Directions for Questions 1 to 5:- The sentence below has blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the word or set of words for each blank that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
1. The Indian cricket team’s mobile phones went missing during the __ that followed a fire accident in a hotel, but they have been __ after an extensive search operation.
1) confusion, protected
2) pandemonium, rescued
3) agitation, restored
4) tumult, salvaged
5) chaos, recovered
2. A number of private medical clinics and polyclinics have been shut down for _____ without necessary registration and in _____ of the State Medical Act.
1) conducting, disagreement
2) considering, denial
3) manipulating, breach
4) managing, disobedience
5) operating, violation
3. In what came as a __ to the whole nation, a music composer and a singer, who are childhood friends, ___in the court of law over who owned copyrights for their songs.
1) shock, squabbled
2) blow, fought
3) surprise, testified
4) trauma, clashed
5) revelation, reasoned
4. A Parliamentary panel has described the traffic situation in the national capital as __ and said that the Traffic Police have failed to ____ it.
1) controlled, sustain
2) gross, protect
3) awkward, deteriorate
4) alarming, alleviate
5) derogatory, improve
5. In just a week after his __, the new Chief Minister has brought about a sea of change in the government policies, and this has _____ cheers from critics and supporters alike.
1) inception, elicited
2) installation, expelled
3) inauguration, evoked
4) office, driven
5) conception, managed
Directions for Questions 6 to 10: Read each sentence to find if there is any grammatical error in it. The error, if any, will be in only one part of the sentence. The letter of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is (E).
6. If you start fasting today, (A)/ you will be protesting for a week (B)/ by the time the Minister returns from his foreign trip, (C)/ and you can surely make an impact. (D)/ No error (E)
1) A
2) B
3) C
4) D
5) E
7. The boy wanted to buy a new jean (A)/ for his birthday, but his father (B)/ insisted on his wearing ethnic wear (C)/ on important occasions. (D)/ No error (E)
1) A
2) B
3) C
4) D
5) E
8. She had been looking for a womens’ (A)/ hostel for almost a week when she (B)/ accidentally met an old friend, (C)/ who could provide her accommodation till she found one. (D)/ No error (E)
1) A
2) B
3) C
4) D
5) E
9. The standards of education in urban areas (A)/ are perceivably much better than that in rural areas, (B)/ and it is worrisome that the government (C)/ does not address this issue. (D)/ No error (E)
1) A
2) B
3) C
4) D
5) E
10. As soon as the Professor mentioned (A)/ about the date of the examination, (B)/ the students expressed their disapproval (C)/ and sent paper rockets flying in the hall. (D)/ No error (E)
1) A
2) B
3) C
4) D
5) E
Directions for Questions 11 to 20: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it based on what is stated or implied in the passage. Certain words/phrases have been highlighted to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
Traditionally, we understand banks which take deposits to lend.But the main focus of the payment banks is not lending; they are not expected to lend. They occupy the other space, i.e., payments. Traditionally, most of the payments were either cash based or non-cash based. All non-cash based payments were routed through the banks. So, banks came more and more into then payment space. Once the payment space came to the banks, they were expected to give more features to the customers so that they will be able to do the transactions more comfortably. Three important features that a customer looks for are cost, convenience, and control over the transaction at any point of time. Banks were expected to do this and have been doing it quite well. During the last 4 to 5 years, different kinds of payment systems came to be introduced. We started with the RBI setting up the RTGS, NEFT, etc., but they were central bank man aged. Slowly, the movement has migrated from a central bank managing the payment system to various private parties and others. It is happening across the globe. When the payment systems across the globe were studied, in the developed countries, the private parties were driving the payments including on the digital platforms. In other countries like Kenya, it is not the private sector but the entire ecosystem that drove the need for change. In India, it is neither the model of the developed countries nor the model of the other countries like Kenya. Banks were therefore, not able to enter the space fully. Digital wallets and other things are being introduced but these have limited usages. It is in this context that the RBI thought that it might be right to come up with a system of banks which will be exclusively devoting themselves to payments.
What are the challenges that the banks might face when these payment banks come? Firstly, because of their reach, they can collect deposits also, and this might prove to be a challenge to existing commercial banks. Most of the payments that the merchant banks and others are doing are going to move to the payment banks and most of it is going to be managed by them. This is a challenge because the payment banks are those which already have the kind of technology that is required to provide low cost, high convenience, and lot of control over the system. Mobile penetration is very high in India. Mobile companies – are they in a better position to provide this payment mechanism? Another concern is postal officials, who have a good reach across places, especially in villages where they are friendly with the locals – they will be able to come and deliver the services, which are actually required for the people? This is another challenge the banks may have. But what are the challenges to the payment banks? Looking at the whole space, despite the efforts of the regulator, Govt. and the banks, why did we not take steps to encourage people to participate in the technology payments? It has not happened. When the new banks come, they also have to address this issue and identify the gaps. The major issues identified have been lack of awareness, lack of education, both formal and informal, by the bank staff. The most important element is trust. Encouraging people to use the new technology and ensuring them that the systems are safe is going to be the immediate priority. Are the people going to believe that if they send a transaction through this mechanism, it will work? How will their trust be built in the system? If they are able to bring them into the fold, then it will be a good thing, because more people will come into the banking fold using the payment space and the new products and certainly the banks will also take advantage and the total combination will work for the country as a whole.
