IBPS PO Prelims English – Memory Based Questions

Dear Friends,

We are here with the Memory based English Language questions asked in the IBPS PO Prelims exam.Candidates can check this and start practicing the same type of questions.

Directions (1-6): Each question below has one blank, which is indicating that something has been omitted. Find out which option can be used to fill up the blank in the sentence in the same sequence to make it meaningfully complete.

Q1. Homemade gifts can be completely ___________to what the recipient likes.
(a) Alters
(b) Firmed
(c) Tailored
(d) Polite
(e) Liability

Q2. After much thought, Ted ___________not to travel abroad this summer.
(a) Resolved
(b) Concludes
(c) Resolves
(d) Commence
(e) Passed

Q3. Bryan is _________in his belief that the earth is flat.
(a) Tentative
(b) Hasten
(c) Unlikely
(d) Provided
(e) Confident

Q4. The noodle maker was ___________in making his noodles and would never let another person
take over the task.
(a) Careless
(b) Negligent
(c) Cautious
(d) Exciting
(e) Inattentive

Q5.If it weren’t for the _________circumstances, he would have certainly lost his job.
(a) Sharp
(b) Intensify
(c) Mitigating
(d) Increase
(e) Aggravate

Q6.When asked about her father, she lost her outward enthusiasm and became rather________.
(a) Reserved
(b) Expansive
(c) talkative
(d) Extrovert
(e) Outgoing

S1. Ans. (c)
Sol. The appropriate word to be used here is ‘Tailored’. ‘Alters’ which is a verb and it means ‘change in character or composition, typically in a comparatively small but significant way’. However, the verb required here should be in its plural form, therefore ‘alters’ is incorrect.
Tailored- make or adapt for a particular purpose or person. All other given options don’t fit contextually. Hence, option (c) is the most suitable answer choice.

S2. Ans. (a)
Sol. The appropriate word to be used here is ‘Resolved’. Here, ‘Concludes’ ‘resolves’ are irrelevant as they are in the present tense while the verb required here should be in the past tense. Commence means beginning.
Resolved- firmly determined to do something. Hence, option (a) is the most viable answer choice.

S3. Ans. (e)
Sol. The appropriate word to be used here is ‘Confident.’ Confident- feeling or showing confidence in oneself or one’s abilities or qualities. All other given options don’t fit contextually. Tentative means not certain or fixed; provisional. Hasten means be quick to do something.

S4. Ans. (c)
Sol. The appropriate word to be used here is ‘cautious.’
Cautious means (of a person) careful to avoid potential problems or dangers. Option (a) (b) and (d) are opposite of the correct choice ‘meticulous.’ Negligent means failing to take proper care over something.

S5. Ans. (c)
Sol. The appropriate word to be used here is ‘Mitigating.’
Mitigating- make (something bad) less severe, serious, or painful, all other options except (c) are the opposite of the correct choice to be filled i.e. ‘mitigating’.

S6. Ans. (a)
Sol. The appropriate word to be used here is ‘Reserved’
Reserved- slow to reveal emotion or opinions, all the other options are either opposite to the correct word
‘reserved’, or don’t frame a contextually correct sentence

Directions (7-10): In each of the questions given below four words are given in bold. These four words may or may not be in their correct position. The sentence is then followed by options with the correct combination of words that should replace each other in order to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. Find the correct combination of the words that replace each other. If the sentence is correct as it then select option (e) as your choice.

Q7. Some American officials lead (A) to hope that resumed (B) sanctions on Iran will appear (C) to a popular uprising (D).
(a) A-B
(b) A-C
(c) B-D and A-C
(d) A-D
(e) The sentence is correct

Q8. Tariffs (A) has imported (B) higher China (C) on 603 items imposed (D) from the US.
(a) Only A-B
(b) Only B-C
(c) Both A-B and B-D
(d) Both A-C and B-D.
(e) The sentence is correct.

Q9. NATO ally world (A) leads the Turkey (B) in the journalists (C) of number (D) jailed.
(a) A-B and C-D
(b) Only B-C
(c) A-C and B-D
(d) A-D
(e) The sentence is correct.

Q10. In 2016, rising (A) violence in Pathankot (B) by Islamic militants culminated (C) in attacks on Indian forces at Uri and Kashmir (D).
(a) Both A-C and B-D
(b) Both A-D and B-C
(c) Only B-D.
(d) C-D
(e) The sentence is correct

S7. Ans. (b)
Sol. To make the sentence meaningful, an interchange between (A) and (C) is required. The phrases ‘Some American officials appear to hope’ and ‘sanctions on Iran will lead’ are more meaningful. (B) and (D) don’t require to be interchanged.
Hence, the correct answer is the A-C, and the option (b) is the correct answer. ‘Some American officials appear to hope that resumed sanctions on Iran will lead to a popular uprising.’

S8. Ans. (d)
Sol. ‘Tariffs’ is a plural noun followed by ‘has’ which is incorrect. ‘China’ is also a noun but a singular noun and can be followed by ‘has’. So, an interchange between (A) and (C) is required. Moreover, a noun can only be interchanged with a noun, not a finite verb. Similarly, interchanging (B) and (D) would impart better meaning to the sentence.
Hence, two interchanges are required: A-C and B-D. ‘China has imposed higher tariffs on 603 items imported from the US.’

S9. Ans. (a)
Sol. Turkey, which is a nation, could be a NATO ally, not the ‘world’, ‘journalists of number’ is a meaningless phrase. The correct phrase should be ‘number of journalists’. So, an interchange between (A) and (B), and (C) and (D) is required. Hence, the correct answer is A-B and C-D, and the option (a) is the correct answer. ‘NATO ally Turkey leads the world in the number of journalists jailed.’

