Oriental Bank of Commerce Clerk (Second Shift) Exam 2011 English Solved Paper
Directions—(Q. 1-15) 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.
A fisherman, enfeebled with age, could no longer go out to sea so he began fishing in the river. Every morning he would go down to the river and sit there fishing the whole day long. In the evening he would sell whatever he had caught, buy food for himself and go home. It was a hard life for an old man. One hot afternoon while he was trying to keep awake and bemoaning his fate, a large bird with silvery feathers alighted on a rock near him. It was Kaha, the heavenly bird. “Have you no one to care for you, grandpa ?” asked the bird. “Not a soul.” “You should not be doing such work at your age, ” said the bird. “From now on I will bring you a big fish every evening. You can sell it and live in comfort.” True to her word, the bird began to drop a large fish at his doorstep every evening. All that the fisherman had to do was take it to the market and sell it. As big fish were in great demand, he was soon rolling in money. He bought a cottage near the sea, with a garden around it and engaged a servant to cook for him. His wife had died some years earlier. He had decided to marry again and began to look for a suitable woman.
One day he heard the royal courtier make an announcement. Our king has news of a great bird called Kaha,” said the courtier. “Whoever can give information about this bird and help catch it, will be rewarded with half the gold in the royal treasury and half the kingdom !” The fisherman was sorely tempted by the reward. Half the kingdom would make him a prince !
“Why does the king want the bird ?” he asked. “He has lost his sight,” explained the courtier. “A wise man has advised him to bathe his eyes with the blood of Kaha. Do you know where she can be found ?” “No…I mean …no, no…” Torn between greed and his sense of gratitude to the bird, the fisherman could not give a coherent reply. The courtier, sensing that he knew someting about the bird, informed the king. The king had him brought to the palace.
“If you have information about the bird, tell me,” urged the king. “I will reward you handsomely and if you help catch her, I will personally crown you king of half my domain.” “I will get the bird for you,” cried the fisherman, suddenly making up his mind. “But Kaha is strong. I will need help.” The king sent a dozen soldiers with him. That evening when the bird came with the fish, the fisherman called out to her to wait. “You drop the fish and go and I never get a chance to thank you for all that you’ve done for me,”he said. “Today I have laid out a feast for you inside. Please alight and come in.” Kaha was reluctant to accept the invitation but the fisherman pleaded so earnestly that she finally gave in, and alighted. The moment she was on the ground, the fisherman grabbed one of her legs and shouted to the soldiers hiding in his house to come out. They rushed to his aid but their combined effort could not keep Kaha down.
She rose into the air with the fisherman still clinging onto her leg. By the time he realised he was being carried away, the fisherman was too high in the air to let go. He hung on grimly, and neither he nor Kaha were ever seen again.
1. Why was the king desperately looking for Kaha the bird ?
(A) The king wanted a pet bird.
(B) A wise man advised the king to capture the bird for good luck.
(C) Kaha was the only heavenly bird with silvery feathers.
(D) The king was blind and required Kaha’s blood for his eyes.
(E) Kaha was known to be the greatest bird alive.
Ans : (D)
2. Why did the bird volunteer to bring fish for the old man ?
(A) The old man was inexperienced at fishing.
(B) The bird took pity on the old man and wanted to help him.
(C) The bird had caught more fish than required.
(D) The bird wanted to make the old man rich.
(E) The bird had heard the old man bemoaning his fate.
Ans : (B)
3. What led the courtier to sense that the fisherman might know something about Kaha ?
(A) The courtier had observed Kaha alight at the fisherman’s house every evening.
(B) The courtier had seen the fisherman talk to Kaha.
(C) The fisherman fumbled when asked about Kaha.
(D) Word went around that the fisherman was in contact with Kaha.
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
4. Which of the following cannot be said about the royal courtier ?
(1) He was a very observant man.
(2) He was jealous of the old fisherman.
(3) He had informed the king about the fisherman.
(A) Only (1)
(B) Only (2)
(C) Only (3)
(D) Only (1) and (3)
(E) Only (2) and (3)
Ans : (B)
5. What could be an appropriate title for the story ?
(A) A Fish a Day
(B) The Lonely fisherman
(C) Kaha the Silvery feathered bird
(D) The Blind King
(E) The Ungrateful old fisherman
Ans : (E)
6. Which of the following is not true about Kaha ?
(A) Kaha was a very considerate bird.
(B) The blood of Kaha was precious.
(C) Kaha was a strong bird.
(D) Kaha flew away alongwith the old fisherman.