11. Choose the word that is most nearly the same in meaning to the word TRADITIONALLY given in bold as used in the passage.
1) Conventionally
2) Religiously
3) Ethnically
4) Respectfully
5) Prehistorically
12. Choose the word that is most nearly the opposite in meaning to the word EXCLUSIVELY given in bold as used in the passage.
1) Unrestrictedly
2) Distinctly
3) Wholly
4) Carelessly
5) Directly
13. According to the passage, banks became prominent in the payment space because
1) the only alternative to cash was paying through banks.
2) they offer a lot of features while transacting.
3) payment banks do not lend.
4) banks are very good at sending payments.
5) None of the above
14. Which of the following is a suitable title to the passage?
1) The changing realm of payments
2) Highlights of improvements in Banking
3) Advances in Indian Banking
4) Payment banks – Need and Challenges
5) The origin of Indian payment banks
15. According to the passage, banks were not able to enter the payment space fully because
1) India could not replicate the Kenyan model of payments.
2) India does not have a specific pattern of movement in the realm of payments.
3) digital wallets and related payment platforms have limited utility.
4) the RBI exerts excessive control on Indian banks.
5) All of the above
16. According to the passage, the challenge to the existing banks because of payment banks is
1) cost escalation in traditional banks.
2) decreased customer trust.
3) unusual payment traffic.
4) threat to deposits.
5) None of the above
17. According to the passage, the most important challenge faced by the payment banks is
1) compliance with the central bank regulations.
2) gaining the trust of customers.
3) embracing technology needed for payment processing.
4) limiting payment related fraud.
5) None of the above
18. The passage ends on a note of
1) unwarranted hope for the success of the payment banks.
2) despondency regarding the success of payment banks.
3) aggressive persuasion.
4) justified optimism.
5) None of the above
19. Choose the word that is most nearly the same in meaning to the word PENETRATION given in bold as used in the passage.
1) Reach
2) Innovation
3) Use
4)Understanding
5) Sale
20. Choose the word that is most nearly the opposite in meaning to the word ENSURING given in bold as used in the passage.
1) Convincing
2) Disproving
3) Violating
4) Predicting
5) Denying
Directions for Questions 21 to 25: Rearrange the following six sentences (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), and (F) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph. Then answer the question that follows.
A. Diversification strengthens institutions by lowering organizational risk factors, spreading interests in different areas, taking advantage of market opportunities, and acquiring companies both horizontal and vertical in nature.
B. This approach to competition is gained via diversification of resources, the creation and development of new investment opportunities by opening up additional markets, and accessing new raw materials and resources.
C. Globalization is defined as a process that, based on international strategies, aims to expand business operations on a worldwide level, and was precipitated by the facilitation of global communications due to technological advancements, and socioeconomic, political and environmental developments.
D. Diversification of resources is a business strategy that increases the variety of business products and services within various organizations.
E. The goal of globalization is to provide organizations a superior competitive position with lower operating costs, to gain greater numbers of products, services and consumers.
F. Because of these advantages, diversification is a welcome phenomenon, and global organizations need to embrace it with much enthusiasm.
21. Which of the following is the FIFTH sentence in the paragraph?
1) E
2) B
3) A
4) D
5) F
22. Which of the following is the SECOND sentence after rearrangement?
1) A
2) B
3) C
4) D
5) E
23. Which of the following is the FOURTH sentence after rearrangement?
1) A
2) B
3) F
4) D
5) E
24. Which of the following is the FIRST sentence after rearrangement?
1) A
2) C
3) B
4) F
5) D
25. Which of the following is the THIRD sentence after rearrangement?
1) C
2) E
3) A
4) B
5) F
Directions for Questions 26 to 30: The following passage has blanks. Fill the blanks by choosing from the options provided.
On Sept. 20, 1993, when the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) debuted the PSLV for its maiden launch, there was a (1) between the second and third stages of the rocket after it took off. The mission was a failure. Through the next 25 years, however, the PSLV has charted an (2) trajectory, with 37 successful launches (and counting). Not for nothing is it called the workhorse of the Indian space programme. The latest in the PSLV’s string of achievements came with the launch of 104 satellites on a single launch vehicle–a world record. But it’s not merely about the number of satellites that can be (3) atop a rocket. The PSLV (4) the steady rise of India’s space programme in recent decades, and the success of its (5) technology. For instance, when India launched its Mars mission in 2014, for just about INR 450 crore ($73 million), the orbiter was put in space using the PSLV
26. The options for blank 1 are
1) mistake
2) misinterpretation
3) fallacy
4) blunder
5) glitch
27. The options for blank 2 are
1) incredible
2) improbable
3) unconvincing
4) unassuming
5) unsatisfactory
28. The options for blank 3 are
1) garnered
2) amassed
3) mustered
4) accrued
5) hoarded
29. The options for blank 4 are
1) communicates
2) simulates
3) betrays
4) mirrors
5) expresses
30. The options for blank 5 are
1) stingy
2) miserly
3) judicial
4) frugal
5) judgmental
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