Tips to solve General English Section of SBI POs and Clerks Exams 2019

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The banking sector attracts hordes of young unemployed people to its recruitment drives because of the security, handsome salary and great career prospects that it offers. As a result, the competition for bank jobs increases day by day. The present announcement of 2000 posts as Probationary Officers and 8593 posts as Clerks in State Bank of India (SBI) for the year 2019 has arrested the attention of the job seekers. All the aspirants have seriously started their preparation, but some of them are in a confused state of mind about how to prepare and solve the questions related to English language.

Here are a few tips and techniques that can help you prepare well and take the exam confidently. Though the exam is difficult and the competition is high, the right kind of preparation makes you dream come true. In order to achieve the goal of securing the job, the first thing that you should do is to have a good glance at the syllabus prescribed. Once you have familiarized yourselves with the syllabus, you can have a clear picture of the test. You can analyze which areas need more attention and which others you can handle easily. You can schedule your preparation according to the duration of the time avail-able till the exam date.

General English Part 

As far as general English part is considered, it poses 30 multiple choice questions for Clerks and POs in Prelims, 40 multiple choice questions for Clerks and 35 questions for POs in Main Exams comprising Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary in Context, Sentence Completion, Spotting the Errors, Sentence Improvement, Cloze Test and Rearrangement of Jumbled Sentences into a paragraph. If you keenly observe the previous question papers of SBI, you come to a conclusion that the above mentioned areas are the syllabus for the test.

How to deal with the above question types : 

Lets take up each question type and how to deal with it. 

A previous question from 2005 SBI POs. 

If criminals are __________ to join electoral fray, __________  likely to increase. 

A) Compelled - brother hood 

B) Encouraged - harmony 

C) Allowed - Extortion 

D) Deterred - Corruption 

E) Invited - Voting 

This kind of question is called a sentence completion question. This is a very frequent question type in various examinations besides SBI POs. 

A Sentence completion question consists of a sentence with one or two blanks, your job is to fill in those blanks, usually with one word or occasionally a set of two or three words betting to each blank. 

Lets deal with the given question 

The above question poses you two blanks to be filled in. You are also provided with five options that seem fitting the blanks. You are supposed to fill the blank with the option that best fits and makes the sentence meaningful. 

Take up the question 

• Firstly, read the entire sentence carefully for its gist so that you can understand what the blank needs.
• Secondly, predict the sense befitting the blank before you look at the options suggested.
• Thirdly, insert the answer choices and eliminate that don't go with your prior prediction. 

If you take up the given sentence, 'If' which is in the beginning of the sentence stands as a clue depending upon that you can guess what goes into the blank. 

=> Predict the sense :  

If Criminals are what and what will increase ? 

=> Plug in the Answer Choices : 

• If criminals are compelled to join elections brotherhood will increase? No.
• If criminals are encouraged to join elec-tions harmony will increase? No. 
• If criminals are allowed to join elections extortion will increase? Yes. 
• If criminals are deterred (or) stopped to join elections corruption will increase? No. 
• If criminals are invited to join elections vot-ing will increase? No. 
• (Whether voting will increase or rigging will increase? just for fun) 

Therefore the answer is 'C' (allowed and extortion)

Remember the Approach of Solving this question type

• Step 1 : Read the whole sentence for gist 
• Step 2 : Predict the sense 
• Step 3 : Plug in the answer choices. 

Lets apply this three step method and answer the following question of the kind.

As a public relations specialist, Ramesh realizes the importance of  _________  and  _________   when dealing with even the most nagging tourists

A) dignity - etiquette

B) fantasy - realism

C) kindness - patience

D) courtesy - logic 

E) truth - honesty 

As far as this question- sentence is concerned, the two blanks need almost synonyms. Because the word between two blanks is 'AND'. It says that the befitting words may not be the words with exactly same meaning but they should be on the same wavelength. Remember-they are not opposites at all. Therefore you can eliminate choice 'B' because the words of the choice are opposites. 

If you take up the second blank into consideration choices 'E' and 'D' are eliminated because you don't need honesty or logic when you are dealing with nagging tourists. 

