How to approach English Language in SBI PO Main Exam 2019, Check Important Topics!

Today, we are sharing the ideal approach of English Language for SBI PO Main 2019. SBI PO Main exam is just around the corner as it is going to be conducted on 20th July 2019 for recruitment to the posts of Probationary Officers. In the last few remaining days, just go through the complete topics and take them as your checklist of the preparation. You can also mark it for the revision purpose to go through all the topics which are important for the main examination. 

Ideal Approach For English Language in SBI PO Main Exam

Here, we will discuss the ideal/preferred approach to attempt English Language section in SBI PO Main Exam. You may have prepared very well for the exam, you may have done a lot of hard work, but at the day of the exam, if you can not attempt the paper with the correct approach, you will find it difficult to crack the exam. So, let us discuss the ideal way to attempt the exam in order to maximize your score in English Language section: 

1. Start with questions that take less reading time like fill in the blanks, spotting errors, para jumbles, phrase replacement, etc. In this way, you can score maximum marks in the first half of the sectional time. This will also boost your confidence and pump you up to attempt the remaining part more enthusiastically. 

2. Now, go through the Reading section, attempt cloze test because it takes comparatively less time than RC. 

3. Now, attempt the Reading Comprehension, read the first paragraph thoroughly and try to get the theme of the RC. Attempt the vocab/Idioms and phrase-based questions first. 

4. These are the major portions of the English section, if you can attempt them well in time then you can go through the remaining questions. 

5. It is very difficult to attempt all the questions in the English language with 100% accuracy. But, try to avoid random guessing, you can apply the elimination method in a few questions. 

NOTE: The approach may change from one person to the other on the basis of his/her strength and weakness, this is an ideal approach, not mandatory. 

SBI PO Main 2019 English Language Preparation

Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension is given in the exam to judge the capability of understanding the passage and to analyze the problem in the correct perspective. The questions will not come direct and hence have to understand the passage to answer. Candidates should have a good reading ability for attempting these questions. Two Sets of RC can be asked in Main Exam. One Long RC can consist of 10 Questions & other short RC can consist of 5 Questions.

How to solve Reading Comprehension Efficiently, Check Here!

Para jumbles

The objectives of these types of sentences are to rearrange the sentences in the original sequence. It consists of a group of sentences that have been jumbled up. Five or Six sentences are given in a random order and you have to place them in the correct order of their occurrence.

For Ex –Directions (Qs. 1 - 3): 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 given below them.

A. However, the reported cases may well be only the tip of the iceberg.

B. Nonperforming assets and frauds are the biggest threats faced by the banking sector; fraudulent deals amounting to ₹28,000 crore were reported over the last five years.

C. It has come at a time when incidents of bank fraud have been increasing, the most recent being the foreign exchange scam of over ₹3000 crore at the Bank of Baroda.

D. Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan’s doubts about the efficacy of fraud detection systems in banks are pertinent.

E. However, other than in some high profile cases, banks have rarely taken swift deterrent action against insiders involved in fraudulent deals.

F. According to Deloitte’s 2015 Banking Fraud Survey, a staggering 93 per cent of respondents admitted that there has been an increase in the incidents of fraud in the banking industry over the last two years, with more than half estimating an increase by over 10 per cent.

Solution: Correct Sequence: D C B A F E

How to solve Parajumble Questions, Check Here!

Sentence Rearrangement 

In Sentence Rearrangement questions, a sentence will be given. First or any other part of the sentence will be (may not be) fixed. Students will be required to arrange the remaining sentence in a meaningful order. You can understand it properly with the help of below example -

Example -  In the given question, a statement divided into different segments is given. The first segment is fixed, rearrange the other segments to form a coherent statement. If the sentence is already arranged or the correct sequence doesn't match any of the given sequence, mark (e).i.e. "None of the above" as your answer.

Ques. By learning basic plant anatomy/ but also knowing where in the field guide to look for them (P)/ telling species apart, (Q)/ proficient not only at (R)/ one can soon become (S).

Solution: The correct sequence is SRQP. S explains the possible consequence of learning basic plant anatomy. It is followed by R which says what can one "become", the word which is stated in (S). "Not only" is followed by "but also" therefore R is followed by P, but since the object of "not only" is mentioned in Q, P comes after Q. Thus, the correct sentence after rearrangement is SRQP.

Cloze Test

This is a scoring topic of English language section. Five questions are asked from this topic and candidate can score 3 to 4 marks easily, if he had good reading and grammatical sense. A candidate has to choose correct meaningful word according to the passage and complete the sentence.

For Ex –

Spotting Error

This type of questions requires good grammatical sense. Candidate has to find the grammatical error in the sentence. Four to five questions are expected to come in the SBI Main Exam.

