Directions (1-8): In each of the following questions, a statement is given with two blanks. Followed by two columns, Column (A) contains words that might fill in the first blank and Column (B) contains words that might fill in the second blank. Choose among the options, the right pair of words that can fill in the blanks consecutively to make the sentence grammatically correct and contextually meaningful. If none of the options could fill in the blanks, mark your answer, “None of the above; (e)”. 

Q1. The ________________ on data privacy is slowly growing into a heated discourse as technologies at the forefront of ________________are pitted against the fundamental right of individuals to protect their privacy.
Column (A)
(1) discussion
(2) chatter
(3) strongly
Column (B)
(4) technology
(5) innovation
(6) adept
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-5
(c) 3-6
(d) Both (a) & (b)
(e) None of the above

Q.2 The ________________of e-commerce platforms and the many start-ups that are providing services and goods over the internet are ________________heavily on the collection of personal data.
Column (A)
(1) proliferation
(2) casual
(3) hostility
Column (B)
(4) relying
(5) records
(6) confined
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-5
(c) 3-6
(d) Both (a) & (b)
(e) None of the above

Q.3 While the floods in Chennai were a ________________event for persons there, at a conceptual level, the post disaster ________________was perhaps as good as it can get in India.
Column (A)
(1) grudging
(2) oppose
(3) terrible
Column (B)
(4) emotions
(5) hindrance
(6) performance
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-5
(c) 3-6
(d) Both (a) & (b)
(e) None of the above

Q.4 The key value ________________for a host of e-commerce companies and fintech operating in the financial services space is the ability to ________________customer data in order to provide clients with more customised solutions.
Column (A)
(1) delectable
(2) proposition
(3) possessive
Column (B)
(4) cater
(5) harness
(6) tranquil
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-5
(c) 3-6
(d) Both (a) & (b)
(e) None of the above

Q.5 As the year comes to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on the ________________events that the year has witnessed. From Narendra Modi’s emphatic victory to Balakot that marked a ________________shift in our security policy.
Column (A)
(1) punch
(2) impactful
(3) remarkable
Column (B)
(4) similar
(5) discernible
(6) verbally
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-5
(c) 3-6
(d) Both (a) & (b)
(e) None of the above

Q.6 Public sector banks have to adopt new technologies and security ________________to project a better image and make themselves less ________________and globally competitive.
Column (A)
(1) measures
(2) contribute
(3) steps
Column (B)
(4) vulnerable
(5) aware
(6) enlarged
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-5
(c) 3-6
(d) Both (a) & (b)
(e) None of the above


Q.7 Even though the macro ________________is not favourable, a good deal can still be done to improve the ________________of the banking and financial system.
Column (A)
(1) surrounding
(2) consolation
(3) environment
Column (B)
(4) happiness
(5) liveability
(6) resilience
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-5
(c) 3-6
(d) Both (a) & (b)
(e) None of the above

Directions (8-15): In each of the questions given below four words are given in bold. These four words may or may not be in their correct position. The sentence is then followed by options with the correct combination of words that should replace each other in order to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. Find the correct combination of the words that replace each other. If the sentence is correct as it is then select option (e) as your choice.

Q8. The Congress had given the constituency (1) to Savitribai Phule to contest (2) from the Bahraich parliamentary ticket (3) but she lost to the BJP nominee (4).
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-3
(c) 2-4
(d) 1-3
(e) None of these

Q9. The original draft contained a proportionate (1) that government agencies (2) should only collect data without consent (3), when it was necessary and provision (4).
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-3
(c) 2-4
(d) 1-3
(e) None of these

Q10. Face recognition (1) technology and its use in mass sundry (2) by surveillance (3) governments is deeply contentious (4).
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-3
(c) 2-4
(d) 1-3
(e) None of these

Q11. Banks have kept on changing (1) their assets — from steel to infrastructure to telecom to retail — and corporate India kept on forbearance (2) up even as the regulator was generous (3) in offering leveraging (4)  to banks.
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-3
(c) 2-4
(d) 1-3
(e) None of these

Q12. In June, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) sources (1)  out for technical help to build a database (2) for the police match (3) “persons of interest” with pictures, including pictures from tendered (4)  like newspapers, social media and TV grabs, etc.
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-3
(c) 2-4
(d) 1-3
(e) None of these