Of the two choices left 'A' and 'C', 'Patience' is more needed than etiquette especially when you deal with nagging tourists. Therefore 'C' is the best answer. 

Try these questions taken from previous paper of SBI POs. 

1. Lawyers and Doctors ___________ that advertising will certainly  ___________ their profession adversely.
A) trust - damage

B) believe - affect

C) plead - escalate

D) argue - effect

2. Most people are too ___________ in their own lives to ___________   much about the agonies of others 

A) absorbed - care
B) concerned - hate

C) indulged - eradicate

D) involved - console

E) entangling - worry 

3. Several plots ___________  in various television episodes 

A) Screen concurrently 

B) televised consequently 

C) about reportedly 

D) exhibit frequently 

E) demonstrate violently

4. Because the  ___________   leading to cancellation of flight were murky. The minister appointed a commission to   ___________  and report the matter. 

A) staff members - undertake 

B) decisions - decide 

C) facts - underplay 

D) events - camouflage 

E) circumstances - investigate 

5. Though the country has  ___________    free medical service for the poor, it is  ___________  

A) stopped - unaffordable 

 B) rendered - essential 

C) maintained - admirable 

D) favoured - appreciable 

E) instituted - inadequate 

6. The recently  ___________   Olympic games experienced some unhealthy practices   ___________  to by a few Athletes. 

A) concluded - resorted
B) finished - prefferred

C) held - exhibited 

D) over - adhered 

E) closed - devoured 

7. When interpersonal problems ___________   but are not dealt with, the organisation's productivity inevitably ___________

A) surface - develops
B) focus - increases

C) establish - projects

D) develop - exhibits

E) exist - diminishes 

8. Journalism is a  ___________ for truth, a crusade to  ___________ injustice and wrong doing. 

A) product - limit

B) boon - justify

C) travesty - attack

D) quest - expose

E) search - optimize

9. This book is readable, clear and ___________ researched with ___________ detailed references.

A) fabulously - intricate

B) meticulously - extensive

C) leisurely - compete

D) hardly - national

E) closely - scattered 

10. The interest has ___________ innovation related to several sectors of  ___________ Pharmaceutical business and industry. 

A) accepted - skeletal

B) insured - fateful

C) affected - plummeting

D) restricted - grown

E) accelerated - burgeoning

11. The Indian hospitality industry which has been ___________ a prolonged slump is now entering a new ___________ phase ready to enhance profitability 

A) witnessing - ambitious 

B) observing - listless 

C) demonstrating - efficient 

D) recovering - debt 

E) succumbing - lean 

12. The police arrested Chandu on a ___________ of theft but for lack of evidence ___________ him.
A) crime - imprisioned

B) punished - complaint

C) left - condition

D) tip - absconding

E) charge - released

13. For the last half century he ___________  himself to public affairs ___________ taking a holiday
A) by - committed

B) after - offered

C) devoted - without

D) sacrificed - after

E) prepared - before

14. You will see signs of ___________ everywhere, which speak well for the ___________ of these people.

A) decoration - senses 

B) clear - debris 

C) beauty - careful 

D) industry - prosperity
E) repairs - extravaganza 

15. He objected to the proposal because it was founded  ___________ on a principle and also  ___________ was at times. 

A) faulty - desirable 

B) imperative - reasonable 

C) wrong - inconvenient 

D) sound - acceptable 

E) conforming - deplorable

Answers 

1. B. believe - affect 
2. A. absorbed - care 
3. A. screen - concurrently 
4. E. circumstances - investigate 
5. E. instituted - inadequate 
6. A. concluded - restored 
7. E. exist - diminished 
8. D. quest - expose 
9. B. meticulously - extensive 
10. E. accelerated - burgeoning 
11. A. witnessing - ambitious 
12. E. charge - released 
13. C. devoted - without 
14. D. industry - prosperity 
15. C. Wrong - inconvenient. 

That's all for today friends. Will try to discuss another topic of English Language section based on Previous papers in my next post. Happy Reading :)

Sadhana Aaradhya 

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