Word Usage Questions For Bank Clerk Prelims Exam

Dear Aspirants, Our IBPS Guide team is providing new series of English Questions for IBPS Clerk Prelims so the aspirants can practice it on a daily basis. These questions are framed by our skilled experts after understanding your needs thoroughly. Aspirants can practice these new series questions daily to familiarize with the exact exam pattern and make your preparation effective.

 

Start Quiz

 

Directions (1-5): Given below is a word followed by three sentences. You need to understand whether the sentences used the highlighted word correctly or not. Mark the incorrect sentence with the incorrect word usage as your answer.

1) Nobel

(I) The protests are only one of the problems the generals have brought on with their February 1 ouster of the elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San SuuKyi.

(II) Paul Pickering says he wants to come to India to “write a Nobel based on the story of my wife’s great aunt, a post-colonial story”.

(III) Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan’s (KVS) Nobel initiative– Pustakopahar– wherein students donate their used textbooks to their juniors is coming in handy for a number of needy students studying in the nine KendriyaVidyalayas (KV) of Prayagraj district in this time of pandemic

A) Both (ii) and (iii)

B) Only (ii)

C) Both (i) and (iii)

D) Both (i) and (ii)

E) None of these


2) Minute

(I) After an uptick in covid fatalities, the committee had been tasked to analyze deaths at the five major civic-run hospitals and suggest measures to minute them.

(II) Srivastava says listening to teachers and understanding the minute details of the core concepts is the key and that can only happen with repeated revision and focused preparation

(III) The district administration has already identified a site at the civil hospital for the plant, which will generate around 200 litres of oxygen per minute.

A) Only (i)

B) Both (ii) and (iii)

C) Both (i) and (ii)

D) Only (ii)

E) None of these


3) Site

(I) BioNTech plans to open the Singapore office in 2021 and expects the manufacturing site to be operational by 2023, creating up to 80 jobs in Singapore.

(II) The Plains Blue Royal butterfly has been site for the first time in the Pune district on Vetaltekdi (hill) in 2020.

(III) SwadeshiJagranManch sites the surge in Covid cases and called for an urgent need to have medicines and vaccines available at affordable prices.

A) Both (i) and (iii)

B) Both (i) and (ii)

C) Both (ii) and (iii)

D) All (i), (ii) and (iii)

E) None of these


4) Moral

(I) There have been 1,288 instances of communal violence including moral policing, cattle vigilantism, and hate speech in the state since 2010, according to Karnataka Communal Harmony.

(II) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement marking one year since the UN World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic that “the global vaccination campaign represents the greatest moral test of our times.”

(III) To keep their moral up during the fight, these Good Samaritans are also pasting motivational messages, wishing them speedy recovery, on these food packets.

A) Both (ii) and (iii)

B) Only (i)

C) Only (ii)

D) Only (iii)

E) None of these


5) Defy

(I) Unnamed people in Cachar district booked for seeking a social boycott of two men for defying their calls against working for the BJP during repolling in the Sonai assembly constituency on April 20

(II) The traders demanded to allow the opening of their shops and they also threatened to open them defying the state orders if not allowed officially.

(III) Mamata Banerjee’s remarks are in context of several right-wing Hindu organizations trying to defy Nathuram Godse.

A) Both (i) and (ii)

B) Only (iii)

C) Both (ii) and (iii)

D) Only (ii)

E) None of these


Directions (6-10): Given below is a word followed by four sentences. You need to understand whether the sentences are using the word correctly or not. Mark the incorrect sentence with the incorrect word usage as your answer.

6) Affect

(I) In terms of the GDP impact analysis, countries most negatively impacted are the ones with the fewest resources to adapt to and mitigate the affect of rising global temperatures

(II) The ministry issued advisories to healthcare workers and vaccine beneficiaries to make them aware of the symptoms of the adverse affects of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination.

(III) According to Dr Amit Upadhyay, who was part of the team that treated him, the boy’s lungs were affected by the time he arrived at the hospital. He was administered Remdesivir injection and put on a dose of steroids.

A) Both (i) and (ii)

B) Both (i) and (iii)

C) Only (ii)

D) Only (i)

E) All (i), (ii) and (iii)


7) Believe

(I) Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla said the company exported Covid-19 vaccines when health experts believed that the country was “turning the tide on the pandemic.”

(II) The American Civil Liberties Union has argued that students need protection from censorship and monitoring of their believes.

(III) The reason for the order is premised on the risk of spreading coronavirus. But, the Lobby and activist group International Campaign for Tibet, believes that the real aim is to further restrict Tibetans religious freedom.

