Allahabad Bank (Clerk) Exam 2009 (IInd Shift) : English Language (Solved)

Allahabad Bank (Clerk) Exam., 2009
(Held on 15-3-2009) (IInd Shift)
English Language :Solved Paper

Directions—(Q. 1–12) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

Rajendra stayed in a tiny hut with his goat. One day, his uncles tied it alongside the goats that belonged to the village butcher. The butcher killed all the goats. Now, Rajendra’s goat had a bell around its neck. Rajendra found the bell. Scared that the boy would tell everyone he had killed a stolen goat, the butcher gave Rajendra some money. His uncles met him and asked about the money. ‘Everyone wanted goat’s meat today. My goat somehow ended up at the butcher’s and he sold its meat. This is my share’, he replied. His uncles who owned twenty goats slaughtered them all and went to sell the meat. But there was so much meat in the market that they got only a few rupees for their goats.

Angry, they set fire to his little hut. Rajendra came home and found a pile of ash. Sadly he gathered the ash in a bag and decided to leave the village. He walked till he reached a village where he sat down under a tree to rest. Who was this stranger carrying a bag of ashes ? The villagers wondered. Rajendra’s hut had been his dearest possession, so he said, ‘It is the ash from a sacred place’. The villagers asked him to sell it. But he refused. Rumor spread that a holy man from the Himalayas had ash that chould cure all misfortunes. He wanted no money, but it was only right that you paid a coin. Soon the ash was all gone and in its place was a pile of coins. Rajendra decided to return to his village. When his uncles saw him they asked Rajendra his secret. Rajendra said, ‘I sold the ash from my burnt hut and got this money’. His uncles burnt down their fine houses, gathered the ashes and set off for the village. But as soon as they uttered the word ‘ash’, the villagers beat them ! By then the villagers knew there was no magic in the ash.

Angry, the uncles decided to kill Rajendra. They invited him for a walk and pushed him in the river. A girl washing clothes nearby heard his screams for help. Being a good swimmer she dived in. When she heard his story she thought of a plan. The next day Rajendra went to his uncles’ house with the girl, dressed in finery and said, ‘When I fell into the the river, she saved me. She has a palace at the bottom of the river. Do come and visit us.’ Saying this, they left in the direction of the river. The uncles decided to follow Rajendra and cheat him of his newfound wealth. So they ran to the river and dived into its deep waters. They were never heard of again.

1. Why did the butcher slaughter Rajendra’s goat ?
(A) Rajendra’s uncles had sold it to him
(B) He had stolen it as he did not have sufficient goats
(C) It was the healthiest of all the goats he had
(D) Rajendra agreed to let him if he was given a share of the profit
(E) None of these

2. Which of the following can be said about Rajendra’s uncles ?
(A) They treated Rajendra badly because they had not been on good terms with his parents
(B) They were cunning thieves and had made a lot of money
(C) They were rich but were jealous of Rajendra’s wealth
(D) They were creative and found indirect ways of helping Rajendra to make money
(E) They tried to drive Rajendra away from the village because they were ashamed of him

3. Why did Rajendra leave his village one day ?
(A) He was so upset over the death of his goat that he could not bear to live there any longer
(B) He left in order to sell ash at a nearby village
(C) He had lost his house in a fire set by his uncles
(D) He was in search of a wife since he had no family of his own
(E) His uncles refused him shelter and he had nowhere to stay after his hut burnt down

4. Why did the villagers donate money to Rajendra ?
(1) They saw his bag of ashes and felt sorry for him.
(2) They felt that it was their duty to help him in his time of trobule.
(3) He misled them into thinking he had travelled all the way to the Himalayas.
(A) None
(B) Both (1) & (2)
(C) Only (2)
(D) Only (3)
(E) None of these

5. How did Rajendra get his uncles to stop harassing him ?
(A) He offered them all his wife’s wealth
(B) He told them about his good luck so they decided to treat him well
(C) He pushed them into the river
(D) They realised they could not harm him and gave up
(E) None of these

6. What made the villagers angry with Rajendra’s uncles ?
(A) The ash the uncles had sold them was useless
(B) They were asking an unreasonable price for the ash
(C) They thought the uncles wanted to cheat them just as Rajendra had
(D) His uncles had treated Rajendra very badly
(E) None of these

7. Why did the girl go into the river ?
(A) She had to enter the river to wash her clothes
(B) She wanted to show off her swimming skills
(C) Seeing what Rajendra’s uncles had done she wanted to save him
(D) She lived at the bottom of the river
(E) None of these

