Bank of India Clerk Exam Solved Paper
(Held on 22-6-2008)
English Language
Directions—(Q. 1–15) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions.
The King of Kanchi set off to conquer Karnat. He was victorious in batttle. The elephants were laden with sandalwood, ivory, gold and precious stones taken from the conquered kingdom of Karnat. They would be a part of the victory parade for his subjects. On his way back home he stopped at a temple, finished his prayers to the goddess and turned to leave. Around his neck was a garland of scarlet hibiscus and as was the custom for all, his forehead was anointed with red sandal paste. His Minister and the court jester were his only companions. At one spot, in a mango grove by the wayside, they spied some children play. The King said, “Let me go and see what they are playing.”
The children had lined up two rows of clay dolls and were playing warriors and battles. The King asked, “Who is fighting whom ?” They said, “Karnat is at battle with Kanchi.”
The King asked, “Who is winning and who is the loser ?” The children puffed their chests up and said, “Karnat will win and Kanchi will lose.” The Minister froze in disbelief, the King was furious and the jester burst into laughter.
The King was soon joined by his troops and the children were still immersed in their game. The King commanded, “Cane them hard.” The children’s parents came running from the nearby village and said, “They are naive, it was just a game, please grant them pardon.” The King called his commander and ordered, “Teach these children and the village a lesson so that they never forget the King of Kanchi.” He went back to his camp.
That evening the Commander stood before the King. He bowed low in shame and said, “Your Majesty, with the exception of hyenas and vultures, all lie silent in the village.” The Minister said, “His Majesty’s honour has been saved.” The priest said, “The goddess has blessed our King.” The jester said, “Your Highness, please grant me leave to go now.” The King asked, “But why ?” The jester said, “I cannot kill, I cannot maim, I can only laugh at God’s gift of life.” Trembling in the face of the king’s anger he bravely
continued, “If I stay in your Majesty’s court, I shall become like you and I shall forget how to laugh.”
1. Why were the elephants carrying loads of gold and other valuables ?
(A) This was what the king had looted from Karnat to distribute among his soldiers as a reward
(B) This was the king’s offering to the deity out of gratitude for making him victorious
(C) It was what the king had plundered from Karnat to display to the people of his kingdom as a sign of victory
(D) So that the people of the kingdom of Karnat acknowledged him as their new ruler
(E) None of these
2. Why did the king anoint his head with red sandal paste ?
(A) As a mark of celebration to show he had been victorious
(B) It was the usual practice for all devotees at the temple
(C) To show other devotees that he was king
(D) The priest requested him to do so
(E) To show his soldiers that he had visited the temple
3. Which of the following cannot be said about the jester ?
1. He was not a loyal subject of the king.
2. He was afraid of the king’s temper.
3. He did not support the king’s war against Karnat.
(A) Both 1 and 3
(B) Only 1
(C) Both 1 and 2
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
4. What excuse was given for the childrens’ behaviour ?
(A) They were disobedient to their parent’s wishes
(B) They were unaware of the true facts of the battle
(C) They were upset that their army had lost
(D) They were in the habit of lying
(E) None of these
5. Why did the jester laugh at the children’s reply to the king ?
1. They correctly predicted the outcome of the battle.
2. Their reply was cheeky because they knew he was the king.
3. He wanted to show that their reply was a joke to save them from being punished by the king.
(A) Only 1
(B) Both 1 and 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Both 2 and 3
(E) None of these
6. Which of the following is true in the context of the passage ?
(A) The king stopped at the temple to see what else could be plundered
(B) The people of the village to which the children belonged developed great respect for the king
(C) The Commander was ashamed at having obeyed the king’s orders to cane the children
(D) The jester was unhappy that the king had defeated the army of Karnat
(E) The children had shown disrespect to the goddess by playing so close to the temple