(E) Kaha saved the fisherman from the King’s wrath.
Ans : (E)
7. Why did the fisherman stammer when asked if he knew about the bird ?
(A) The fisherman thought he was going to be punished for living off the bird.
(B) He was thrilled he would be able to help the king.
(C) He already knew about the reward that was being offered.
(D) He was conflicted between the king’s reward and his gratitude towards the bird.
(E) The fisherman was faced with a very unexpected question by a royal courtier.
Ans : (D)
8. How did the fisherman get Kaha to come down ?
(1) The fisherman told Kaha that the King was impressed by her kindness and wanted to meet her.
(2) The fisherman invited Kaha to live in his house as he was a lonely man and wanted company.
(3) The fisherman invited Kaha to his house for a feast in order to thank her for everything.
(A) Only (1)
(B) Only (2)
(C) Only (3)
(D) Only (2) and (3)
(E) Only (1) and (3)
Ans : (C)
9. What does the phrase ‘rolling in money’ as highlighted in the passage refer to ?
(A) To have a large amount of money.
(B) To have just enough of money.
(C) To live a life that is not affordable.
(D) To live off someone else.
(E) To be self-sufficient.
Ans : (A)
10. Why was the fisherman doubtful about revealing information about Kaha to the courtier ?
(A) He did not want to lose Kaha.
(B) Kaha was his source of income.
(C) He was worried about his supply of fish.
(D) He had heard that kaha was going to be killed for her blood.
(E) Kaha had asked the fisherman not to tell anyone about her whereabouts.
Ans : (C)
Directions—(Q. 11–13) Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
11. Aid
(A) Health
(B) Help
(C) Support
(D) Freedom
(E) Mercy
Ans : (B)
12. Sorely
(A) Happily
(B) Painfully
(C) Gainfully
(D) Greatly
(E) Primarily
Ans : (D)
13. Torn
(A) Conflicted
(B) Alarmed
(C) Frightened
(D) Strained
(E) Frayed
Ans : (A)
Directions—(Q. 14-15) Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning of the words/printed in bold as used in the passage.
14. Alight
(A) Settle
(B) Take off
(C) Come by
(D) Rest
(E) Free
Ans : (B)
15. Grabbed
(A) Caught
(B) Released
(C) Secured
(D) Loosened
(E) Held
Ans : (B)
Directions—(Q. 16–25) Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical 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) i.e., ‘No Error’. (Ignore the errors of punctuation, if any).
16. Removing seeds from (A) / cotton plants was (B) / a slowest job until (C) / Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (C)
17. India is a land of (A) / great political leaders (B) / who ruled the country effectively (C) / and also by protecting its national interest . (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (D)
18. The climbers will try again (A) / to reach the summit of the mountain, (B) / their chances of doing so are (C) / more better than they were last week. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (D)
19. Most birds sings (A) / only in daylight, (B) / one notable exception (C) / being the nightingale. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (A)
20. In the eve of the election (A) / there was heavy (B) / political security (C) / in the state. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (A)
21. The teacher thought (A) / the children would (B) / be happy for (C) / clearing away their toys. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (C)
22. Neither Alice or Mary remembers (A) / what happened before (B) / the car crashed (C) / into the wall. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (A)
23. This is the woman (A) / that always wears (B) / a black shawl (C) / to work. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (B)
24. Many leading members (A) / of the opposition party (B) / has tried to justify (C) / their decisions. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (C)
25. The view of (A) / the manufacturing and (B) / tourist industries is that (C) / the economy is improving. (D) No Error (E)
Ans : (C)
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. So successful her business to be, that Marie was able to retire at the age of 50.
(A) So successful her business was
(B) So successful being her business
(C) Her business was so successful
(D) So was her successful business
(E) No correction required
Ans : (C)
27. The ship was in mercy of the waves.
(A) To be in mercy of
(B) At the mercy of
(C) Having mercy on
(D) Merciful to
(E) No correction required
Ans : (B)
28. He not to have resigned, we would have been forced to dismiss him.
(A) Had he not
(B) Had not he
(C) He had not
(D) He not had
(E) No correction required
Ans : (A)
29. A wealthy coin collector was eager to pay the huge sum for the coin because it was one kind.
(A) Of one kinds
(B) One of kinds
(C) One of a kind
(D) One of those kinds
(E) No correction required
Ans : (C)
30. The thief carried the knife carefully to not cut himself.
(A) So as not to
(B) So not to
(C) Not to
(D) Not in order to
(E) No correction required
Ans : (A)
Directions—(Q. 31–35) In each question below, four words printed in bold type are given. These are lettered (A), (B), (C) and (D). One of these words printed in bold may either be wrongly spelt or inappropriate in the context of the sentence. Find out the word that is inappropriate or wrongly spelt, if any. The letter of that word is your answer. If all the words printed in bold are correctly spelt and appropriate in the context of the sentence then mark (E) i.e., ‘All Correct’ as your answer.