8. Which of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage ?
(1) Rajendra plotted with the villagers to teach his uncle a lesson.
(2) Rajendra married the girl who saved him from drowning.
(3) Rajendra’s uncles were very greedy.
(A) None
(B) Both (1) & (2)
(C) Only (2)
(D) Only (3)
(E) None of these

Directions—(Q. 9–10) Choose the word which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
9. Stayed
(A) delayed
(B) remained
(C) lived
(D) postponed
(E) stopped

10. Rest
(A) balance
(B) relax
(C) calm
(D) quiet
(E) others

Directions—(Q. 11–12) Choose the word which is MOST OPPOSITE in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
11. Sacred
(A) devil
(B) unfaithful
(C) sinless
(D) unholy
(E) religious

12. Good
(A) dishonest
(B) incapable
(C) unhealthy
(D) unsuitable
(E) disobedient

Directions—(Q. 13–17) Which of the phrases (A), (B), (C) and (D) given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold in the sentence to make it grammatically correct ? If the sentence is correct as it is given and ‘No correction is required’, mark (E) as the answer.

13. Our country is one of the most densely populated in the world and need increased food production.
(A) needy of increasing
(B) needed an increases
(C) need increasingly the
(D) needs to increase
(E) No correction required

14. This is an organisation which helps the poor by providing loans at mostly less rates of interest—
(A) at much smaller
(B) at very low
(C) with such lower
(D) for so little
(E) No correction required

15. I cannot say if I definitely get into the college of my choice but my teachers are confident that I will—
(A) that I shall definitely
(B) whether I was definitely
(C) why I was definite
(D) unless I definitely was to
(E) No correction required

16. Since this is a crucial project you should choose those who are experienced, for it—
(A) will be experiencing
(B) are experienced
(C) have experience of
(D) experiences from
(E) No correction required

17. Learnt that he wanted to be posted in the city, I requested the manager to transfer him—
(A) Once I learn
(B) I have learnt since
(C) One learning that
(D) While learning because
(E) No correction required

Directions—(Q. 18–22) In each question below a sentence with four words printed in bold type is given. These are lettered as (A), (B), (C) and (D) One of these four words printed in bold may be either wrongly spelt or inappropriate in the context of the sentence. Find out the word which is wrongly spelt or inappropriate if any. The letter of that word is your answer. If all the words printed in bold are correctly spelt and also appropriate in the context of the sentence, mark (E) i.e., ‘All correct’ as your answer.

18. It is true (A) that credit card companies cannot import (B) such (C) high charges (D) on customers. All correct (E)

19. In our opinion these norms (A) are not applicant (B) in this kind (C) of situation. (D) All correct (E)

20. The government is trying (A) to control (B) the price raise (C) but this is not the method it should adopt. (D) All correct (E)

21. To ensure (A) there has been no fraud (B) the accounts of the previous (C) year need to be carelessly (D) examined. All correct (E)

22. In this time of recession you should consider (A) the possibility (B) of reducing (C) your expenditure. (D) All correct (E)

Directions—(Q. 23–27) 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, therefore, contacted him, found out his fees and that he wanted to study at a Teacher’s Training College.
(2) He sent me a letter of thanks but I was surprised to also find some currency notes in the envelope.
(3) While reading the newspaper I saw an interview with a boy who had ranked eighth in the SSC exams.
(4) He knew I did not expect any account of the money yet he had returned the balance of the amount I had sent, as his expenditure was less.
(5) He was unable to study further because his father earned only forty rupees a day.
(6) I accordingly sent Rs. 1,800 to cover his expenses for six months.

23. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) (1)
(B) (2)
(C) (3)
(D) (4)
(E) (5)

24. Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) (2)
(B) (3)
(C) (4)
(D) (5)
(E) (6)

25. Which of the following should be the THIRD sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) (1)
(B) (2)
(C) (3)
(D) (4)
(E) (5)

26. Which of the following should be the FOURTH sentence after rearangement ?
(A) (2)
(B) (3)
(C) (4)
(D) (5)
(E) (6)

27. Which of the following should be the LAST (SIXTH) sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) (1)
(B) (2)
(C) (3)
(D) (4)
(E) (5)

Directions—(Q. 28–32) Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error or idiomatic 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’. (Ignor errors of punctuation, if any.)

28. Base on the research (A) / we have conducted in (B) / different parts of the country (C) / this scheme will be successful. (D) No error (E)

29. I want to share (A) / my experience with you (B) / though you will (C) / benefit from it. (D) No error (E)

30. He used to advise (A) / his students to do (B) / their work serious if they (C) / wanted to achieve their goals. (D) No error (E)

31. Any of these branches do (A) / not require more than (B) / two employees since they (C) / have been recently established. (D) No error (E)

32. He encouraged us to (A) / think but none of the (B) / suggestions we made was (C) / discussed at the meeting. (D) No error (E)

Directions—(Q. 33– 40) 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.