Q13. Today, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will buying (1) the second phase of Operation (2) Twist by simultaneous conduct (3) and selling of government securities (4).
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-3
(c) 2-4
(d) 1-3
(e) None of these

Q14. The current decade (1) started with enormous fiscal and monetary collapse (2) to ward (3) off the feared impact of the stimulus (4) of US investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
(a) 1-4
(b) 2-3
(c) 2-4
(d) 1-3
(e) None of these

Q15. The government went all out monetary (1) money and the RBI followed an ultra-loose spending (2) policy, flooding (3) the system with liquidity (4) and bringing down the policy rate to its historic low.
(a) 1-2
(b) 2-3
(c) 2-4
(d) 1-3
(e) None of these

Solutions

S1. Ans. (b)
Sol. The words ‘chatter’ and ‘innovation’ can fill in the blanks consecutively to make the sentence grammatically correct and contextually meaningful. Hence, option (b) is the right answer choice.


S2. Ans. (a)
Sol. The words ‘proliferation’ and ‘relying’ can fill in the blanks consecutively to make the sentence grammatically correct and contextually meaningful. Hence, option (a) is the right answer choice.


S3. Ans. (c)
Sol. The words ‘terrible’ and ‘performance’ can fill in the blanks consecutively to make the sentence grammatically correct and contextually meaningful. Hence, option (c) is the right answer choice.

S4. Ans. (b)
Sol. The words ‘proposition’ and ‘harness’ can fill in the blanks consecutively to make the sentence grammatically correct and contextually meaningful. Hence, option (b) is the right answer choice.

S5. Ans. (b)
Sol. ‘impactful’ and ‘discernible’ can fill in the blanks consecutively to make the sentence grammatically correct and contextually meaningful. Hence, option (b) is the right answer choice.

S6. Ans. (a)
Sol. The words ‘measures’ and ‘vulnerable’ can fill in the blanks consecutively to make the sentence grammatically correct and contextually meaningful. Hence, option (a) is the right answer choice.


S7. Ans. (c)
Sol. The words ‘environment’ and ‘resilience’ can fill in the blanks consecutively to make the sentence grammatically correct and contextually meaningful. Hence, option (c) is the right answer choice.

S8. Ans. (d)
Sol. Here, 1-3 i.e, ‘ticket – constituency’ will be replaced to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. The sentence thus formed is,
The Congress had given the ticket to Savitribai Phule to contest from the Bahraich parliamentary constituency but she lost to the BJP nominee.

S9. Ans. (a)
Sol. Here, 1-4 i.e, ‘provision’ & ‘proportionate’ will be replaced to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. The sentence thus formed is,
The original draft contained a provision that government agencies should only collect data without consent, when it was necessary and proportionate.

S10. Ans. (b)
Sol. Here, 2-3 i.e, ‘surveillance’ & ‘sundry’ will be replaced to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. The sentence thus formed is,
Face recognition technology and its use in mass surveillance by sundry governments is deeply contentious.

S11. Ans. (c)
Sol. Here, 2 -4 i.e, ‘leveraging’ & ‘forbearance’ will be replaced to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. The sentence thus formed is,
Banks have kept on changing their assets — from steel to infrastructure to telecom to retail — and corporate India kept on leveraging up even as the regulator was generous in offering forbearance to banks.

S12. Ans. (a)
Sol. Here,1-4 i.e, ‘tendered’ & ‘sources’ will be replaced to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. The sentence thus formed is,
In June, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) tendered out for technical help to build a database for the police match “persons of interest” with pictures, including pictures from sources like newspapers, social media and TV grabs, etc.

S13. Ans. (d)
Sol. Here,1-3 i.e, ‘conduct’ & ‘buying’ will be replaced to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. The sentence thus formed is,
Today, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will conduct the second phase of Operation Twist by simultaneous buying and selling of government securities.

S14. Ans. (c)
Sol. Here, 2-4 i.e, ‘stimulus’ & ‘collapse’ will be replaced to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. The sentence thus formed is,
The current decade started with enormous fiscal and monetary stimulus to ward off the feared impact of the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.


S15. Ans. (a)
Sol. Here, 1-2 i.e, ‘spending’ & ‘monetary’ will be replaced to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. The sentence thus formed is,
The government went all out spending money and the RBI followed an ultra-loose monetary policy, flooding the system with liquidity and bringing down the policy rate to its historic low.