. ‘On cloud nine’ means being extremely happy making the sentence contextually incorrect. ‘A sitting duck’ means a person or thing with no protection against an attack or other source of danger. Thus, it makes the sentence logical.

Off base means mistaken; or relying on a mistaken premise.

Spilling the beans means to reveal secret information unintentionally or indiscreetly.

Scot-free means without suffering any punishment or injury.

S8. Ans. (b)

Sol. Option (b) is the correct choice. ‘at eleventh hour’ means the last moment or almost late. Thus, the idiom given fails to make the sentence meaningful and logical. It should be replaced with the idiom ‘par for the course’ which means what is normal or expected in any given circumstances.

Draconian law means measures which are extremely harsh or severe.

Sword of Damocles means situation threatening imminent harm or disaster.

Once in a blue moon means very rarely.

S9. Ans. (e)

Sol. The given sentence is grammatically correct and contextually meaningful and hence, option (e) becomes the most suitable answer choice.

S10. Ans. (d)

Sol. The phrase ‘could might rolled’ should be replaced either with ‘could be rolled’ or ‘might be rolled’

Could and might are not used together and when used alone ‘be’ is required after them to make it correct.

S11. Ans. (d)

Sol. Using ‘therefore’ gives incoherent meaning to the sentence but if it gets replaced with ‘if’, then it gives proper meaning to the paragraph that High court has allowed killing of an elephant ‘if’ a veterinarian certifies that it is suffering and cannot be cured.

S12. Ans. (c)

Sol. First and last parts of the sentence ‘as on Monday’ and ‘the tanks has been dropping’ shows that it is in present tense but ‘had water up to the brim’ indicates past tense because of use of ‘had’ therefore ‘had water up to the brim’ is incorrect.

S13. Ans. (e)

Sol. Replace ‘violating of the CRZ norms’ with either ‘in violation of the CRZ norms’ or ‘violating the CRZ norms’ to make the sentence grammatically correct.

S14. Ans. (c)

Sol. Replace ‘the curator so as to keep’ with ‘the curator to keep’.

‘so as’ is not required in the sentence and removing it will correct the sentence.

S15. Ans. (b)

Sol. The correct phrase should be ‘second fastest IPL fifty, off 22 balls; in 22 balls’

Use of ‘on’ for scoring runs from a particular number of balls is incorrect.