7. Why did the jester resign from his post ?
(A) He felt that the king was too influenced by the Minister
(B) To show that he disapproved of the king’s action of punishing the children
(C) He did not want to accompany the king on his war campaign
(D) He was no longer able to make the king laugh
(E) None of these
8. Which of the following describes the Minister ?
1. He was jealous of the jester.
2. He was the king’s most valuable advisor.
3. He did not have a good sense of humour.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 3
(C) Both 1 and 3
(D) Both 1 and 2
(E) None of these
9. Which of the following was/were the outcome(s) of the soldiers beating the children ?
1. The animals began to howl and wanted to attack the soldiers.
2. The children’s parents went to the king to beg for mercy.
3. The priest offered prayers to the goddess of the temple.
(A) Only 1
(B) All 1, 2 and 3
(C) Both 1 and 2
(D) Only 2
(E) None of these
10. Why was the king angry with the children ?
(A) Because the game they were playing was dangerous
(B) They had lied to him
(C) They did not recognize him as king
(D) They had unknowingly insulted him
(E) They were rude to him
Directions—(Q. 11–13) Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
11. froze
(A) cold
(B) numb
(C) shivered
(D) stood still
(E) chill
12. leave
(A) holiday
(B) transfer
(C) exit
(D) permission
(E) farewell
13. spied
(A) noticed
(B) keep watch
(C) followed
(D) spot
(E) caught
Directions—(Q. 14–15) Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning of the word printed inbold as used in the passage.
14. immersed in
(A) safe from
(B) distracted from
(C) boring
(D) drowning in
(E) entertained by
15. pardon
(A) punishment
(B) excuse
(C) convict
(D) intolerance
(E) imprison
Directions—(Q. 16–20) Which of the phrases (A), (B), (C) and (D) given below should replace the phrase given in bold in the following sentence to make the sentence
grammatically meaningful and correct. If the sentence is correct as it is and ‘No correction is required’, mark (E) as the answer.
16. Your bonus will dependent the quality of your work.
(A) is dependable
(B) depends on
(C) being dependent
(D) going to depend
(E) No correction required
17. He did not ask for a raise since he had fear to lose his job.
(A) was fearful of
(B) was feared to
(C) was afraid to
(D) had been afraid to
(E) No correction required
18. The organizers agreed to shift the conference at some place convenience to all participants.
(A) any of the place convenient
(B) at places convenient
(C) from a place of convenience
(D) to a place convenient
(E) No correction required
19. As compared to last year there has been a sharp rise in interest rates.
(A) sharper rise of
(B) as sharp a rise
(C) sharp rises in
(D) sharply rising
(E) No correction required
20. In the 1970s banks required to submit their detailed plans of expansion to RBI.
(A) were required to submit
(B) required for submission
(C) are required to submit
(D) requirement of submitting
(E) No correction required
Directions—(Q. 21–25) Rearrange the following Six sentences (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them—
1. I had paid a lot of attention during training and could easily answer the questions till I came to the last one. What is the name of the lady who cleans your floor ?
2. ‘Yes’, he replied. “In your career you will meet many people all of whom are significant even if all you do is greet them.”
3. I thought the question was a joke. I had seen her but how would I know her name ?
4. During my internship we were given a quiz to see how much we had learnt.
5. I have never forgotten this lesson.
6. I submitted my paper leaving the last question blank and asked the manager if it would count for assessment.
21. Which of the following will be the SECOND sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5
22. Which of the following will be the SIXTH (LAST) sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4
(D) 6
(E) 5
23. Which of the following will be the FIFTH sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5
24. Which of the following will be the FIRST sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5
25. Which of the following will be the THIRD sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5
Directions—(Q. 26–30) In each sentence below four words have been printed in bold which are lettered (A), (B), (C) and (D). One of these words may be wrongly spelt or inappropriate in the context of the sentence. Find out the wrongly spelt or inappropriate word. The letter of that word is the answer. If all the words are correctly spelt and are appropriate the answer is (E), i.e. ‘All correct’.
26. My gole (A) is to acquire (B) a position (C) of authority (D) and respect within the organization. All correct (E)
27. The refusal (A) of the Ministry to clear pending (B) dues is a course (C) for concern (D) . All correct (E)
28. He was convinced (A) that discipline (B) and hard work would result (C) in dividents (D) in the long run. All correct (E)
29. This is a company which believes (A) in transparency (B) and appointment is done strictly (C) on merit (D). All correct (E)
30. There will be a decline(A) in the probability (B) of oil companies because of the hike (C) in oil prices (D). All correct (E)
Directions—(Q. 31–40) Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error in it.The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The letter of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is (E) i.e. ‘No error’. (Ignore the errors of punctuation, if any.)