From the beginning, we …(33)… that we would trust our clients and never …(34)… the judiciary in seeking repayment of our loans. We feel that our relationship is with people …(35)… than with papers. We succeed or fail depending on how …(36)… our personal relationship is with our borrowers. Today, the …(37)… in other banks is that every borrower is going to run away with their money so they tie him or her up in legal documents to make …(38)… that the borrower cannot escape the reach of the bank. In …(39)… cases the borrower does end up defaulting but this is less than one per cent. To us this represents a …(40)… remainder of what we need to improve to succeed.

33. (A) clear
(B) decided
(C) determine
(D) firm
(E) emphatic

34. (A) used
(B) obey
(C) involve
(D) brief
(E) apply

35. (A) instead
(B) preferable
(C) prior
(D) rather
(E) less

36. (A) better
(B) valuable
(C) endured
(D) benefited
(E) strong

37. (A) assumption
(B) guess
(C) undertaking
(D) responsibility
(E) guarantee

38. (A) safe
(B) confirm
(C) certain
(D) surely
(E) believe

39. (A) open
(B) hardly
(C) often
(D) seldom
(E) rare

40. (A) past
(B) eager
(C) compulsorily
(D) constant
(E) persisted

Answers with Explanations
1. (E) 2. (C) 3. (C) 4. (D) 5. (E) 6. (C) 7. (E) 8. (D) 9. (C) 10. (B) 11. (D) 12. (B)
13. (D) Change ‘need increased’ to ‘needs to increase’ Here the subject is Signular and it requires Singular Verb.
14. (B) Change ‘at mostly less’ to ‘at very low’.
15. (A) Change ‘if I definitely’ to that ‘I shall definitely’.
16. (C) Change ‘are experienced, for’ to ‘have experience of’.
17. (E)
18. (B) Change ‘import’ to ‘impose’.
19. (B) Change ‘applicant’ to ‘applicable’.
20. (C) Change ‘raise’ to ‘rise’.
21. (D) Change ‘carelessly’ to ‘carefully’.
22. (E) No error.
23. (C) 24. (D) 25. (A 26. (E) 27. (D)
28. (A) Change ‘Base’ to ‘Based’.
29. (C) Change ‘though’ to ‘and’.
30. (C) Change ‘serious’ to ‘seriously’.
31. (A) Change ‘do’ to ‘does’.
32. (E) 33. (B) 34. (C) 35. (D) 36. (E) 37. (A) 38. (C) 39. (E) 40. (D)

Allahabad Bank (Clerk) Exam, 2009 : English Language

Allahabad Bank (Clerk) Exam., 2009
English Language : Solved Paper
(Held on 15-3-2009)

Directions—(Q. 1–12) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

One day Nandu rode his horse to the village fair. On his way back he met Somendra, the merchant. The merchant was a crafty man, ready to do anything to earn some money. The villagers knew this. In fact no one knew what trick he would be up to next. Now, Nandu was poor and had no one in the world to call his own except a beautfiul, white horse. He loved it more than anything else in the world. The merchant had his eye on the horse for a long time and tried to think of a way to get it for himself. Seeing Nandu, the merchant thought, “Nandu is a simpleton. Let me see if I can trick him out of his horse. “So he said to Nandu, “You live all alone. How do you manage ? What does a young boy like you need with a horse ? Sell it to me and I shall make you rich in return.” Nandu replied, “No I don’t want to sell my horse.”

But the merchant refused to give up so easily. He offered Nandu more money. Finally, when the offer reached five hundred gold coins, Nandu paused and said, “Five hundred gold coins seems like a good price. But I have a condition. If you agree to it, I shall give you my horse.” What is it ?” The merchant asked impatiently. “Give me the money right now and I shall give you my horse when I have given you ten lashes,” said Nandu. “Is that all ?” asked the merchant. He could easily bear ten lashes. After all he would resell the horse for over a thousand gold coins in the market. He would take twenty lashes for such a gain. He agreed instantly. He ran home and got the money for Nandu and brought along his whip as well. Nandu counted the money carefully. He then took the whip and the lashes fell on the merchant’s back in quick succession. By the eighth lash the merchant was almost in tears but he told himself that there were only two lashes to go and the horse would be his ! The merchant held his breath waiting for the final lash. But Nandu had mounted his horse and was riding off. “Wait !” shouted the merchant in anger. “What about the tenth lash ? Where are you going with the horse ? We had a deal.”

