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IBPS Clerk Prelims English Question Paper 2020

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Directions (1-8): Read the following passage and answer the following questions based on the given passage. Some of the words are highlighted which would help you to answer some of the questions given.

A good night’s sleep is of utmost essential for overall good health. It is the time when the body rests, rejuvenates, and recovers. An adult requires 7 to 8 hours of peaceful and quality sleep per day. Sleep deprivation can be defined as the inability to complete the sufficient sleep time required by the person. Research has shown that even one night of sleep deprivation is equivalent to being intoxicated. Intentional sleep deprivation is mostly seen in young people and teenagers who prefer entertainment oversleep. Many workaholics also consider sleeping as a waste of precious time which is not true. Many a time because of work commitments such as working night shifts or long hours may also interfere with the quality of sleep that an individual requires. Medical issues such as chronic illnesses, depression, and sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea can also be the reason for sleep deprivation.

You probably already have some understanding of the benefits of rest—and the costs of not getting it. Sleep allows us to consolidate and store memories, process emotional experiences, replenish glucose (the molecule that fuels the brain), and clear out beta-amyloid (the waste product that builds up in Alzheimer’s patients and disrupts cognitive activity).

The most common sign and symptom of the fact that one is sleep deprived is fatigue, lethargy, and feeling sleepy throughout the day. Other symptoms include mood disorders; sleep deprivation may lead to increased irritability, desire to stay alone, rapid mood swings, and more. Lack of sleep will also cause psychomotor instability meaning the person will find it difficult to focus and stand still at a place. Sleep deprivation will also cause issues with sight and hearing. An affected person may experience a burning sensation in the eyes, tingling and redness of eyes, light flashes and even hallucinations. He or she may also find it difficult to gauge the distance at which a sound is originating. Other signs and symptoms of sleep deprivation include tingling sensations on the body, disorganization of thought and much more. The negative effects of sleep deprivation are many. It affects both the physical and mental health of a person negatively. The most common effect of sleep deprivation is drowsiness, tiredness, mood swings, irritability and reduced alertness. Although scientific knowledge of the physiological effects of sleep deprivation is relatively recent but researchers now believe that sleep deprivation can lead to disorders such as depression. Both short term sleep deprivation and chronic long-term sleep deprivation can be very dangerous for the health as it has a direct impact on the functioning of both the heart and brain of an individual. Sleep loss also blunted activity in brain regions that normally induce social engagement. During sleep, regeneration of neurons happens in the cerebral cortex. Thus in a sleep-deprived individual, the brain fails to function optimally.

The simplest and easiest way to treat sleep deprivation is to sleep more. Be it acute or chronic condition, a quality good night’s sleep will help an individual ________(A)_________ effectively. Fighting stress, eating a healthy and a balanced diet, avoiding alcohol are some other dos for a good night’s sleep. Certain medications can also interfere with one’s sleep thus consult your medical professional about the same. Exercising or indulging in an activity such as jogging, walk or swimming can also help one sleep better. Avoid usage of electronic gadgets before bedtime as they can interfere with one’ sleep. Spending time in natural sunlight, Yoga, meditation and breathing exercises can also help one sleep better at night. Treating underlying medical cause if any will also help one sleep better and avoid sleep deprivation.

Q1. Which among the followings is true according to the context of the passage?
(a) All the five senses of the human body get negatively affected by sleep deprivation
(b) Underlying prolonged medical can also cause sleep deprivation.
(c) Sleep deprivation is a state which is caused by insufficient quantity or quality of sleep.
(d) Eating a healthy and balanced diet, avoiding alcohol, and fighting stress reduces depression
(e) All are true
Ans. (c)
Solution:

Among the given statements only statement (c) is correct. Statement (c) can be referred to the 1st paragraph “Sleep deprivation can be defined as the inability to complete the sufficient sleep-time required by the person.” All the other statements are factually incorrect.

Q2. What is/are the cause(s) of incompetency in a sleep-deprived individual’s brain?
(i) Reduction in the regrowth or repair of nervous tissues, cells, or cell products in the cerebral cortex.
(ii) The cognitive activity causes incompetency due to disruption of beta-amyloid.
(iii) Sleep deprivation causes drowsiness, tiredness, and reduced alertness.
(a) Only (i)
(b) Only (iii)
(c) Both (i) and (iii)
(d) Both (i) and (ii)
(e) All (i) (ii) and (iii) 
Ans. (a)
Solution:

Refer to the last sentence of the 3rd paragraph “During sleep, regeneration of neurons happens in the cerebral cortex. Thus, the brain fails to function properly in a sleep-deprived individual.” Hence, option (a) is correct. 

Q3. How can one safeguard oneself from sleep deprivation?
(i) Getting regular exercise during the day.
(ii) Refraining from using electronic devices right before bed
(iii) Limiting the consumption of alcohol
(a) Only (i)
(b) Only (iii)
(c) Both (i) and (iii)
(d) Both (i) and (ii)
(e) All (i) (ii) and (iii)

Ans. (e)
Solution:

Refer to the last paragraph, “Fighting stress, eating a healthy and a balanced diet, avoiding alcohol are some other dos for a good night’s sleep. Certain medications can also interfere with one’s sleep thus consult your medical professional about the same. Exercising or indulging in an activity such as jogging, walking or swimming can also help one sleep better. Avoid the usage of electronic gadgets before bedtime as they can interfere with one’s sleep. Spending time in natural sunlight, Yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises can also help one sleep better at night.”

Q4. According to the passage, which among the following statements is true?
(a) The quality sleep of 5-6 hours a day is required for the proper functioning of an adult.
(b) Nowadays, a medical professional can cure sleep deprivation.
(c) Our ability to acquire knowledge and process emotional experiences is enhanced by sleep.
(d) Both (a) and (b)
(e) All are true
Ans. (c)
Solution:

Only statement (c) is correct which we can infer from 2nd statement of the 2nd paragraph i.e. “Sleep allows us to consolidate and store memories, process emotional experiences, replenish glucose (the molecule that fuels the brain), and clear out beta-amyloid (the waste product that builds up in Alzheimer’s patients and disrupts cognitive activity).”

Q5. Choose the most suitable phrasal verb to fill the given blank (A) to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct.
(a) bounce back
(b) fall off
(c) come ahead
(d) break-in
(e) dropdown
Ans. (a)
Solution:

Bounce back means to return quickly to a normal condition after a difficult situation. Drop back means a menu appearing one below another. Break-in means force entry to a building. Come forward means to succeed or to make a profit. Falling off means becoming detached and dropping to the ground.

Directions (6-7): Choose the most suitable word that depicts the meaning of the highlighted word.
Q6. SUFFICIENT
(a) Myriad
(b) Abundant
(c) Restricted
(d) Slender
(e) Scarce
Ans. (b)
Solution:

Sufficient means enough; adequate, abundant.
Myriad means many.
Slender means

Q7. INDUCE
(a) Expel
(b) Dash
(c) Persuade
(d) Patron
(e) Encourage
Ans. (e)
Solution:

Induce means to bring about or give rise to.
Encourage means to stimulate the development of (an activity, state, or belief).
Dash means to speed up.
Expel means to throw out.
Patron means a person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, or cause.

Q8. Which of the following word depicts the opposite meaning of the given word REPLENISH?
(a) Rever
(b) Exhaust
(c) Eject
(d) Hasten
(e) Twist
Ans. (b)
Solution:

Replenish means restore (a stock or supply) to a former level or condition.
Hasten means to hurry up.
Rever means to respect.

Directions (9-13): In the following questions, a sentence is divided into four parts. Choose the part of the sentence which may contain a grammatical error in it. If all the parts of the sentence are grammatically correct and contextually meaningful, choose option (e) i.e. “no error” as your answer choice.

Q9. He as well as (A)/ his friends (B)/ were going (C)/ for hiking. (D)/ No Error (E)
(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D
(e) E
Ans. (c)
Solution:

‘were; should be replaced with ‘was’ as the subject of the subject is ‘He’ for that singular verb should be used.
Note: The subject of the sentence is the first word before the connectors like “with ‘with’, ‘together with’, ‘in addition to’, ‘or’, ‘as well as’, ‘besides”

Q10. If I don’t (A)/ turn on my (B)/ air conditioner, my (C)/ house was hot. (D)/ No error (E)
(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D
(e) E
Ans. (d)
Solution:

In part D, ‘is’ should be used at the place of ‘was’ because it is a zero conditional statement wherein the non-conditional clause will always be in the present tense.

Q11. Slicing a cake between pieces (A)/ is a fun tradition that many (B)/ newlyweds like to (C)/
incorporate into their ceremonies. (D)/ No Error (E)
(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D
(e) E
Ans. (a)
Solution:

‘Between’ should be replaced with ‘into’ because when a person or thing changes from one form to another ‘into’ should be used.

Q12. She had stayed up (A)/ all night because (B)/ she had received (C)/ bad news. (D)/ No error. (E)
(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D
(e) E
Ans. (a)
Solution:

At A, ‘simple past tense’ should be used as past perfect tense is used when one event took place before another event, and since first she would have received the bad news and then she would have stayed up late so the first event should be ‘receiving of news’ and it should be in past perfect and then ‘staying up late’ in the simple past tense. thus, the correct phrase should be ‘she stayed up”.

Q13. The coaching industry in India (A)/ plays a pivotal role, (B)/ as it contributes significant (C)/ revenue to the education sector. (D)/ No Error (E)
(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D
(e) E
Ans. (e)
Solution:

The sentence is grammatically correct.

Directions (14-17): In the following question, sentences are given with a part in bold. The given phrase in bold may or may not contain an error. The options following can replace the incorrect phrase. The correct phrase that is to be replaced will be your answer. If the sentences are correct then select ‘No improvement required’ as your answer.
Q14. Everything is funny, as long as it is happening too someone else.
(a) was happening to
(b) is happening to
(c) could have been happening to
(d) has been happening for 
(e) No improvement required
Ans. (b)
Solution:

Replace “too” with “to” as to is a preposition which means towards.
Too is an adverb that can mean “excessively” or “also.” Option ‘a’ would be incorrect as it is a general statement that should be written in the simple present tense.

Q15. They recommend this book even though they himself had never read it.
(a) they themself has
(b) it itself had
(c) they themselves had
(d) one oneself has
(e) No improvement required
Ans. (c)
Solution:

Reflexive pronouns can also act as emphatic pronouns, but they are used differently. An emphatic pronoun emphasizes its antecedent. Hence, the correct phrase is “they themselves had”. Thus, option (c) is correct.

Q16. This is the house that Jack built it.
(a) which Jack has built it
(b) that Jack built
(c) whom Jack built
(d) that Jack is building it
(e) No improvement required
Ans. (b)
Solution:

In the Relative clause, the ‘relative pronoun’ is the subject/object of the relative clause, so we should not repeat the subject/object. And as ‘that’ is already used as the object of ‘built’, which is just object of ‘built’ and written ahead of ‘Jack’ to connect the sentences, then we should not use ‘it’ as the object of ‘built’. Thus, we don’t need the object of ‘built’ which is given ‘it’.

Q17. In no way do I agree with what you’re saying.
(a) No way I don’t
(b) In no way I don’t
(c) Do I in no way
(d) In no way I do
(e) No improvement required
Ans. (e)
Solution:

The given sentence is grammatically correct.

Directions (18-23): In the following passage some words have been deleted. Fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given. Select the most appropriate option for each blank.
According to some researchers, musical instruments came about ____(18)___, depending on the available materials, and, in some cases, by the stimulus of the clamor of battle. The definition of a musical instrument is quite simple: it is an instrument that was created or ____(19)____ to make musical sounds. It is important to remember that the history of musical instruments dates back to the beginning of human culture. This tells us that man has always been drawn to music. The earliest musical instruments were used for rituals. For example, the trumpet-like ones were used to signal success in a hunt, or drum-like instruments were used in religious ceremonies.
Over time, cultures have developed the composition and performance of musical pieces for entertainment. Musical instruments have also ___(20)__ with ever-changing applications. It appears that no one knows exactly where the music came from. We are not talking here about who Elvis’ singing predecessors were, not even about when the first musical instrument was invented. Researchers who have been interested in the physics of instruments believe that musical devices have always ____(21)___ pretty much on the materials that were available to each civilization. In other words, people worked with what they had. In time, traditional poetry was ___(22)___ alongside human noise-makers and got rhythms to them. Again, there is no exact data to back this up, so no one knows exactly when the first song was born. However, adding stories to melodies became a tradition that was carried on to our days and it does not seem like it will ever go out of fashion.

Q18. (a) anxiously
(b) deliberate
(c) cautiously
(d) systematic
(e) randomly
Ans. (e)
Solution:

Option (e) is the correct choice as the context of the statements wants to convey that the musical instrument came by chance, this ‘randomly’ is the most appropriate word.
“Randomly”: in a way that happens, is done, or is chosen by chance rather than according to a plan.
All the other words are either grammatically or contextually incorrect.
Cautiously: in a careful and well-considered way that avoids the risk
Anxiously: in a way that shows you are worried or nervous

Q19. (a) distributed
(b) prohibited
(c) immense
(d) adapted
(e) concise
Ans. (d)
Solution:

“Adapted” is the correct choice as ‘adapted’ means to make something suitable for some purpose and here, the instrument was made suitable for musical sounds.
Adapted: to change something so that you can use it in a different situation
Concise: giving a lot of information in a few words; brief
Immense: very big or great
Prohibited: to say that something is not allowed by law; to forbid

Q20. (a) Refine
(b) diminished
(c) evolved
(d) subdues
(e) Surged  
Ans. (c)
Solution:

Option (c) is the correct choice as evolve means to develop gradually and here since the context of the statement is ‘application of musical instrument’ has also been getting changed, so in that way, it must have evolved with time.
Subdued: quieter and with less energy than usual
Evolved: to develop or to make something develop gradually, from a simple to a more advanced form
Refine: to improve something by changing little details
Surge: a sudden strong movement in a particular direction by a large number of people or things.

Q21. (a) depended
(b) sustained
(c) aligned
(d) suspected
(e) related
Ans. (a)
Solution:

Option (a) is the correct choice as these instruments must have dependent on materials available at that time. Thus ‘dependent’ is the most appropriate word. All other words are either grammatically or contextually incorrect.
Meaning of some other words:
Sustained: to make something continue for a long period of time without becoming less
Aligned: to arrange things in a straight line or so that they are parallel to something else

Q22. (a) displayed
(b) recited
(c) elaborate
(d) arranged
(e) Remembered
Ans. (b)
Solution:

Option (b) is the correct choice as poetries are recited which means they are spoken aloud to get it heard. Thus ‘recited’ is the most appropriate word. All other words are either grammatically or contextually incorrect.
Recited– to say aloud a piece of writing, especially a poem or a list, from memory
Elaborate– very complicated; done or made very carefully

Directions (23-26): In each of the questions given below a sentence is given with three words in bold. Choose the option which gives the correct sequence of these words to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct.

