Reading Comprehension :

Comprehension is the process of making meaning from a written test. It is primarily intended to evaluate a candidates ability for intelligent reading, mental discipline and grasping the implicit meaning. It tests the ability to understand what you read. One has to read regularly, practice systematically. One has to practice and practice and create an art of reading comprehension passage and focus attention on the passage and the questions set on it. Co-ordinate mind with eye and one can able to get the correct answer.

In SBI Junior associates Prelims Exam, one can expect 10 questions based on Reading Comprehension, out of which, at least 5 questions will be passage based conventional pattern questions. These questions need a deep penetration through the passage, and hence, should be attempted in the end. Rest of the 4-5 questions will be based on either vocab or phrases. If the questions are vocab based, a few words will be given in bold and you will be asked to mark the synonyms or antonyms of the words as the correct option. And, if, the questions are based on phrases, a few phrases will be given in bold and you will be asked if there is an error in them or not and you will have to mark the correct option accordingly.

After having attempted the vocab/ phrases based questions efficiently, go for the passage based questions. While doing the passage based questions, try not to read the whole passage, try reading only the part that is related to the questions that are asked. Doing this will save your time and help you attempt the maximum number of questions in the minimum time. The questions may also be based on the tone/ attitude/ style of the writer. In such questions, one has to answer if the tone of the writer is persuasive, argumentative, controversial, complimentary, critical or laudatory. And you will only be able to answer such questions efficiently if you have a habit of reading different articles, so, if you haven’t yet started reading them, do it right away. You may also be asked about the theme of the article or to give the article an appropriate title. Attempt such a question only if you are sure about the theme. If you aren’t sure about the theme, then, reading the whole paragraph just to find the crux of it can prove to be very time consuming and you can choose to skip it for sure.

So, students, this is how you need to attempt a Reading Comprehension in order to bag the maximum marks form it. Mere reading through the tips and tricks won’t help unless you yourself take an initiative of practicing really hard to ace the grades in the examination. Also, develop a habit of reading newspaper articles for to develop a habit of reading faster with a better understanding. We will also be providing Article based vocabulary from different newspapers that will prove to be beneficial for you all. Plan your strategy as per your strengths and weaknesses and start preparing for the SBI Junior associates Prelims Exam right away.

This is by far the easiest type of RC question that appears in examinations. The reason for this is that the answer to these questions is given in the passage itself. The student does not have to analyze, evaluate or reason with the information provided in order to arrive at the right answer. Also known as factual questions, such questions have answers founded in fact, the facts being given in the passage itself.

The main difficulty in solving these type of questions is that the student must spend valuable minutes of his time in scanning the passage to look for the answer. This can be especially problematic if the passage is very lengthy. However, passages that are lengthier than average are easier to comprehend. Also, the answer may not be given in the exact wording that the question is asking.

Such questions could ask for any details such as numbers, dates, names, places, specific events, situational details explicitly mentioned in the passage. The question stem looks somewhat like this:

‘According to the passage,..’
‘The author mentions which of the following?’
‘The passage provides information that would answer which of the following questions?

Tips for Solving

Step 1: Read the entire passage before proceeding to the questions.

Step 2: Understand what the question is asking. Once you have read the passage,you will have a fair idea where in the passage the answer to the question lies.

Step 3: In the case that the passage is very lengthy, try to navigate your way through it by looking for keywords mentioned in the question. This will narrow down the amount of content you must scan to arrive at the answer.

Before we proceed to more difficult and lengthier passages, let us look at this easy example to understand this question type and how to solve it.

Example

Existential anxiety is so disconcerting that most people avoid it at all costs. They construct an inauthentic but comforting reality made up of moral codes, bourgeois values, habits, customs, culture, and even – arguably – religion. The Harvard theologian Paul Tiiiich and indeed Freud himself suggested that religion is nothing more than a carefully crafted coping mechanism tor existential anxiety. For Tillich, true faith consists simply in ‘being vitally concerned with that ultimate reality to which I give the symbolical name of God.’