Nandu stopped and said, “I agreed to give you the horse only after I had given you ten lashes. But it is upsetting my horse. I’ll give you the last lash later. Till then goodbye !” “Come back you cheat !” the merchant shouted. But the crowd that had gathered around agreed with Nandu. A deal was a deal. Till the last lash was given the horse could not belong to the merchant. Nandu rode away richer by five hundred gold coins and Somendra waited in vain for several days for the final lash which never came !

1. Why did the merchant offer to buy Nandu’s horse ?
(A) He was very fond of horses and Nandu’s horse was rare breed
(B) It was his way of helping Nandu who was poor
(C) The horse would be useful for carrying goods to the market
(D) He hated Nandu and wanted to deprive him of something he loved
(E) None of these

2. Which of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage ?
(1) Nandu was an orphan
(2) The marchant was very persevering
(3) The merchant was fonder of Nandu’s horse than Nandu was
(A) None
(B) Only (1)
(C) Both (1) & (2)
(D) All (1), (2) & (3)
(E) None of these

3. Why did Nandu set the condition of giving the merchant ten lashes ?
(A) To discourage the merchant from buying his horse
(B) To demonstrate how painful a whipping was so that the merchant would never hit the horse
(C) To bargain with the merchant to offer more money
(D) To outwit the merchant who was trying to cheat him
(E) None of these

4. Why did the bystanders take Nandu’s side in the argument ?
(1) They hoped that Nandu would give them a reward from the five hundred gold coins he had earned.
(2) They were sure that the merchant would ill treat the horse and wanted to prevent that from happening.
(3) They knew that Nandu would be miserable without his horse of whom he was very fond.
(A) None
(B) Only (1)
(C) Both (1) & (3)
(D) Only (3)
(E) None of these

5. What reason did Nandu cite for not giving the merchant the final lash ?
(A) He was tired and not in the mood
(B) He realised that the merchant was in great pain and took pity on him
(C) He was following the advice of the people around
(D) His horse was distressed by the whipping
(E) He had changed his mind about selling his horse

6. Which of the following can be said about Nandu ?
(1) He was very cunning.
(2) He needed moeny.
(3) He was cruel to people but loved animals.
(A) Only (1)
(B) Both (1) & (2)
(C) Both (2) & (3)
(D) All (1), (2) & (3)
(E) None of these

7. What made the merchant agree to Nandu’s strange condition for buying the horse ?
(A) He wanted to show Nandu how brave he was
(B) The thought of the profit he would make on selling the horse
(C) The fear that Nandu would raise the price of his horse otherwise
(D) He did not think that Nandu would actually whip him
(E) None of these

8. Why did Nandu consider selling his horse to the merchant ?
(A) He had no real use for the horse
(B) The merchant’s offer was more than what the horse was worth
(C) He had not managed to sell it at the village fair
(D) He could no longer afford to feed his horse
(E) None of these

9. Which of the following best describes the merchant’s reputation in the village ?
(A) He was enterprising and had made a lot of money
(B) He was dishonest and would do anyting to get what he wanted
(C) He would squander his money on things he liked
(D) He was generous and helped the less fortunate
(E) He was successful because he was courageous and stubborn

Directions—(Q. 10–11) Choose the word which is MOST SIMILAR in MEANING to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

10. return
(A) reject
(B) profit
(C) settle
(D) replace
(E) exchange

11. paused
(A) halted
(B) relaxed
(C) ended
(D) stuck
(E) interval

Directions—Choose the word which is MOST OPPOSITE in MEANING to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

12. gathered
(A) dissolved
(B) collected
(C) dispersed
(D) melted
(E) distributed

Directions—(Q. 13–17) In each question below a sentence with four words printed in bold type is given. These are lettered as (A), (B), (C) and (D). One of these four words printed in bold may be either wrongly spelt or inappropriate in the context of the sentence. Find out the word which is wrongly spelt or inappropriate if any. The letter of that word is your answer. If all the words printed in bold are correctly spelt and also appropriate in the context of the sentence, mark (E) i.e., ‘All correct’ as your answer.

13. We are now facing stiff (A) competing (B) from foreign companies manufacturing (C) similar (D) products. All correct (E)

14. I have mentioned (A) this case to indicate (B) how deliberate (C) it will be to achieve our goal. (D) All correct (E)

15. Today, thank (A) to our support (B) she has managed (C) to purchase (D) her own house. All correct (E)

16. As per your request (A) this is a detail (B) list of our basic (C) requirements. (D) All correct (E)

17. The final decision (A) of whether (B) to go ahead (C) or not does not rest (D) with the manager. All correct (E)

Directions—(Q. 18–25) 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.