A) Only (i)

B) Only (ii)

C) Only (iii)

D) Both (ii) and (iii)

E) None of these


8) Confident

(I) The 22-year-old from the remote Kabarwala village threw a national mark to qualify for Olympics and is confident she can make the podium

(II) A close confident of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Walse Patil, 64, is known as a shrewd politician and a good administrator

(III) Conversations with officials across the states indicate that most states are not very confident of getting the vaccines from international players soon as only those manufacturers who have been approved by Drug Controller of India can supply vaccines

A) Only (ii)

B) Both (i) and (ii)

C) Only (iii)

D) Both (ii) and (iii)

E) None of these


9) Collusion

(I) At least 11 people were killed and around a dozen injured in the bus-truck collusion.

(II) The charges against a total of 47 opposition figures represent the most sweeping use yet of Hong Kong’s new security law, which punishes what it broadly defines as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

(III) Of the 13 people who died in the collusion, at least 10 were Mexican nationals, and Mexicans were also among the injured, according to Mexico’s foreign ministry.

A) Only (ii)

B) Both (i) and (ii)

C) Both (ii) and (iii)

D) Both (i) and (iii)

E) None of these


10) Canvas

(I) For Biden and Democrats, the bill is essentially a canvas on which they’ve painted their core beliefs — that government programs can be a benefit, not a bane, to millions of people and that spending huge sums on such efforts can be a cure, not a curse.

(II) In a step to encourage people to adopt best waste management practices, the Noida Authority is turning walls in rural regions into canvases with the message: “keep the city clean”

(III) An artwork created from British artist Sacha Jafri’s ‘The Journey of Humanity’, which holds the Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas, sells for $62 million in Dubai.

A) Only (i)

B) Both (ii) and (iii)

C) Only (ii)

D) Only (iii)

E) None of these


Answers :

1) Answer: A

Both (ii) and (iii)

Nobel: – an international prize given each year for achievements in literature, physics, chemistry, medicine, economics, and world peace

Novel: – a book that tells a story about people and events that are not real

Noble: – honest; full of courage and care for others

(I) The protests are only one of the problems the generals have brought on with their February 1 ouster of the elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San SuuKyi.

(II) Paul Pickering says he wants to come to India to “write a novel based on the story of my wife’s great aunt, a post-colonial story”.

(III) Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan’s (KVS) noble initiative– Pustakopahar– wherein students donate their used textbooks to their juniors is coming in handy for a number of needy students studying in the nine Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV) of Prayagraj district in this time of pandemic


2) Answer: A

Only (i)

Minute: – very exact or accurate, one of the 60 parts that make up one hour; 60 seconds

Reduce: – to make something less or smaller in quantity, price, size, etc.

(I) After an uptick in covid fatalities, the committee had been tasked to analyze deaths at the five major civic-run hospitals and suggest measures to reduce them.

(II) Srivastava says listening to teachers and understanding the minute details of the core concepts is the key and that can only happen with repeated revision and focused preparation.

(III) The district administration has already identified a site at the civil hospital for the plant, which will generate around 200 litres of oxygen per minute.


3) Answer: C

Both (ii) and (iii)

Site: – a place where something has happened or that is used for something

Sight: – to see somebody/something, especially after looking out for him/her/it

Cite: – to mention something or use somebody’s exact words as an example to support, or as proof of, what you are saying

(I) BioNTech plans to open the Singapore office in 2021 and expects the manufacturing site to be operational by 2023, creating up to 80 jobs in Singapore.

(II) The Plains Blue Royal butterfly has been sighted for the first time in the Pune district on Vetaltekdi (hill) in 2020.

(III) SwadeshiJ agran Manch cited the surge in Covid cases and called for an urgent need to have medicines and vaccines available at affordable prices.


4) Answer: D

Only (iii)

Moral: – concerned with what is right and wrong, having a high standard of behaviour that is considered good and right by most people

Morale: – how happy, sad, confident, etc. a group of people feel at a particular time

(I) There have been 1,288 instances of communal violence including moral policing, cattle vigilantism, and hate speech in the state since 2010, according to Karnataka Communal Harmony.

(II) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement marking one year since the UN World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic that “the global vaccination campaign represents the greatest moral test of our times.”

(III) To keep their morale up during the fight, these Good Samaritans are also pasting motivational messages, wishing them speedy recovery, on these food packets.


5) Answer: B

Only (iii)

Defy: – to refuse to obey somebody/something, to ask somebody to do something that you believe to be impossible

Deify: – worship or regard as a god.

(I) Unnamed people in Cachar district booked for seeking a social boycott of two men for defying their calls against working for the BJP during repolling in the Sonai assembly constituency on April 20

(II) The traders demanded to allow the opening of their shops and they also threatened to open them defying the state orders if not allowed officially.