According to the passage, which of the following is file ?

1) Freud believed that religion was nothing but a scam created by priests to make money.
2) Freud believed that religion was created by authority figures to deceive their subjects into submission.
3) Freud believed that religion was created by man to cope with existential anxiety.
4) Freud believed that religion was created out of man’s fear of death.
5) Freud believed that religion was created because the man did not have an answer to everything.

Solution: The correct answer is 3. Since this is a specific detail question, the answer to it must be found in the passage.The line which authenticates the right answer is given in boldface.You can also look for the answer by trying to look for certain keywords mentioned in the question, for example,‘Freud’.

Vocabulary

These questions differ slightly from the regular vocabulary questions that appear in the verbal section of examinations. This is because most of the times, the student is required not only to understand the literal meaning of the word but the contextual meaning as well. The student may be asked to choose the phrase that best describes the meaning of a certain word, or he might be asked to choose the option that is a synonym or antonym of the given word. The question stem looks somewhat like this.

‘The word, in the passage is closest in meaning to..’

‘Which of the following phrases best expresses the meaning of the word..’  ‘The word, in the passage is opposite in meaning to..’

Directions—(Q. 1–10) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions.

Once upon a time in a village, there lived six blind men. In spite of their blindness, they had managed to educate themselves. Seeking to expand their knowledge, they decided to visit a zoo and try out their skills in recognizing animals by their touch. The first animal they came across, as soon as they entered the zoo, was an elephant.

As the first man approached the elephant, the elephant waved its trunk, and the man felt something brush past him. Managing to hold on to it, he felt it, and found something long and moving. He jumped back in alarm, shouting “Move away! This is a snake!” Meanwhile, the second man had moved closer, and walked right near its legs. As the man touched the thick, cylindrical–shaped legs, he called out “Do not worry. These are just four trees here. There is certainly no snake!” The third man was curious hearing the other two and moved forward. As he walked towards the elephant, he felt his hand touch one of the tusks. Feeling the smooth, sharp ivory tusk, the man cried out “Be careful! There is a sharp spear here”. The fourth man cautiously walked up behind the elephant and felt its swinging tail. “It’s just a rope! There is nothing to be afraid of!” he said. The fifth man had meanwhile reached out and was touching the huge ears of the animal. “I think all of you have lost your sense of touch!” he said. “This is nothing but a huge fan!” The sixth man did not want to be left out. As he walked towards the elephant, he bumped into its massive body, and he exclaimed, “Hey! This is just a huge mud wall! There is no animal at all!” All six of them were convinced that they were right, and began arguing amongst themselves.

Wondering what the commotion was all about, the zookeeper arrived at the scene, and was surprised to see six blind men surrounding an elephant, each of them shouting at the top of their voice! “Quiet” he shouted out, and when they had calmed down, he asked, “Why are all of you shouting and arguing in this manner?” They replied, “Sir, as you can see, we are all blind. We came here to expand our knowledge. We sensed an animal here and tried to get an idea of its appearance by feeling it. However, we are not able to arrive at a consensus over its appearance, and hence are arguing. Can you please help us and tell us which of us is right”?

The zookeeper laughed before answering, “My dear men, each of you has touched just one portion of the animal. The animal you see is neither a snake nor any of the other things you have mentioned. The animal in front of you is an elephant!” As the six men bowed their head, ashamed of the scene they had created, the zookeeper said, “My dear men, this is a huge animal, and luckily, it is tame. It stood by calmly as each of you touched it. You are extremely lucky that it stayed calm even during your argument, for if it had got angry, it would have trampled all of you to death!” He continued further, “It is not enough to gather knowledge, but it is also important to learn to share and pool your knowledge. Instead of fighting amongst yourselves, if you had tried to put all your observations together, you might have had an idea of the animal as a whole! Also, when you cannot see the entire truth, it is better to go to someone who does know a complete truth, rather than guess about small parts of it. Such half knowledge is not only useless but also dangerous. If you had come directly to me, I would have helped you identify all the animals without putting you in danger!” The six men apologized to the zookeeper and assured him that they had learned their lesson. From now on, they would seek true knowledge from qualified people, and would also try to work together as a team so that they could learn more.