31. The revised government’s (A) /guidelines have reduced (B)/ the number of mergers (C) / taking place among banks. (D) No error (E)
32. I do not know (A) / who of the (B) /new trainees should (C) / be confirmed. (D) No error (E)
33. To promote India as (A) / a tourist destination (B)/ the government has organized (C) / many cultural programmes. (D) No error (E)
34. Banks in India (A) / cannot open ATMs (B)/ except obtaining (C) / approval from RBI. (D) No error (E)
35. Today the success of (A) / companies depends on the (B)/ quality of their products and(C) /efficient managing staff. (D) No error (E)
36. Ashok has managed to (A) / achieve his sales targets (B)/ for the quarter very easily (C) / than we expected. (D) No error (E)
37. He did not grant (A) / their request for a loan (B)/ although it would (C) / displease his boss. (D) No error (E)
38. At present oil companies (A) / are making a loss of (B)/ rupees five on all (C) / litre of petrol that they sell. (D) No error (E)
39. The manager’s belief that (A) / Ramesh is (B)/ incompetent is not (C) / necessary true. (D) No error (E)
40. Since I was doing (A) / my MBA I initially (B)/ chose to specialize (C) / in marketing management. (D) No error (E)
Directions—(Q. 41–50) 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 are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
He was a charismatic leader, an entrepreneur and a highly effective manager all rolled into one. As a leader, he…(41)… the company’s growth plan in a dedicated manner and he never …(42)… focus. The cement industry in those days was doing badly. …(43)… to everyone’s expectations he sanctioned an additional plant in …(44)… time. He was …(45)… that since the cement industry was cyclic in nature, by the time the plant was …(46)… the market would have improved. It did happen and the decision brought rich …(47)… when the plant was commissioned.
Not only was he a great entrepreneur but he also …(48)… all his senior people to be ‘practising entrepreneurs’. I have seen a similar example at the Asian Institute of
Management, which allows its professors to …(49)… their own business. This made their lectures more practical and less theoretical. It is the …(50)… of the Institute’s success.
41. (A) achieved
(B) implemented
(C) visualised
(D) persevered
(E) aimed
42. (A) moved
(B) shifts
(C) missed
(D) changes
(E) lost
43. (A) Contrary
(B) Opposite
(C) Yet
(D) Obedient
(E) Different
44. (A) any
(B) mean
(C) short
(D) no
(E) less
45. (A) known
(B) calculating
(C) certain
(D) dreamt
(E) surely
46. (A) operational
(B) install
(C) use
(D) produced
(E) new
47. (A) supply
(B) diversity
(C) rewards
(D) pay
(E) knowledge
48. (A) thought
(B) tried
(C) wished
(D) encourage
(E) wanted
49. (A) expand
(B) function
(C) chose
(D) run
(E) risk
50. (A) responsibility
(B) secret
(C) guarantee
(D) prize
(E) value
Answers with Explanations
1. (C) 2. (B) 3. (B) 4. (B) 5. (E)
6. (C) 7. (E) 8. (B) 9. (D) 10. (D)
11. (B) 12. (D) 13. (B) 14. (B) 15. (A)
16. (B) 17. (C) 18. (D) 19. (E) 20. (A)
21. (A) 22. (E) 23. (B) 24. (D) 25. (C)
26. (A) Correct spelling is ‘goal’.
27. (C) Correct spelling is ‘cause’.
28. (D) Correct spelling is ‘dividends’.
29. (E) 30. (B)
31. (A) Write ‘the government’s revised’.
32. (B) Write ‘which of the’.
33. (C) Write ‘the government is organizing’.
34. (C) Write ‘without obtaining’.
35. (D) Write ‘efficient managerial staff’.
36. (C) Change ‘very easily’ to ‘more easily’.
37. (C) Write ‘even though it would’.
38. (C) Write ‘each in place of ‘all’.
39. (D) Write ‘necessarily true’.
40. (B) Delete ‘my’.
41. (B) 42. (C) 43. (A) 44. (D) 45. (B)
46. (A) 47. (C) 48. (E) 49. (D) 50. (B)