(III) Mamata Banerjee’s remarks are in context of several right-wing Hindu organizations trying to deifyNathuramGodse.


6) Answer: A

Both (i) and (ii)

Affect (Verb):- make somebody/something change in a particular way; to influence

Effect (Noun):- a change that is caused by something; a result

(I) In terms of the GDP impact analysis, countries most negatively impacted are the ones with the fewest resources to adapt to and mitigate the effects of rising global temperatures

(II) The ministry issued advisories to healthcare workers and vaccine beneficiaries to make them aware of the symptoms of the adverse effects of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination.

(III) According to Dr Amit Upadhyay, who was part of the team that treated him, the boy’s lungs were affected by the time he arrived at the hospital. He was administered Remdesivir injection and put on a dose of steroids.


7) Answer: B

Only (ii)

Believe (Verb):- to feel sure that something is true or that somebody is telling the truth

Belief (Noun):- a feeling that somebody/something is true, morally good or right or that somebody/something really exists

(I) Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla said the company exported Covid-19 vaccines when health experts believed that the country was “turning the tide on the pandemic.”

(II) The American Civil Liberties Union has argued that students need protection from censorship and monitoring of their beliefs.

(III) The reason for the order is premised on the risk of spreading coronavirus. But, the Lobby and activist group International Campaign for Tibet, believes that the real aim is to further restrict Tibetans religious freedom.


8) Answer: A

Only (ii)

Confident (Adjective):- feeling or showing that you are sure about your own abilities, opinions, etc.

Confidant (Noun):- a person who you trust and with whom you talk about private or secret things

(I) The 22-year-old from the remote Kabarwala village threw a national mark to qualify for Olympics and is confident she can make the podium

(II) A close confidant of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Walse Patil, 64, is known as a shrewd politician and a good administrator

(III) Conversations with officials across the states indicate that most states are not very confident of getting the vaccines from international players soon as only those manufacturers who have been approved by Drug Controller of India can supply vaccines.


9) Answer: D

Both (i) and (iii)

Collusion (Noun):- secret agreement, especially in order to do something dishonest

Collision (Noun):- a crash; an occasion when things or people collide

(I) At least 11 people were killed and around a dozen injured in the bus-truck collision.

(II) The charges against a total of 47 opposition figures represent the most sweeping use yet of Hong Kong’s new security law, which punishes what it broadly defines as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

(III) Of the 13 people who died in the collision, at least 10 were Mexican nationals, and Mexicans were also among the injured, according to Mexico’s foreign ministry.


10) Answer: E

None of these

All are correct

(I) For Biden and Democrats, the bill is essentially a canvas on which they’ve painted their core beliefs — that government programs can be a benefit, not a bane, to millions of people and that spending huge sums on such efforts can be a cure, not a curse.

(II) In a step to encourage people to adopt best waste management practices, the Noida Authority is turning walls in rural regions into canvases with the message: “keep the city clean”

(III) An artwork created from British artist Sacha Jafri’s ‘The Journey of Humanity’, which holds the Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas, sells for $62 million in Dubai.

Start Quiz

 

Direction (11-13): A highlighted word is given below followed by four sentences in which the word may be inappropriately used. You have to identify the sentence in which the word is placed appropriately.

11) Adamant

A) The doctors at Apollo hospital had been absolutely adamant that Meena’s grandmother was not going to get better.

B) Raani is so adamant in her political beliefs that no one can change her mind!

C) Kunal is a very sweet, amiable and adamant boy.

D) Unemployed youths of this country are adamant about finding a suitable job.

A.Only B

B.Only A

C.Only D

D.Only C

E.All are correct


12) Enervate

A) The lecture on calculus was enervating to the new students.

B) If you are idle then it will definitely enervate your progress towards success.

C) The energy drink enervated him to such an extent that he ran faster than the others.

D) The long journey from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar is quite enervating.

A.Only A

B.Only B

C.Only C

D.Only D

E.All are correct


13) Negligent

A) Piangshuk is quite punctual and negligent when it comes to official works.

B)I was utterly shocked to find out how negligent Arun had been during these years.

C) Please do not be negligent in your work else you will suffer.

D) Pulak seems quite negligent about his health.

A.Only A

B.Only B

C.Only C

D.Only D

E.All are correct


Direction (14-17): A highlighted word is given below followed by four sentences in which the word may be inappropriately used based on parts of speech. You have to identify the sentence in which the word is placed appropriately.

14) Denounce

A.The dictator made a speech to denounce the actions of his enemies.

