English Quiz for SBI Clerk Mains 2020, 25th September- Practice Set

Directions (1-5): Each question has two blanks with one blank to be filled by an idiom and other to be filled by a word. Choose the option which correctly mentions the idiom and the word to fill the blanks.

Q1. Turning to style, the new Altima looks…all right. If that sounds like a ____________________, in my book it’s two-handed applause: Nissan’s sedan styling language has ____________________ lost in translation at times, including on the hot mess known as the Maxima.

(a)dressing down; maintained

(b)bone of contention; intimated

(c)left-handed compliment; seemed

(d)house of cards;belied

(e)cuckoo in the nest; galvanized

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Q2. Even as top market voices debate whether current prime minister NarendraModi would get a second term in Lok Sabha elections 2019 and its____________________ on the stock markets, Porinju Veliyath says that the question is ____________________ for long-term investors.

(a)impact; beside the mark

(b)betrayal; an axe to the grind

(c)qualification; putting two and two together

(d)drawing; drawing a blank

(e)venality; calling in question

Q3. A contempt conviction against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr David Asante Apeatu, was Monday set ____________________ by the Commercial Division of the Accra High Court after the court declared it as ____________________.

(a)abnormally; weal and woe

(b)aside; null and void

(c)cheerfully; curry favour

(d)blissfully; under a cloud

(e)carelessly; feather in one’s cap

Q4. His oil paintings are ____________________, with a dreamlike quality that sets them apart, his characters pictured against gentle scenery and striking skies. Many of his landscapes are unmistakably Yorkshire-sweeping valleys dotted with barns, towering mill chimneys, ____________________ terraces and wild moorland.

(a)innocuous; turned down

(b)parsimonious; butt in

(c)restive; drawing a blank

(d)commensurate; picked to pieces

(e)distinctive; cheek-by-jowl

Q5. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court in a verdict on Wednesday expressed different opinions on this with one saying that the provision of ____________________ has failed to become a ____________________ and the other two holding that a larger bench had already decided its continuance in the rarest of rare cases.

(a)maiden speech; aberration

(b)a left-handed compliment; calumny

(c)a cuckoo in the nest; acrimony

(d)capital punishment; deterrent

(e)a wild-goose chase;venality

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Directions (6-15):In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words/phrases are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word/phrase in each case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday __________(6)__________ Christian Michel, an alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal case, with a series of documents ________(7)____________ from Italy and those gathered as part of the probe since 2013.

The agency said it had received a request from the British High Commission, through the Ministry of External Affairs, for ___________(8)_________ access to Mr. Michel.

He was produced in a city court that sent him to five-day CBI custody on Wednesday.

The CBI had got the deal papers, running into more than 1.5 lakh pages, from Italy through the Defence Ministry.

They __________(9)__________ that Mr. Michel allegedly entered into various agreements with AgustaWestland and related entities to help _________(10)___________ the contract for supply of 12 helicopters.

“The first priority is to get the papers linked to Mr. Michel _________(11)___________ through him, which will take some time,” said an official.

The CBI may then __________(12)__________ the other accused persons and witnesses to ________(13)____________ them with Mr. Michel for __________(14)__________ of facts pertaining to the alleged bribe money trail.

Former Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi’s cousin SanjeevTyagi figures in the list of those ________(15)____________ in touch with Mr. Michel, as indicated by a witness who was his driver.

Q6.

(a) vindicated

(b) become

(d)enervated

(e) confronted

Q7.

(a)maintained

(b)fought

(d)flown

(e)castigated

Q8.

(a)restive

(b) consular

(c)wanting

(d)aggressive

(e)calm

Q9.

(a) revealed

(b)abashed

(c)ached

(d)adjusted

(e)accepted

Q10.

(a) absorb

(b) clinch

(c)admire

(d)afford

(e)alight

Q11.
(a)advised

(b)carved

(d)chidden

(e)choked

Q12.

(a)chew

(b)forbid

(c)carve

(d)dip

(e) summon

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Q13.

(a)nap

(b) confront

(c)oblige

(d)prescribe

(e)sabotage

Q14.

(a)aberration

(b)acrimony

(d)calumny

(e)venality

Q15.

(a) allegedly

(b)innocuous

(c)parsimonious

(d)restive

(e)extant

solutions

S1. Ans. (c)

Sol. Idioms:

Dressing down means give a scolding;

Bone of contention means cause for quarrel;

Left-handed compliment means an ambiguous compliment;

House of cards means an insecure scheme;

Cuckoo in the nest means an unwelcome intruder;

Words:

Maintained [maintain, verb] means ‘cause or enable (a condition or situation) to continue’;

Intimated [intimate, verb] means ‘state or make known’;

Belied [belie, verb] means ‘(of an appearance) fail to give a true impression of (something)’;

Galvanized [galvanize, verb] means ‘shock or excite (someone) into taking action’;

Among the given options, the idiom ‘left-handed compliment’ and the word ‘seemed’ provide the correct context to the blanks.

A hint for using the idiom ‘left-handed compliment’ in the first blank can be derived from the phrase ‘two-handed applause’.

Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.

S2. Ans. (a)

Sol. Idioms:

Beside the mark means not to the point;

An axe to the grind means to have a selfish interest;

Putting two and two together means reason logically;

Drawing a blank means find no favour;

Calling in question means challenge;

Words:

Venality [noun] means ‘the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption’;

The sentence says that top market voices are debating on whether current prime minister would get a second term in 2019, but PorinjuVeliyath seems to believe that its effect on the stock market is not important for long-term investors.