1.Why did the six blind men visit the zoo ?

(A) They wanted to touch an elephant

(B) They had heard a lot about animals

(C) They wanted to visit the animals in the zoo

(D) They wished to recognize animals by their touch and feel

(E) They had never been to a zoo before

Ans : (D)

2. Why is it that each of the six blind men had different impressions of the elephant ?

(a) Each of them touched only a portion of the elephant

(b) Each of the six blind men approached different animals

(c) The blind men were touching the surroundings instead of the elephant

(d) They had never touched an elephant before

(A) Only (a)

(B) Only (a) and (c)

(C) Only (c)

(D) Only (b) and (d)

(E) Only (b)

Ans : (C)

3.What advice did the zoo keeper give to the six blind men ?

(A) That the elephant was tame and obedient

(B) That they were very lucky to have had the opportunity to visit the zoo

(C) That it was important to share knowledge and work together as a team

(D) That they were not qualified to be knowledgeable individuals

(E) That the elephant is made up of different parts

Ans : (A)

4.Which part of the elephant resembled a big fan ?

(A) The wide ears

(B) The mouth

(C) The long slender trunk

(D) The big wrinkled body

(E) The end of the tail

Ans : (C)

5.What was the first thing the blind men came across as they entered the zoo ?

(A) A large mud wall

(B) The zoo keeper

(C) The trees

(D) The elephant

(E) A snake

Ans : (D)

6.Why were the six men arguing and shouting amongst themselves ?

(A) Each of them wanted his voice to be heard over and above the others

(B) Each of them thought he was right about the animal

(C) There was a lot of noise in the zoo and they couldn’t hear each other

(D) They were having an interesting debate

(E) None of these

Ans : (B)

7.Which statement best describes the zoo keeper’s behavior towards the six blind men ?

(A) The zoo keeper insulted the six men

(B) The zoo keeper presented himself to be as ignorant as they were

(C) The zoo keeper helped them and assisted them further

(D) The zoo keeper was indifferent towards the six blind men

(E) The zoo keeper prohibited the six blind men from entering the zoo

Ans : (C)

Directions—(Q. 8–10) Choose the word which is most nearly the same in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

8.Convinced

(A) certain

(B) doubtful

(C) pressured

(D) committed

(E) daring

Ans : (A)

9. Pool

(A) expand

(B) gather

(C) devote

(D) apply

(E) combine

Ans : (A)

10. Consensus

(A) harmony

(B) agreement

(C) information

(D) order

(E) inference

Ans : (B)

Direction (Q. 01-15): 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.

Capitalism is a great slave, bout a pathetic master. This truth unfortunately gets lost in our chase for that elusive dream…… especially gets lost in our chase for that been marketed as that land of dreams —the great western dream. It’s the dream of being independent masters of our lives of making big bucks and of being happy—–even if that happiness is being bought by money which all of them chase out there. No doubt, the west, on its part, has been fairly successful in creating material comforts aplenty. It has improved the living standard of its average citizen. However, it has been achieved as a result of more than 200 years of unbridled growth and exploitation. And that is what has made the rest of the world mindlessly chase westerns, not necessarily happiness or an ideal form of society. All because the shop window looks very impressive and it has been marketed very well.

But a deep look inside the shop tells a different tale. A different world lies behind, a world that is not quite visible to the starry-eyed millions- for whom that western way of life seems to be the ultimate dream.
Thus, we have Indians dreaming to become or to get married to an NRI and Indian middle-class father dreaming of their sons reaching the Bay area and landing tech jobs, unmindful of the second-class life they end up landing in the west. What goes unseen and almost unheard is that the top in terms of the number to be the land that is right amongst the top in terms of the number of divorces per thousand, the number of single-parent families per thousand, the number of old people -age homes, the number of suicides, homicides, and of course, the number of college/ school shootouts.

And why not! After all, such societies are constantly driven towards higher profits and materialism. Expectedly, this materialism comes at a cost that the world is paying today. This is the reason why we have millions dying of curable diseases in Africa and other underdeveloped countries, while the rich grow richer. Their growth will be reduced if they were to start thinking of the poor. So what do they do to justify their greed for more? They most shrewdly propagate and market a ridiculously primitive law of the jungle for our 21st-century civilization, the ‘Law of survival of the fittest’!

The interesting thing about material things is that they only give an illusion of happiness; such happiness is always momentary in nature. Ergo, at this juncture, you feel you are the happiest person in the world, after buying your new car or flat-screen TV, and just a few days later, these are the very possessions that cease to make you happy. while you chase the bigger car and spend that extra bit of the wealth, you intercept someone’s share of the daily bread and also sacrifice those who have the maximum power make you happy-family, emotions and love. Prolonged abstinence in feeling emotions finally destroys bliss, and you don’t even realize when you’ve become a dry-eyed cripple……and then you land up in a sermon workshop to find out that real meaning of life-or whatever these workshops are capable of explaining. The truth is that such workshops are also driven by merchants who cash in on the dejected state of the people, a state created by their own fictional dreams. But by them its really too late.
By then, you have made profits out of arms, and engineered wars to keep that industry alive. you’ve sold guns across counters at supermarkets and made more profits. You’ve lobbied that guns should be made accessible to the common man, and all for the sake of profits. This makes you realize one day that they ate your own children who are in the line of fire against the school goer who opens fire at his schoolmates.

This is the society that finally creates an emotionless monster, who gets satisfaction in killing innocent innocent adults and children alike for no cause, no reason, and for none but himself. It is the utter I destruction of spiritualism and the total focus on endless self-gratification. Where so many bring single-parent families and divorces exist, it is impossible to bring up children or influence the killers any better.

01. Who does the author hold responsible for the shooting spree in schools and colleges ?

A. Lack of love and emotion in the society in general
B. Increased focus on self-gratification even when it comes at the cost of innocent lives
C. Deteriorating social structure leading to break-up of families resulting social structure leading to break-up of families resulting in lack of moral development in children
(a) Only A
(b) Only C
(c) Only B and C
(d) All of these
(e) None of these

Ans:d

02. Why does the authors refer to the law of survival of the fittest as ridiculous ?

(a) This law is primitive and does not hold good for developed nations.
(b) The law is often used to justify the accumulation of wealth by a selected few.
(c) People from developing countries use it rationalize their immigration to the western countries.
(d) It does not lead to any material profits and material wealth.
(e) None of these

Ans:b

03. According to the passage, which of the following is a reason for poverty and hunger in underdeveloped countries ?

A. Mindlessly chasing the western way of living
B. They have fallen prey to the idea of happiness through material comforts rather than love and emotional bond.
C. They do not have marketing techniques ad good as the western countries.

(a) Only B
(b) Only C
(c) Only A
(d) Only B and C
(e) Not mentioned in the passage.

Ans:e

04. Why do the ‘starry-eyed millions’ harbor a wish to become NRI ?

A. They are driven towards higher profits and materialism.
B. They appreciate the western way of life as it appears to them.
C. They have become emotionless and lost any attachment to the motherland.

(a) Only A
(b) Only B
(c) Only A and B
(d) Only C
(e) All A, B and C

Ans:c

05. Why does the author diseregard the western way of living even though an average citizen in the west enjoys better living standards ?