31. The economist (A) was hesistant (B) to comment (C) on the government policy. (D) All Correct (E)
Ans : (B)
32. The king knew (A) that he had definately (B) been wrong about his choice (C) of courtiers. (D) All Correct (E)
Ans : (B)
33. Statistics (A) are now compulsory (B) for all students taking a cource (C) in engineering. (D) All Correct (E)
Ans : (C)
34. The caretaker (A) is responsible (B) for the maintainance (C) of the school buildings. (D) All Correct (E)
Ans : (C)
35. The more scarce (A) any collecteble (B) item is, the higher (C) the price (D) tends to be. All Correct (E)
Ans : (B)
Directions—(Q. 36–40) Rearrange the following six sentences / group of 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) Seeing the dogs and his master running after the fox, the rooster screamed “No ! Don’t come near me !”
(2) A fox sneaked into a farm and grabbed a prize rooster. The farmer saw him raised an alarm.
(3) “My master was very cruel to me” explained the rooster to the fox. “Tell him to stay away from
me.”
(4) The rooster flew up into a tree and stayed there till he was rescued by his master.
(5) The fox was delighted. In the process of shouting to the farmer he released his hold over the rooster.
(6) Soon the farmer and his dogs started chasing the fox. The fox, was holding the rooster in his mouth, and was running very fast.
36. Which of the following should be the SIXTH (LAST) sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 5
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 6
Ans : (D)
37. Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 3
(B) 4
(C) 6
(D) 2
(E) 5
Ans : (E)
38. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 4
(C) 6
(D) 3
(E) 2
Ans : (E)
39. Which of the following should be the FOURTH sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 4
(B) 3
(C) 2
(D) 1
(E) 6
Ans : (B)
40. Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after the rearrangement ?
(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 6
(D) 4
(E) 5
Ans : (C)
Directions—(Q. 41–50) 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.
Haria, a poor barber lived alone in his small hut. He was …(41)… to his work and whatever he earned was enough to fulfil his needs. One evening, after returning from work, Haria was hungry. Just as he was …(42)… what he could cook for dinner he heard a hen clucking outside his hut. “That hen would make a great feast for me,” thought Haria and prepared to catch the hen. With a little effort he …(43)… in catching the hen and as he was about to kill the hen, it squeaked, “Please do not kill me, Oh kind man ! I will help you.” Haria stopped. …(44)… he was surprised that the hen spoke, he asked, “How can you help me ?” “If you …(45)… my life, I will lay a golden egg for you everyday,” said the hen.
Haria’s eyes …(46)… in delight. Haria was surprised to hear this promise. “A golden egg ! That too everyday ! But why should I believe you ? You might be lying,” said Haria. “If I do not lay a golden egg tomorrow, you can kill me,” said the hen. After this promise, Haria spared the hen and …(47)… for the next day.
The next morning. Haria found a golden egg …(48)… outside his hut and the hen sitting beside it. “It is true ! You really can lay a golden egg !” exclaimed Haria with great delight. He did not …(49)… this incident to any one, …(50)… that others would catch the hen.
41. (A) dedicated
(B) devote
(C) enthusiastic
(D) good
(E) engrossed
Ans : (A)
42. (A) feeling
(B) sounding
(C) dreaming
(D) plotting
(E) wondering
Ans : (E)
43. (A) quit
(B) surrendered
(C) succeeded
(D) won
(E) managed
Ans : (C)
44. (A) Finally
(B) Though
(C) Since
(D) As
(E) Because
Ans : (D)
45. (A) forgive
(B) leave
(C) give
(D) spare
(E) consume
Ans : (D)
46. (A) exclaimed
(B) dazed
(C) open
(D) awakened
(E) widened
Ans : (E)
47. (A) remembered
(B) starved
(C) waited
(D) rejoiced
(E) looked
Ans : (C)
48. (A) lying
(B) forlorn
(C) presented
(D) hiding
(E) secluded
Ans : (A)
49. (A) seek
(B) say
(C) narrates
(D) reveal
(E) hide
Ans : (D)
50. (A) fearing
(B) selfish
(C) concerning
(D) citing
(E) alarmed
Ans : (A)
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