Among the given options, the word ‘impact’ and the idiom ‘beside the mark’ provide the correct context to the blanks. Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

S3. Ans. (b)

Sol. Idioms:

Weal and woe means good times and bad times;

Null and void means invalid;

Curry favour means seek favourable attention;

Under a cloud means under suspicion;

Feather in one’s cap means a new and an additional distinction;

‘set aside’ is a phrase which means to get dismissed.

Among the given options, the word ‘aside’ and the idiom ‘null and void’ provide the correct context to the blanks.

Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

S4. Ans. (e)

Sol. Idioms:

Turned down means reject;

Butt in means interrupt;

Drawing a blank means find no favour;

Picked to pieces means analyse critically;

Cheek-by-jowl means very close together;

Words:

Innocuous [adjective] means ‘not harmful or offensive’;

Parsimonious [adjective] means ‘very unwilling to spend money or use resources’;

Restive [adjective] means ‘restless’;

Commensurate [adjective] means ‘corresponding in size or degree; in proportion’;

Distinctive [adjective] means ‘characteristic of one person or thing, and so serving to distinguish it from others’;

The given group of sentences seems to praise the oil paintings.

Among the given options, the word ‘distinctive’ and the idiom ‘cheek-by-jowl’ provide the correct context to the blanks.

Hence, option (e) is the correct answer.

S5. Ans. (d)

Sol. Idioms:

Maiden Speech means first speech;

A left-handed compliment means an ambiguous compliment;

A cuckoo in the nest means an unwelcome intruder;

Capital punishment means death punishment;

A wild-goose chase means a pointless search;

Words:

Aberration [noun] means ‘a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically an unwelcome one’;

Calumny [noun] means ‘the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to damage their reputation; slander’;

Acrimony [noun] means ‘bitterness or ill feeling’;

Deterrent [noun] means ‘a thing that discourages or is intended to discourage someone from doing something’;

Venality [noun] means ‘the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption’;

The phrase ‘rarest of rare cases’ suggests that the given sentence is talking about capital punishment and about its effect as a deterrent.

Among the given options, the idiom ‘capital punishment’ and the word ‘deterrent’ provide the correct context to the blanks.

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

S6. Ans. (e)

Sol. Vindicate [verb] means ‘clear (someone) of blame or suspicion’;

Enervate [verb] means ‘to sap energy from’;

The tone and context of the passage suggests that Christian Michel, an alleged middleman, is under the remand of the CBI. Among the given options, the word ‘confronted’ provides the correct context to the blank.

Hence, option (e) is the correct answer.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday confronted Christian Michel…

S7. Ans. (c)

Sol. Maintain [verb] means ‘to assert’;

Castigate [verb] means ‘reprimand (someone) severely.’;

The context of the clause where the blank appears, and the preceding clause suggest that a series of documents were obtained from Italy.

Hence, the option (c) is the correct answer.

…with a series of documents obtained from Italy and those gathered as part of the probe since 2013.

S8. Ans. (b)

Sol. Restive [adjective] means ‘restless’;

Wanting [adjective] means ‘lacking’;

The context of the sentence where the blank appears suggests that the British High Commission made a request to the CBI, for ______ access to Mr. Michel. A High Commission of a nation would make a request for consular access for its national who is in custody with a legal enforcement agency in another nation.

Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

S9. Ans. (a)

Sol. Abash [verb] means ‘make (someone) feel embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed’;

Ache [verb] means ‘suffer from a continuous dull pain’;

The sentence previous to the sentence where the blank appears suggests that the CBI had got some deal papers. The clause following the blank ‘Mr. Michel allegedly entered into various agreements with AgustaWestland and related entities to help _____ the contract for supply of 12 helicopters’ is the revelation. Among the given options, ‘revealed’ provides the correct context to the blank.

Hence, Option (a) is the correct answer.

S10. Ans. (b)

Sol. Alight [verb] means ‘descend from a train, bus, or other form of transport’;

The tone of the sentence and the clause where the blank appears suggests that Mr. Michel allegedly entered into various agreements with AgustaWestland to help it to get the contract for supply of 12 helicopters.

Among the given words, the word ‘clinch’ correctly provides the context to the blank.

Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

S11. Ans. (c)

Sol. corroborate [verb] means ‘confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding)’;

The context of the sentence suggests that the first priority of the CBI is to get the papers linked to Mr. Michel mentions. Among the given options, the word ‘corroborated’ provides the correct context to the blank.

Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.

S12. Ans. (e)

Sol. What would an investigating agency do to the other accused persons?

The CBI is currently, as suggested by the context of the paragraph, investigating the case. So, it is likely that the CBI would summon the other accused persons.

Among the given words, the word ‘summon’ provides the correct context to the sentence.

Hence, option (e) is the correct answer.

S13. Ans. (b)

Sol. The context of the sentences suggests that the CBI after summoning the other accused persons and witnesses, would make them to face Mr. Michel for verifying the facts.

Among the given options, the word ‘confront’ provides the correct context to the blank.

Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

S14. Ans. (c)

Sol. Aberration [noun] means ‘a deviation from what is normal or expected’;

Acrimony [noun] means ‘hatred; ill will’;

Calumny [noun] means ‘making of a false statement meant to injure a person’s reputation’;

Venality [noun] means ‘the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption’;

The context of the sentences suggests that the CBI after summoning the other accused persons and witnesses, would make them to face Mr. Michel for verifying the facts.

Among the given options, the word ‘verification’ provides the correct context to the blank.

Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.

S15. Ans. (a)

Sol. innocuous [adjective] means ‘harmless and doesn’t produce’;

Parsimonious [adjective] means ‘extremely frugal; miserly’;

Restive [adjective] means ‘restless’;

Extant [adjective] means ‘still in existence’;

Among the given options, the word ‘allegedly’ provides the correct context to the blank.

Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Former Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi’s cousin SanjeevTyagi figures in the list of those allegedly in touch with Mr. Michel