(a) Many Indians want to ape their lifestyle, leading to a cultural dilution of their traditions.
(b) The west has failed to market their lifestyle in an appropriate way.
(c) According to time, the law of ‘survival of the fittest’ is now obsolete.
(d) It only looks forward to material comfort rather than happiness within.
(e) None of these

Ans:d

06. What does the author mean by ‘intercepting someone’s share of daily bread’ ?

(a) Hindering the process of marking in underdeveloped countries by the developed countries
(b) Denying material comfort to the western world
(c) Affecting the social life of those working towards material comforts only
(d) Excess of wealth in western world while people in poorer nations struggle for survival
(e) None of these

Ans:a

07. What does the author mean by ‘shop window of the west’ when he suggest to look inside the shop ?

A. The sprawling supermarkets have been making profits out of inhuman activities.
B. To look closed at the existing societal structure rather than superficially appreciations the delusive dazzle
C. To study their marking techniques closely

(a) Only A
(b) Only B
(c) Only A and B
(d) Only B and C
(e) Only C

Ans:c

08. The author’s main objective in writing the passage is

(a) to explain that consumerist societies have their own drawbacks, which are overlooked by those who are blinded by their material glare
(b) to explain how too many material comforts have improved the living standard of common man in the west
(c) that young children should not be given access to guns and other ammunition
(d) All NRIs are leading unmindful, second-class lives abroad
(e) None of these

Ans:d

09. Which of the following is not true according to the passage ?

(a) Over-indulgence in accumulating material wealth has led to many problems on the social and emotional fronts.
(b) People should visit the sermons more often since this is the only way to achieve peace and happiness.
(c) For the sake of making profits, people have taken decisions which have proved to be harmful to the society.
(d) There are plenty of material comforts in the western countries.
(e) All are true

Ans:d

Directions (Q. 10-12): Chose the which is most similar in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

10. Shrewdly
(a) Roughly
(b) Rightly
(c) Rudely
(d) Courteously
(e) Astutely

Ans:e

11. Chase
(a) Follow
(b) Capture
(c) Run
(d) Catch
(e) Conquer

Ans:a

12. Elusive
(a) Terrifying
(b) Unusual
(c) Unachievable
(d) Haunting
(e) Displeasing

Ans:c

Directions (Q. 13-15): Chose the word/phrase which is most opposite in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

13. Dejected
(a) Apologetic
(b) Anxious
(c) Accepted
(d) Elated
(e) Enlightened

Ans: d

14. Unbridled
(a) Enthusiastic
(b) Controlled
(c) Rebellious
(d) Considerate
(e) Approved

Ans:b

15. Momentary
(a) Sporadic
(b) Futuristic
(c) Brief
(d) Homogenous
(e) Perpetual

Ans:e

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

The subject “Good Governance” is both topical and timely. It is an axiom of political science that a State comes into being for life but it exists for good life. The duty of the state is not only to protect life and liberty but goes further, to enable the people to live in a measure of physical and mental comfort. Democracy is a government by the citizens themselves. The people should realise that they are responsible for choosing the right and proper persons to represent them in national affairs. In colonial administration the government was different from the people. Those governments ruled but without the consent and concurrence of the people. This old concept still persists in the masses today. They do not realise that the general election is the occasion for them to choose a government for themselves. On the contrary, the masses feel that the franchise is a patronage to be conferred on their kith and kin, or the local candidate, or one of their caste and religious fraternity. In mature democracies, a person who changes his party affiliation or crosses the floor, seldom gets re-elected by the electorate. They do not trust him to stand firm by the policies and programmes proposed by him. In India a person who was in the Congress Government and immediately thereafter in the Janata Government and then in Chandrashekhar Government was re-elected and came once again into the Congress Government!