Initially, the Grameen Bank did not …(18)… to get involved with the education of its borrowers. But as time went by, they began to feel the …(19)… for it. Most of the borrowers had no formal education …(20)… the ability to read and write. The borrowers had difficulty in expanding their business. They …(21)… to be able to keep accounts, read …(22)… about business, health, new ways of farming etc. They …(23)… their children to school and their children in turn helped their parents to keep accounts, read instructions and …(24)… else needed to be read.

But this is not enough for the future. So the bank has set out to make sure that their borrowers …(25)… a hundred per cent literacy rate with five years.

18. (A) meant
(B) deserve
(C) plan
(D) intent
(E) realise

19. (A) concern
(B) need
(C) duty
(D) relevance
(E) value

20. (A) except
(B) having
(C) besides
(D) unless
(E) without

21. (A) tried
(B) must
(C) knew
(D) wanted
(E) discovered

22. (A) knowledge
(B) awareness
(C) information
(D) fact
(E) circular

23. (A) sent
(B) enrolled
(C) insisted
(D) urge
(E) encourage

24. (A) above
(B) nothing
(C) anything
(D) whatever
(E) something

25. (A) acquire
(B) qualify
(C) collect
(D) reaching
(E) fulfilling

Directions—(Q. 26–30) Which of the phrases (A), (B), (C) and (D) given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold in the sentence to make it grammatically correct ? If the sentence is correct as it is given and ‘No correction is required’, mark (E) as the answer.

26. He has visited many places all over the city looked at the perfect location to set up his factory.
(A) looking out
(B) looking for
(C) looking after
(D) looked forward to
(E) No correction required

27. No traffic will be allowed in this area since the minister visit scheduled today.
(A) minister’s visit
(B) minister is visiting
(C) minister’s visit is
(D) visit of the Minister
(E) No correction required

28. Medical treatment here is very expensive that they had to sell off their land to pay for it.
(A) quite expensive and
(B) too expensive for
(C) so expensive but
(D) more expensive
(E) No correction required

29. To be successful it is important to know why your failure in the past and ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
(A) why you had failed
(B) because you have failed
(C) that your failure
(D) where you were failed
(E) No correction required

30. These hand woven shawls are much in demand in many European countries.
(A) were much demand
(B) are lots of demand
(C) demanded much
(D) will be lot to demand
(E) No correction required

Directions—(Q. 31–35) Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error or idiomatic 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 not error, the answer is (E). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any.)

31. Some of our staff is worried (A) / that as soon as (B) / the project is over they (C) / will lose their jobs. (D) No error (E)

32. If you decide to hold (A) / the function in Kolkata (B) / not much of us (C) / will be able to attend. (D) No error (E)

33. In case you need five people (A) / to run a branch you (B) / should be selected (C) / ten since some may leave. (D) No error (E)

34. Although he approached (A) / many private businessess to invest (B) / in his printing business (C) / nobody of them was interested. (D) No error (E)

35. How can you give up (A) / this job when you are (B) / just about to be (C) / appointed for General Manager ? (D) No error (E)

Directions—(Q. 36-40) 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. Such was his down to earth nature.
2. He placed the album before the President saying, “Sir, please do us the honour of attending the prize distribution ceremony of our Institute.
3. Hearing this, the man asked the photographer to take a photo of him placing a shawl around the President’s shoulders as a momento.
4. He entered the room with a photographer, holding an album and a shawl.
5. The President glanced through it and said, “I shall not be able to make it but may God bless the children.”
6. The man then left and I angrily pointed out that he had taken the shawl with him, to which the President replied, “I do not need it. Perhaps he does.”

36. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5

37. Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5

38. Which of the following should be the THIRD sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4
(D) 5
(E) 6

39. Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4
(D) 5
(E) 6

40. Which of the following should be the LAST (SIXTH) Sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5

Answers:
1. (E) 2. (C) 3. (D) 4. (A) 5. (D) 6. (A) 7. (B) 8. (E) 9. (B) 10. (E)
11. (A) 12. (C) 13. (B) 14. (C) 15. (A) 16. (B) 17. (E) 18. (D) 19. (B) 20. (A)
21. (D) 22. (C) 23. (A) 24. (D) 25. (A) 26. (B) 27. (C) 28. (A) 29. (A) 30. (E)
31. (A) 32. (C) 33. (C) 34. (D) 35. (E) 36. (D) 37. (B) 38. (D) 39. (E) 40. (A)