Q23. The deficit (A) changes in the sector brought in through the three laws have aggravated (B) the trust abrupt (C) of the government.
(a) CAB
(b) CBA
(c) ABC
(d) BAC  
(e) None of these
Ans. (b)
Solution:

“CBA” is the correct sequence.
At A, The context is of ‘abrupt’ changes. At B, with ‘have’ the third form of the verb should be used, thus ‘aggravated’ is the correct word. Thus at C, ‘deficit’ should be used.
The abrupt changes in the sector brought in through the three laws
have aggravated the trust deficit of the government.

Q24. The Chinese Communist Party initially aftermath (A) nationalism as a co-option embraced (B) in the strategy (C) of the Tiananmen Square massacre
(a) None of these
(b) BCA
(c) CAB
(d) CBA
(e) ABC
Ans. (b)
Solution:

“BCA” is the correct sequence
At A, “embraced” should come as there is no verb in the clause. At B, ‘strategy’ should be used to give the context of the co-option strategy. And at C, ‘aftermath’ should be used.
The Chinese Communist Party initially embraced nationalism as a co-option strategy in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre

Q25. The Supreme Court has been asking States to reservation (A) quantifiable data to justify (B) their levels of produce (C).
(a) None of these
(b) BCA
(c) CAB
(d) CBA
(e) ACB
Ans. (d)
Solution:

“CBA” is the correct sequence.
At A, a verb is required thus ‘produce’ should be used to give the context of ‘production of quantifiable data. At B also, an infinitive is required, thus ‘justify’ is the correct choice. And At C, ‘reservation’ is required as a noun is required after a preposition.
The Supreme Court has been asking States to produce quantifiable data to justify their levels of
reservation.

Q26. The U.P. ordinance not only conflict(A) guaranteed fundamental rights but is also in violates(B) with existing(C) personal laws
(a) ACB
(b) ABC
(c) BAC
(d) CAB
(e) None of these
Ans. (c)
Solution:

“BAC” is the correct sequence.
‘The U.P. ordinance’ should take a singular verb, thus ‘violates’ is the correct verb. And at B, ‘in conflict’ is the correct word.
The U.P. ordinance not only violates guaranteed fundamental rights
but is also in conflict with existing personal laws

Directions (27-30): In the question given below, some sentences/phrases are given which have to be arranged in a proper sequence. Select the option which best defines the proper sequence and arranges the sentence in an appropriate way.

Q27.
(A) We are expecting from
(B) It is crucial to define
(C) Plans for COVID-19
(E) The outcomes
(D) Population-level vaccination
(a) BCAED
(b) CABED
(c) BEADC
(d) DCABE
(e) No rearrangement possible
Ans. (c)
Solution:

Option (c)- BEADC is the correct sequence for the given question.
“It is crucial to define the outcomes we are expecting from population-level vaccination plans for COVID19“.

Q28.
(A) Work alongside
(B) China in quickly
(C) Uncovering the
(D) WHO must
(E) Origins of the virus
(a) EBACD
(b) DABCE
(c) CAEBD
(d) EBCDA
(e) No rearrangement possible
Ans. (b)
Solution:

Option (b)- DABCE is the correct sequence for the given question.
WHO must work alongside China in quickly uncovering the origins of the virus.

Q29.
(A) Is a result of
(B) Discontent over the
(C) And discussion in Parliament
(D) New farm laws
(E) Sidestepping debate
(a) EDABC
(b) AEBDC
(c) BDAEC
(d) DEABC
(e) No rearrangement possible
Ans. (c)
Solution:

Option (c)- BDAEC is the correct sequence for the given question.
“Discontent over the new farm laws is a result of sidestepping debate and discussion in Parliament”.

Q30.
(A) Bearing a nexus to
(B) To the public
(C) Only information
(D) Public activity should
(E) Be available
(a) EDABC
(b) CEDAB
(c) AEBDC
(d) CADEB
(e) No rearrangement possible
Ans. (d)
Solution:

CADEB is the correct sequence for the given question.
Only information bearing a nexus to public activity should be available to the public.



Last Updated : 08 Sep, 2022
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