B.Management was quick to denounce the hard work done by the union representatives

C.Ministers took the floor to denounce the decision to suspend constitutional rule.

D.I encouraged them to denounce the callow subjugation of women and switch from heels to flats.

E.All are correct


15) Fervent

A.My fervent wish for you is a lifetime of success and happiness.

B.The terrorist’s fervor made him believe that giving his life for his cause was his purpose in life.

C.Moments of fervent inspiration are also part of this very short but telling musical prayer.

D.The portrayals of factory life would make even the most fervent capitalists turn to Marx and Engels.

E.All are correct


16) Extirpate

A.The birch copses were extirpated in support of discipline.

B.All four valued white supremacy and promoted the extirpation of Indian society.

C.To explore an operative method for the extirpation of hysteromyoma with laparoscope.

D.Both C & B

E.None of the above


17) Fierce

A.They brushed away every difficulty and pushed on fiercely.

B.The commanders fight fiercely and win the day against the traitorous forces.

C.They could not withstand the fierceness of attack of those soldiers.

D.Joe is a fierce debater who browbeats his opponents into defeat

E.All are correct


Direction (18-20): In the questions mentioned below, you will find that a word has been used in sentences in 4 different ways. Choose the option corresponding to the sentence in which the usage of the word is  INCORRECT or INAPPROPRIATE.

18) Statement

A.No doubt he told them that their mother had perished, because after the king’s statement, that would be easiest.

B.Samantha was perplexed by the statement asked by her husband about her past relationships.

C.The tyrant’s  chilling smile did nothing to make his statement more tolerable to the captives.

D.I am making a simple statement that life is better now than it has ever been, after all my children are well settled now.

E.All are correct


19) Second

A.The rebels agreed to stop, eat and bed down for their second night in captivity, after being captured.

B.Nira has taken the second great step in her education, what was the first?

C.My wife second me when I said I wanted to sell off the property in the bay area.

D.By the end of the second day, Arthur had adapted to the guests and felt completely at ease – a state that Sylvia  wanted to shatter.

E.All are correct


20) Concoct

A.Remember that If your parents say nothing, or concoct a cover story, it could  be impossible to mount a prosecution.

B.Although the meal portions are large enough to fill the whole family of eight, they should leave some room for the exclusive sundae concoction by the host.

C.They stopped the event before the grand coronation, before George fed his amazing concoction to his granny.

D.Not only does it not require a trip to the Veterinary doctor, it’s also extremely simple to concoct At home.

E.All are correct


Answers :

11) Answer: D

Adamant means refusing to be persuaded or to change one’s mind.

If we look at the sentences given here we can easily understand that in sentence C the context does not quite match with the word adamant. We need a word which has a positive sense. So it is incorrectly used here.

Therefore, the correct answer is option D.


12) Answer: C

Enervate means (lacking) or drained of energy or vitality. In sentence C it gives just the opposite sense of enervate and hence is incorrect.

Therefore, in the given question the correct answer is option C.


13) Answer: A

Negligent means failing to take proper care over something.

In the very first question we can see that there is a clear contradiction of senses. A person cannot be punctual as well as negligent both. Hence we can understand that it is incorrectly used here.

Therefore, in the given question the correct answer is option A.


14) Answer: E

Denounce (verb) – to say publicly that something is wrong

Here all the given sentences are in noun form.

Hence option E is the answer.


15) Answer: B

Fervent (adjective) – having or showing strong feelings

Here option B explains in verb form where other options belong to adjective form of fervent.

Hence option B is  the answer.


16) Answer: A

Extirpate (verb) – eradicate or destroy completely

Here only sentence A is in verb form where other sentences are not in verb form

Hence option A is  the answer.


17) Answer: D

Fierce (adjective) – violent, anger, aggressive

Here the sentence D alone gives the form of adjective where other options do not belong to adjective form.

Hence option D is  the answer.


18) Answer: B

Statement -something that you say or write, especially in a formal way; a summary of activity in a financial account over a particular period of time.

Here in sentence B, instead of ‘statement’ appropriate word should be question or query.


19) Answer: C

Second-next to the first in place or Time; the act or declaration by which a parliamentary motion is seconded; to give support or encouragement to.

Seconded is the correct usage, as the sentence C has happened in the past.


20) Answer: E

Concoct- to make something unusual by mixing different things together; to make up or invent something (an excuse, a story, etc.)

All sentences are correct here.

Download Word Usage Questions for IBPS Clerk Prelims Exam PDF

Try IBPS Clerk  Free Online Mock Test

Try SBI Clerk  Free Online Mock Test

0 0 votes
Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments