English Quizzes, for IBPS Clerk Prelims 2021

Directions (1-5): In each of the question given below a/an idiom/phrase is given in bold which is then followed by five options which then try to decipher its meaning. Choose the option which gives the correct meaning of the phrases.

Q1. Come hell or high water
(a) To do the best of one’s capabilities
(b) To be very expensive
(c) To take place
(d) Possible obstacles in your path
(e) To overtake

Q2. To cook the books
(a) To study day and night
(b) To modify financial statements
(c) To get success in life
(d) To get extremely tired
(e) To be defeated in a battle

Q3. Your guess is as good as mine
(a) To have a strong competitor
(b) To have a controversial view
(c) To have a good plan
(d) To have complete idea about anything
(e) To have no idea about anything

Q4. To square the circle
(a) To attempt something impossible
(b) To attempt something easy
(c) To be passionate about something
(d) To hide a mistake
(e) To put blame on others

Q5. To Upset the Apple Cart
(a) To irritate somebody
(b) To make a sudden reaction
(c) To disturb the peace
(d) To avoid the main topic
(e) To go against the rules

Directions (6-10): In each of the questions given below a sentence is given which is then divided into five parts out of which one part is incorrect. You must choose the grammatically incorrect part as your answer.

Q6. Blockchains can make smart meters(A)/ more potent by providing accurate(B)/ data to the supplier without the need(C)/ for a direct link to specific users, (D)/lending more control on the end user(E).
(a) A
(b) D
(c) B
(d) E
(e) C

Q7. In India’s evolving foreign policy (A)/imagination, the pursuit of power(B)/ and influence seeming to eclipse (C)/the country’s traditions of normative (D)/behaviour and principled positions(E).
(a) A
(b) D
(c) B
(d) E
(e) C

Q8. It is in this context that Mr. Modi’s (A)/‘informal summit’ with Russian President Vladimir Putin(B)/ in Sochi is viewed as an attempt by both(C)/ to reassuring each other that the (D)/relationship has not lost its warmth(E).
(a) A
(b) D
(c) B
(d) E
(e) C

Q9. She has argued that although(A)/ China removes such policies when challenged (B)/at the WTO, by that time it(C)/ usually achieves whatever it wanted to(D)/ with implementing those industrial policies(E).
(a) A
(b) D
(c) B
(d) E
(e) C

Q10. There will be lot more(A)/ flexibility to determining the demands(B)/ of national interest(C)/, for national interest is itself not(D)/ static, only the idea of it is(E) .
(a) A
(b) D
(c) B
(d) E
(e) C

Directions (11-15): Which of the following phrases given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold letters to make the sentence meaningfully correct? Choose the best option among the five given alternatives that reflect the correct use of phrase in the context of the grammatically correct sentence.

Q11. It takes time for the missile to reach its target and it is possible for a human to intervene and countermand the decision, cause a disaster before it happens.
(a) suspending a target
(b) catering the disaster
(c) averting a disaster
(d) accomplishing the target
(e) No correction required

Q12. Non-alignment once used to be a faulty part in India’s foreign policy, and even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, New Delhi continued to pay lip service to it.
(a) to be the cornerstone of
(b) to be an amazement of
(c) to be an avoidable part of
(d) to rule amongst
(e) No correction required

Q13. Choosing to consulted on hard power for foreign policy outcomes sidelines our rich soft power attributes.
(a) Liking to focus
(b) Threatening to consult on
(c) Choosing to exclusively focus
(d) Creating a scenario
(e) No correction required

Q14. The visit to the museum and the boat ride on the lake, in turn, were possibly intended to demonstrate the extent of China’s soft power.
(a) were planned to cater to
(b) will be able to enhanced
(c) were responsible for
(d) have been the reasons for
(e) No correction required

Q15. The President or Governor then becomes the keeper of the sum’s integrity and has to see that the pattern of the sum is honoured by the pattern of the seats.
(a) is being an honour of the
(b) is to be denoted
(c) has to be an average
(d) has to covered the
(e) No correction required

Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. Come hell or high water: Possible obstacles in your path

S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. To cook the books: To modify financial statements

S3. Ans.(e)
Sol. Your guess is as good as mine: To have no idea about anything

S4. Ans.(a)
Sol. To square the circle: To attempt something impossible

S5. Ans.(c)
Sol. To Upset the Apple Cart: To disturb the peace

S6. Ans.(d)
Sol. Part E has error in it. Use ‘to’ in place of ‘on’.

S7. Ans.(e)
Sol. Part C has error in it. Use ‘seems’ in place of ‘seeming’.

S8. Ans.(b)
Sol. Part D has an error in it. Use ‘to reassure’ in place of ‘to reassuring’.

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. Part E has an error in it. Use ‘ from’ in place of ‘with’.

S10. Ans.(c)
Sol. Part B has an error in it. Use ‘ to determine’ in place ‘to determining’.

S11. Ans.(c)
Sol. The most suitable phrase is ‘averting a disaster’. The last part of the sentence says before it happens, so averting or turning away the disaster is most suitable here.

S12. Ans.(a)
Sol. The suitable phrase is ‘to be the cornerstone of’ which means to be a vital element of something and it goes in context with the sentence.

S13. Ans.(c)
Sol. The phrase “Choosing to exclusively focus” makes the sentence grammatically correct.

S14. Ans.(e)
Sol. No correction is required as the statement is grammatically correct.

S15. Ans.(e)
Sol. No correction required as the statement is grammatically correct.