The electorate votes for a criminal or a corrupt candidate, and bemoans that the country has a bad government. The electorate does not realise that even as it contributes to its own household expenditure, it has to contribute to the country’s governance. It is easily misled by the unscrupulous promises of political parties of free food, free clothes, free electricity, free everything. Even enlightened people plead for tax concessions, subsidies and incentives oblivious of the fact that they are met by borrowings which in turn impose burdens indirectly on themselves. Besides, in a true democracy, the people voluntarily observe the laws, rules and regulations as they are forged by themselves in the interest of good governance. It is only because 90% of the people abide by the laws and 10% transgress them that the state is able to maintain order and harmony. If the situation were reversed with 90% transgressing the law and 10% abiding by it, there can be no organised society, no peace and harmony. Some of the advanced countries, notably Switzerland, have perhaps the highest degree of compliance. A mere board stating that the road is closed will be complied with by almost 100% of the people.

1. Which of the following is supposed to be the most relevant duty of the state ?

1) to ensure sovereignty of the region

2) to ensure prosperity of the region

3) to look after the welfare of its people

4) to develop better terms with other nations

5) None of these

Ans:3

2. What is the basic difference between democracy and colonial rule ?

1) In a democracy, people’s will prevails, whereas in a colonial rule, ruler’s will prevails.

2) Democracy is a rule by different parties whereas a colonial rule is a single-party rule.

3) Democracy can be opposed by the people but such is not the case with colonial rule.

4) A colonial rule can be converted into a democracy but the same cannot happen with a democracy.

5) None of these

Ans:1

3. If the people want to have a responsible government in a democracy

1) they must call for free and fair elections.

2) they should take charge of the elections.

3) they should elect educated and experienced representatives.

4) they should look for single-party rule.

5) they should elect desirable candidates.

Ans:5

4. Why does a person changing his party find it hard to get re-elected in mature democracies ?

1) Because political parties suspect his fidelity.

2) Because he loses his image in the political circle.

3) Because his eligibility for fighting elections gets questioned.

4) Because he has to depend upon the stand of his new party.

5) None of these

Ans:5

5. In a country like India, who is mainly responsible for good or bad governance ?

1) The system of electing our representatives

2) The political parties

3) The voters

4) The political party in power

5) None of these

Ans:3

6. Which of the following is true in the context of the passage ?

1) Good governance is related to the welfare of the people.

2) We have a mature democracy in India.

3) The leaders who change parties face hurdles in getting re-elected in our country.

4) Colonial rule was much better than the present democracy.

5) None of these

Ans:1

7. What makes Switzerland a successful democracy ?

1) Clear instructions regarding public concerns marked on boards, even on roadsides

2) High rate of literacy among the populace

3) Law-abiding citizens

4) Governance with a mission

5) None of these

Ans:3

8. Which of the following suggestions may not be necessary to make India a mature democracy ?

1) The voters should elect candidates with clean image.

2) The voters should not entertain candidates who frequently change their party and ideology.

3) The voters should shun their narrow interests while voting for their candidates.

4) The people should respect the law of the land.

5) None of these

Ans:5

9. With which stream does the author seem to be related ?

1) Sociology

2) History

3) Political Science

4) Constitution of India

5) None of these

Ans:3

Directions : Choose the word which is the same in meaning as the word given in bold as used in the passage.

10. CONCURRENCE

1) satisfaction

2) agreement

3) participation

4) loyalty

5) dependence

Ans:2

11. FRATERNITY

1) society

2) groups

3) background

4) ethnicity

5) brotherhood

Ans:5

12. VOLUNTARILY

1) basically

2) generally

3) systematically

4) willingly

5) unitedly

Ans:4

Directions: Choose the word which is the opposite in meaning as the word given in bold as used in the passage.

13. SELDOM

1) hardly

2) unopposed

3) generally

4) majority

5) convincingly

Ans:3

14. BEMOAN

1) laud

2) accept

3) approve

4) weep

5) debate

Ans:1

15. OBLIVIOUS

1) arguing

2) veteran

3) expert

4) aware

5) orator

Ans:4

C-SAT Sample Test Paper- 4
English Language Comprehension Skills