For Ex –

1. He confess (A)/ that he had made (B)/ a lot of mistakes (C)/ in the course of his life. (D)/ No error. (E)

2. Given the complexities of the Indian economy (A)/ and its inter-connections with the outside world, (B)/ a rate reduction by the monetary authority alone (C)/ would not suffice at the present juncture. (D) No error. (E)

3. Her strong interpersonal skills (A)/ and keenly sense of perspicuity (B)/ make her an irreplaceable asset (C)/ to the interview team. (D)/ No error. (E)

Ans

1 (A) Replace confess with confessed.

2 (D) Replace would with will.

3. (B) Replace keenly with keen.

How to solve Error Spotting Questions

New-pattern of Error Detection:

1. Direction: Four sentences S1, S2, S3, S4 are given. The underlined word is used either correctly or incorrectly. Choose the option which lists the sentences, where the underlined word is used correctly. 
S1. Only 22% of the people voted. The rest were totally disinterested.
S2. The management and the union asked a completely disinterested party to mediate between them. 
S3. I don’t know why he didn’t go to the exhibition. Perhaps he was too busy or just disinterested. 
S4. France’s intervention in the dispute was not entirely disinterested. It gave her increased power and influence in the area.

1. S1, S2, S4.
2. S2, S3, S4.
3. S1, S4.
4. S2, S4.
5. S1, S3

Explanation & Answer:

The correct answer is, ‘D’.

“Disinterested” means ‘unbiased’. 
“Uninterested” means ‘not interested’. 
With these definitions, only S2 and S4 are the sentences where the word has been used correctly.

Fill in the blanks

Five questions with double spacing is expected to come in exam. Candidate has to fill in the blanks with a correct word from the given options.

For Ex –

1. It is indicative of the slow pace of________ in the frontier State that the BJP’s successful campaign, three decades on, was also________ on a promise to solve the foreigners’ issue, and usher in all-round development.

1) retreat, imbalance
2) progress, mounted
3) regret, disproportion
4) decline, differ
5) perpetual, different

Ans (2) progress, mounted

2. The anti-immigrant________ during campaigning at times virtually________ Muslims with illegal immigrants.

1) simplest, exasperated
2) difficulties, exercise
3) shortness, dishonesty
4) rhetoric, conflated
5) conciseness, dishonored 
Ans (4) rhetoric, conflated

How to solve Fill in the blanks, Check Here!

New-Pattern of Fill in the Blanks:

1. Direction: A statement with three blanks is given. Choose the words which can fill the given blanks.

Explanation & Answer:

The correct answer is, ‘E’. We can clearly decipher from the sentence that the first blank should contain a word that means activate or run. “Trigger” has such meaning. “Subside” means to calm. “Reckon” means to compute. The second blank should contain a word that means to observe or see. “Viewing” will fit perfectly in the blank. “Waning” means disappearing. “Slumping” means falling. The third blank should contain a word that means restricting. “Limiting” will suit the best. “Underlying” means unrevealed. “Palpable” means visible. “Pronounced” means noticeable. “Vigorous” means strong. Hence, option E is correct.

2. Direction: Three statements with a blank in each, followed by three words, are given below. Which of the following sequence of words given at (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E) would most appropriately fit the blanks?

I. But how would this ______, lateral movement fit into a linear ideology? 
II. We must get rid of the bad habit of journalists who like to ________ one another. 
III. The army is needed to help get food into the flood affected area where people are in ______ need. 

i. Disparage 
ii. Desperate 
iii. Disparate

Options : 

Explanation & Answer: The correct answer is E.

The meanings of the words are as follows:

Disparage- regard or represent as being of little worth
Desperate- needing or wanting something very much
Disparate- essentially different in kind

The given words are homonyms, hence confusing. So you should know the meanings of the words to attempt this question.
In (III), people in a flood-prone area would definitely desperately need food, so, 'desperate' fits here.
In (I), it is being interrogated how will one thing fit into the other, which means that the two things are different from each other. S "disparate" fits in I. 
The correct sequence is thus mentioned in option E.

Paragraph Completion Question

In these new types of questions, There is a paragraph of  4-6 line and a blank would be given. That blank can be at any place in the paragraph. It can be at the starting of the paragraph, or in the middle of the paragraph, or it can be as the last line of the paragraph. From the given options, the candidates are required to choose one option, which can fill that blank appropriately according to the paragraph and which can complete the sense aptly matching the theme of the paragraph.

Ex -
Direction: The following question have a paragraph form from which the last sentence has been deleted. From the given options, choose one which fills in the blank and completes the paragraph in the most appropriate way.

Two forms of paper art originated with the invention of paper in the Han Dynasty. The invention of paper during the Han dynasty spawned two new Chinese arts. Chinese paper cutting originated as a pastime among the nobles in royal palaces. The oldest surviving paper cut out is a symmetrical circle from the sixth century found in Xinjiang, China. __________________

A )Chinese Shadow theatre is a form of puppetry that is performed by moving figures made of animal skins or cardboard held behind a screen lit by lamplight.
B)From the founding of the Republic of China in 1911, when China began modernizing until the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, the art of Chinese knotting was almost lost.
C)The art of Chinese paper folding also originated in the Han dynasty, later developing into origami after Buddhist monks introduced paper to Japan.
D)Original writings by famous calligraphers have been greatly valued throughout China's history.
E)The earliest Chinese painting was decorative, consisting of the geometric patterns and animals painted on Stone Age pottery.
Solution: All options are talking about the various forms of Art in China but since the lines before the blank talk about the Chinese paper cutting and Han dynasty, Hence C is the most appropriate answer.