S10. Ans. (c)
Sol. Pathankot is a city inside Kashmir. Kashmir is not inside Pathankot. The given sentence suggests that as if Pathankot is inside Kashmir which is erroneous. An interchange between (B) and (D) is required. (A) and (C) are placed in correct positions.
Hence, the option (c) is the correct answer. ‘In 2016, rising violence in Kashmir by Islamic militants culminated in attacks on Indian forces at Uri and Pathankot.’

Direction (11-14): Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical or idiomatic error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The number of that part is the answer. If there is ‘No error’, the answer is (e). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any.)

Q11. She held something (a) / at her side which (b) / was totally hiding (c) / by the folds of her sari. (d) / No error. (e)

Q12. The father forbade his son (a) / to walk in the sun (b) / and play with (c) / his friends on the road (d) / No error (e)

Q13. The movement, which aims to (a) / raise awareness about climate change, hopes (b) / to bring people together to think about (c) / what they can do for reduce harmful pollution. (d) / No error (e)

Q14. I declined the invitation (a) / not because I did not (b) / want to go but (c) / because I have no time. (d) / No error (e)

Directions (15-20): In the following passage, some of the words have been left out, each of which is indicated by a number. Find the suitable word from the options given against each number and fill up the blanks with appropriate words to make the paragraph meaningfully complete.

Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom is a true believer, and like many true believers, he lets his message __(15) __ his evidence. Based on a single study of a Chinese travel agency, he __(16) __ declares working from home a “future-looking technology” with “enormous potential.” Not so fast.Bloom’s study comes with serious limitations and is contradicted by a later Gallup report. However, while it is far too soon to draw broad __(17) __ from his findings, savvy business leaders can read between the lines and extract some valuable lessons for working ___(18) ___ with all employees. Bloom __(19) __ on China’s biggest travel agency, Ctrip, which wanted to expand while controlling office space costs. They __(20) __ a remote work trial, expecting that productivity would slip a little, but not enough to cancel out the savings. Instead, productivity shot up 13%, and attrition dropped 50%. When the work from home option was rolled out to the entire company and employees were given a choice, the productivity gains were 22%.

Q15. (a) cut
(b) outrun
(c) exceeded
(d) begin
(e) choose

Q16. (a) fast
(b) enthusiastically
(c) slowly
(d) eager
(e) appropriately

Q17. (a) resulting
(b) disappointments
(c) conclusions
(d) exercises
(e) guarantees

Q18. (a) optimally
(b) extremely
(c) competitively
(d) abroad
(e) everywhere

Q19. (a) emphasising
(b) concentrates
(c) learned
(d) matched
(e) focused

Q20. (a) establishes
(b) appointed
(c) brought
(d) instituted
(e) sold

S11. Ans. (c)
Sol. Use ‘hidden’ in place of ‘hiding’ as in passive voice ‘To Be + third form of verb’ is used.

S12. Ans. (e)
Sol. The sentence is grammatically correct.

S13. Ans. (d)
Sol. Use ‘for reducing’ in place of ‘for reduce’ because the verb coming after preposition ‘for’ should always be in fourth form of the verb

S14. Ans. (d)
Sol. ‘had’ will be used in place of ‘have’ because words like ‘declined’ and ‘did’ infer that the sentence is in past.

S15. Ans. (b)
Sol. Outrun [verb]: go beyond or exceed. Among the given options, only ‘outrun’ appropriately fills the blank and is the correct answer.
The usage of ‘begin’, ‘choose’ and ‘cut’ would make the sentence meaningless.
Hence, the option (b) is the correct answer.

S16. Ans. (b)
Sol. The economist studied a Chinese travel agency and declares working from home a “future-looking technology” with “enormous potential”. It seems that the blank would be filled by an adverb. The tone of the sentence suggests that the economist was enthusiastic with the future-prospect of the Chinese travel agency.
So, the correct adverb which could fill the blank is ‘enthusiastically’.
Kindly note that the usage of ‘appropriately’ would be wrong because whether the assertion of the economist would be true isn’t still proved. Hence, the correct answer is the option (b).

S17. Ans. (c)
Sol. The word ‘broad’ is an adjective. The blank seems to be filled by a noun.
What can be drawn from findings? The word ‘Conclusions’, among the given options, is the most appropriate choice. Hence, the option (c) is the correct answer.

S18. Ans. (a)
Sol. optimally [adverb] means ‘in the best or most favourable way’;
A leader is someone who must manage and work with the employees under her/him. The chances of getting desired result increases when the working or professional relationship between leader and the employees is positive and favourable. Among the given options, the adverb ‘optimally’, upon filling the blank, makes the most sense while others don’t.
Hence, the option (a) is the correct answer.

S19. Ans. (e)
Sol. The blank seems to be filled by a finite verb. What action did (or could) Bloom (Nicholas Bloom) take on China’s biggest travel agency, Ctrip? The economist studied the travel agency. Among the given options, the words ‘focus’ and ‘concentrates’ are the most relevant, but the option (e) ‘focused’ also satisfies the grammatical requirement of the sentence. The tense of the sentence should be Simple Past, not Simple
Present. Hence, the correct answer is the option (e).

S20. Ans. (d)
Sol. ‘Instituted’ [institute, verb] means ‘introduce or establish (a scheme, undertaking, or policy)

Preeti Singh