The IBPS SO Prelims exam 2021 will be held on December 26, 2021. In order to clear the exam successfully, you must prepare for all three sections of the exam properly. In case you are not familiar with the Prelims exam pattern, there are 3 subjects assessed, namely, English, Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning. Although there are some differences in the exam pattern for the Specialist Officer streams, English is assessed for all.
English is assessed for 25 marks for which 40 minutes will be allotted. A total of 40 questions will be asked.
Wondering what you may expect for this section of the IBPS SO Prelims 2021 exam? Read this article carefully to understand what you may expect in this exam.
Take a look at IBPS SO Prelims syllabus before you begin.
Recent Question Trend
Based on our IBPS SO Prelims 2020 exam analysis, we can derive a fair idea of the number of questions that may be asked from each section.
As you can see, a large number of questions were asked from Reading Comprehension and Error Detection. Therefore, you must practice comprehension exercises daily.
Solved Sample Questions
With the help of the IBPS SO Prelims previous year papers, we have compiled some sample solved questions for you below that will help you understand the kind of questions that have been asked in this exam before.
1. The sentence below is divided into five parts namely A, B, C, D and E in which one of the parts is given in bold and is grammatically and contextually correct. You have to identify which fragment, apart from the bold one, is correct in terms of grammar and usage. (3)
The Committee suggests amend (A)/ the clause to authorise (B)/ public information officers, to denied information (C)/ containing ‘personal data’, if they feel that such disclosure (D)/ is like to cause harm to ‘the data principal’(E).
a) A
b) B
c) E
d) C
e) All are correct
Ans: b)
Explanation: The Committee suggests amending the clause to authorise public information officers, to deny information containing ‘personal data’, if they feel that such disclosure is likely to cause harm to ‘the data principal’.
2. Provided below are two statements which can be combined into a single statement in a number of different ways without changing their meaning. Below are given three probable starters (A), (B) and (C) of such a combined sentence. One, two, three or none of them may be correct. Decide upon which is/are correct, if any, and mark the option which denotes your answer. If none of the three starters is suitable mark ‘None of A, B and C’ as your answer. (8)
I. There is an escalating tension between the two global economic giants US and China.
II. The tension seems to take a toll on investor sentiments, and intensified fears of a global recession.
(A) Economic giants take
(B) The fear of global recession
(C) The escalating tension
a) Both A and B
b) Both A and C
c) A, B and C
d) Both B and C
e) None A, B and C
Ans: d)
Explanation:
(A) Not possible
(B) The fear of global recession has intensified because of the escalating tension between the two global economic giants US and China and also has taken a toll on investor sentiments.
(C) The escalating tension between the two global economic giants US and China seems to take a toll on investor sentiments, and has intensified fears of a global recession.
3. Provided below are two sentences with blanks in them and you have to choose an appropriate word from the given options that can fill both the sentences making them grammatically and meaningfully complete. (39)
I. A Joint Statement issued after official consultation expressed firm opposition to international terrorism and urged the global community to act against safe _______________ and sanctuaries of terrorists.
II. Cambodia, with its seemingly free press, is also a _________________ for foreign journalists.
a) Haven
b) Seclude
c) Sprawl
d) Straggle
e) None of these
Ans: a)
Explanation:
Haven: shelter/ a place of safety or refuge.
Seclude: isolate
Sprawl: spread out over a large area in an untidy or irregular way.
Straggle: move along slowly so as to remain some distance behind the person or people in front.
By analysing the above word meanings we can conclude that option 1 is the correct choice as it suits both the sentences.
4. In the following sentence, a part of the sentence is highlighted in bold. Provided below are five ways of phrasing the underlined and bold text. Choice (a) repeats the original phrasing, the other four choices are different. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice (1); If not, select one of the other choices. (41)
The government must return to the drawing board to design an institution that helped transforming the higher education sector rather than push through this half-baked commission.
a) That helped transforming
b) Which will help transcend
c) That is helping transform
d) Which will be helping to transform
e) That helps transform
Ans: e)
Explanation: The government must return to the drawing board to design an institution that helps transform the higher education sector rather than push through this half-baked commission. The writer talks about something that will possibly happen in future.
Take a look at more such questions for in ixamBee’s IBPS SO Previous Year Papers.
Practice Questions for You
I. In the following sentence, there are two blanks. Find out the appropriate words for filling up the blanks.
Some among those who probed the case _________ that moving the league to a new country could _______ exposing it to more illegal activities.
a) Believed, meaning
b) Believe, meant
c) Believe, mean
d) Belief, mean
e) None of these
II. Direction: Read and rearrange the following sentences to give it meaning. Answer the questions that follow.
(A) In the case of gold alloys, you might wonder where the silver atoms go.
(B) But if you alloy gold, by adding a few percent of other metals, such as silver or copper, you not only change the colour of the gold – silver makes the gold whiter, and copper makes the gold redder- you make the gold harder, much harder.
(C) Gold is another relatively soft metal, so much so that rings are very rarely made from pure gold metal because they quickly scratch.
(D) The answer is that they sit inside the gold crystal structure, taking the place of a gold atom, and it is this atom substitution inside the crystal lattice of the gold that makes it stronger.
(E) This changing of the properties of metals by very small additions of other ingredients is what makes the study of metals so fascinating.
1. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after the rearrangement?
a) A
b) C
c) E
d) B
e) D
2. Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after the rearrangement?
a) A
b) C
c) E
d) B
e) D
3. Which of the following should be the THIRD sentence after the rearrangement?
a) A
b) C
c) E
d) B
e) D
III. In the following question a sentence is divided into parts. Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error in it. The error, if any, will be in one or two parts of the sentence. Mark the part with the error as your answer. If there is no error, mark ‘No error’ as your answer. Ignore the errors of punctuation, if any.