Paragraph summary questions

In this type of questions, a paragraph is given. The candidates are required to find out the summary of that paragraph. You have to check which option suits best as the essence of the paragraph and then mark your answer accordingly.

Ex-
Direction: Read the following paragraph carefully and choose one option that summarizes the paragraph best.
Nineteenth-century liberals recognized that democracy comes in various forms, and dreaded the version advocated by Rousseau, in which an inspired lawgiver interprets and implements the will of the people. Nowadays such fears are dismissed as elitist. But the old-fashioned liberals grasped a vital truth: popular government has no necessary connection with the freedom of individuals or minorities. Of course, liberals today will say this can be remedied by installing the rule of constitutional rights. Such systems are fragile, however, and count for nothing when large sections of society are indifferent or actively hostile to liberal values. Where this is the case, democracy means not much more than the tyranny of the majority.

1)Inspired lawgivers in liberal democracies are better equipped to interpret and implement the will of the people than in illiberal democracies.
2)Nineteenth-century liberals believed that democracy means not much more than the tyranny of the majority.
3)Constitutional rights are fragile and ineffective in ensuring the protection of the freedom of individuals in any democracy.
4)Popular governments in illiberal democracies use the power of the majority to clamp down on the freedom of minorities.

Solution: Option 4 sums up the main idea or the summary of the paragraph best. In illiberal democracies, where the majority is indifferent or actively hostile to liberal values, popular governments use the power of the majority to clamp down on the freedom of minorities.

Statement Fillers

Statement fillers or double fillers is also a new kind of question for the bank exams. These questions require good observation skills. The candidates are required to identify one word from the given options, which can be filled suitably and aptly in both the sentences. One word completes the sense of both the sentences  appropriately 
 
Ex-
Direction: Two statements with a blank in each have been given. These statements are followed by five alternatives. Choose the one which fits into both the statements aptly.

A) Governments in these countries should create education system since______ good schools the bulk of people entering the world force will not have the skills they need.
B) We cannot process colour, details of rapid changes in our surroundings __________ the cone-shaped cells packed around the centre of the retina.
1)without
2)Black
3)Cabsence
4)Dismissing
5)Efficient
Solution: Here, without means absence of. Hence, Option 1 is correct. 'Without' completes the sense of both the sentences aptly.

Sentence/phrase Connector

Sentence connector is the new type which has recently been introduced in bank exams. There will be two or three sentences given. The candidates are required to find out which of the given option connects the given sentences in an appropriate way. To get more familiar with this type, look at the example below :   

Ex-
Direction: Select the phrase/connector from the given three options which can be used to form a single sentence from the two sentences given below, implying the same meaning as expressed in the statement sentences.
Pick out the option which when used to start a sentence combines both the given sentences in one.

The cabinet approved the proposed merger of State Bank of India and five subsidiaries. This will create the first Indian lender to rank among the world’s top 50.
a) Creating the first
b) The merger has brought about
c) The approval of
(1)Only a
(2)Only b
(3)Only c
(4)Only b and c
Solution: The cabinet’s approval has led to the proposed merger of SBI and the five subsidiaries. Approval is the main word here. Hence c is the correct choice
New Sentence: The approval of the proposed merger of State Bank of India and its five subsidiaries by the cabinet will create the first Indian lender to rank among the world’s top 50.

Odd One Out 

This is also a new type of questions for the English section of bank exams. In this, the candidates are required to select one option that seems different from all other options. You need to identify the theme and then identify which sentence is not matching that theme.

Ex-
Direction: in the following question, four sentences follow a similar theme
(1)The rollout of the goods and services tax (GST) is likely to be delayed by two or three months
(2)The government is yet to lock down a date but is likely to settle for either 1 June or 1 July
(3)States like Kerala and West Bengal had sought a delay in the implementation of the tax
(4)Though its implementation would have been easier from the beginning of a fiscal year, it can be implemented anytime
(5)The move has dashed hopes of consumption jump in Asia’s third-largest economy

Solution: Option 5 is the sentence which does not match correctly with the theme of other sentences. All other sentences are about a similar theme i.e. GST.

How to solve Odd One Out Questions, Check Now!

Phrase Replacement

This types of questions have been introduced in SBI PO Prelims 2017. These are similar to  'sentence correction' questions. In this, the candidates are required to select the option which is grammatically and idiomatically correct according to the given sentence in question. Look at the example below to understand the type of questions asked in this topic.

English Language Quizzes for SBI PO Main, Attempt Now!

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