Many languages possesses literature (A)/ that remain the best among equals, (B)/ and few others have influenced (C)/ languages of this sub-continent, and others as well (D).
a) A & B
b) A & C
c) B only
d) C only
e) No error
IV. In each of the following questions, a word has been used in sentences in THREE different ways. Choose the option corresponding to the sentences in which the usage of the word is CORRECT or APPROPRIATE.
WORD: RETICENT
(i) My friend was reticent to speak about how he had got himself arrested last night.
(ii) People in the party were loud and reticent.
(iii) Though my friend was reticent, he used to speak well on stage.
a) Only i
b) Only ii
c) Both ii and iii
d) Both i and iii
e) None of these
V. From the options given below, select the option which states the correct combination of correct sentences.
I. The students will also raise awareness about teachings in ‘Gurbani’ on women dignity, save the girl child, save water and save environment propagated in Sikh teachings.
II. The larger aim of the project is to rebuild the public education system starting with this pilot schools and then replicating the model across the district
III.Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission have invited online applications for the posts of assistant statistical officer and assistant research officers in different departments of UP government.
IV.The pilot schools were selected out of the total 52 government schools identified from across the district based on various parameters, including that of land and building availability and student roll and staff strength.
a) I and IV are correct
b) II and III are correct
c) II and IV are correct
d) I, II, III and IV are correct
e) I and II are correct
Looking for the answers? Check out ixamBee’s IBPS SO Prelims mock test #1
VI. Read the passage and answer the following questions
The Apollo 11 mission is among the best remembered space missions and will probably remain so for a long time. For it enabled human beings to set foot on our natural satellite, the moon, for the first time. Missions, both before and after this one, often pale in comparison, even though scientifically significant. Despite being a failed mission, Apollo 13 comes close in popularity to Apollo 11 as its story portrays the triumph of human will in adverse circumstances.
By the time the Apollo 13 mission was successfully launched on April 11, 1970, the space programme had become a bit of a bore for the average American. Apollo 11’s historic first was followed by the precise touchdown on the moon that was achieved by Apollo 12, leaving people wondering if money could be better spent solving issues here on Earth. It therefore comes as no surprise that none of the major U.S. TV networks carried the prime-time television broadcast relayed by the crew aboard Apollo 13 on the evening of April 13. A few hours later, however, not just Americans, but people from around the world waited with bated breath for updates about Apollo 13.
Jim Lovell was the commander of Apollo 13 and in his fourth to space. He had two rookies in the form of command module pilot Jack Swigert and lunar module pilot Fred Haise for company. Swigert, in fact, was a last-minute replacement for Ken Mattingly. As Mattingly was exposed to German measles just days before launch and was the only one in the crew who did not have immunity, he had to make way for Swigert.
The command module of Apollo 13 – an orbiter named Odyssey – and the landing module, called Aquarius, were joined together by a tunnel. After conducting the TV broadcast on April 13, the astronauts activated Aquarius to check its systems as they were scheduled to enter the moon’s orbit the next day. An explosion rocked Apollo 13 just as Lovell was moving back to Odyssey through the tunnel. Within seconds, pressure in one of the oxygen tanks of the spacecraft dropped to zero. This disrupted the supply of oxygen, water, electricity and light to the command module. Even as the astronauts hurried to find what happened, Swigert communicated their distress to mission control. When mission control asked them to say it again, Lovell repeated Swigert’s famous words: “Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”
Less than an hour after the explosion, the lunar landing mission was aborted, with the primary objective now to get the astronauts safely back to Earth. Mission controllers at Houston instructed the astronauts to move into Aquarius. The lunar landing module, which was designed for transport from the command module to the lunar surface and back, suddenly found itself serving the purpose of a lifeboat that had to traverse a distance of over 3,20,000 km as the astronauts tried to make their way back to Earth. While Aquarius had enough power supply for two astronauts over 45 hours, it now had to support three men for at least 90 hours.
On April 17, Apollo 13’s Odyssey re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. Following four minutes of radio silence, which seemed like years to the countless observers following the progress, the astronauts’ parachutes were spotted and they touched down safely on the water’s surface. NASA’s investigation revealed that manufacturing and testing errors had led to the disaster, even though the worst was averted. Though the mission was effectively a failure, Lovell, Swigert and Haise were celebrated like heroes. As for Apollo 13, it remains one of the most famous space missions ever as it showcased collective human ingenuity and tenacity in the face of a life-threatening situation.
1. Pick out the most appropriate title for the passage from the options.
a) NASA’s failed missions
b) The unsung heroes of Apollo 11
c) When a tragedy turned into triumph
d) The disasters of last-minute replacements
e) Human will to survive in averse circumstances
2. Why did none of the major U.S. TV networks air the prime-time television broadcast on Apollo 13?
a) There was little information available on the mission, as it was mostly a secret operation.
b) The journalists got bored of those missions and didn’t consider it worthy to broadcast, though the common man was still interested.
c) The mission was a failure and the crew was not reliable.
d) People lost interest in the space missions and wondered why the country was spending so much money on these missions, rather than spending it on important issues.
e) Both B and C
3. Who/ Who all went to space in Apollo 13, in their fourth mission?
a) Jim Lovell
b) Jack Swigert
c) Fred Haise
d) Ken Mattingly
e) A, B and C
Looking for the answers to the questions above? Check out ixamBee’s IBPS SO Prelims mock test #2
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