DESCRIPTIVE

ENGLISH
for Bank and SSC Exams

DESCRIPTIVE ENGLISH
Content Contribution : Amar Ujala Education Books Authors Panel
with Manisha Shukla
Amar Ujala Publications Ltd.
Published by Amar Ujala Publications Ltd.
and printed at C-21, Sector 59, Noida - 201301 (U.P.)
First Edition : 2015
ISBN : 978-93-82948-93-3
Price : ` 60/

Due care and diligence has been taken while publishing this book. However, the publisher does not hold any responsibility for any mistake that may have inadvertently crept
in. The publisher does not accept responsibility for any loss arising out of the use of this
book.

All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the
publisher.

All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in
Noida only.

DESCRIPTIVE ENGLISH
CONTENT
q

DESCRIPTIVE ENGLISH : INTRODUCTION ................................................... 05

PRACTICE SET-1 FOR BANK & SSC EXAM .................................................... 09

PRACTICE SET-2 FOR BANK & SSC EXAM .................................................... 16

PRACTICE SET-3 FOR BANK & SSC EXAM .................................................... 23

PRACTICE SET-4 FOR BANK & SSC EXAM .................................................... 37

PRACTICE SET-5 FOR BANK & SSC EXAM .................................................... 45

PRACTICE SET-6 FOR BANK & SSC EXAM .................................................... 51

PRACTICE SET-7 FOR BANK & SSC EXAM .................................................... 59

PRACTICE SET-8 FOR BANK & SSC EXAM .................................................... 64

PRACTICE SET-9 FOR BANK & SSC EXAM .................................................... 69

PRACTICE SET-10 FOR BANK & SSC EXAM .................................................. 77

PRACTICE SET-11 FOR BANK & SSC EXAM .................................................. 88

PRACTICE SET-12 FOR BANK & SSC EXAM .................................................. 95

Descriptive English

Amar Ujala Publications

DESCRIPTIVE ENGLISH
INTRODUCTION

True ease in writing comes from art, not

chance,

Under the examination scheme of State

Bank of India P.O. Exams and other Bank
P.O. Examinations, the test of English Language
is not of qualifying nature but it is compulsory
and it does have a bearing on the overall marking
pattern. It is considered that almost all
candidates are fully aware of this fact. The
English Language test makes a large section
of aspirants vigilant. Undoubtedly English can
be regarded and understood as a vital subject.
Hence, every student should take this test
seriously and pay a balanced attention to enrich
himself with the relevant facts of English.

As those move easiest who have learnt to

dance
A critical analysis of questions asked in
previous Bank P. O. & Specialist Officers
examinations reveals that the questions in
English Language are designed to test
candidates understanding of English and its
usage. It is aimed how well candidates do
understand the grammatical rules and their
usages, how well they do comprehend the idea
conveyed in the given passage and how well
candidates can express the given idea. This
section consists of 50 questions. The subject
matter of questions generally comprise the
following topics :

It is a general notion that English is a

foreign language and so it is very difficult. But
this notion is far from truth. A student must
know and understand that English is not a tough
language. A language is a practical medium of
expression of our ideas and thoughts. People
who study and use a language are mainly
interested in how they can do things with the
languagehow they can make meanings, get
attention to their problems and interests,
influence their friends and colleagues and create
a rich social life for themselves. They are only
interested in the grammatical structure of the
language as a means to getting things done. A
grammar puts together the Patterns of the
language. To acquire a simple, direct and
forceful knowledge in writing and reading calls
for constant practice. It does not understood
by nature. As the poet Pope says :

(i) Comprehension Test.

(ii) Cloze Test
(iii) Jumbled sentences
(iv) Common Errors
(v) Fill up the Blanks
(vi) Synonyms and Antonyms
(vii) Spelling Errors
(viii) Idioms/Phrase Meaning
(ix) Sentence Improvement
While preparing for this section candidates
must be careful about the rules of grammar,
word-power etc. They must develop habit of
reading and comprehending a standard News
Paper of English. In order to present clear
idea-about the nature of questions, the different
topics have been analysed critically.
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Descriptive English

(vii) retaining factual information to save

time, otherwise you will always have
to refer back and find out the required
information which will necessarily
consume valuable time.

COMPREHENSION TEST
The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary
provides meaning of the word comprehension
which is an exercise aimed at improving or
testing ones understanding of a language. So,
the comprehension test is included in the
scheme of the examination to test candidates
capacity to understand what is said or implied
in the passage.

Majority of the candidates believe in reading

the questions first. The assumption is that one
will be able to find the answers faster in the
text of the passage, if one, Knows the questions
before reading the Passage. But there are three
very good reasons not to follow this technique :

In the Bank P. O. Exams, a passage is

given, followed by ten to fifteen questions.
Among these questions, some are general
questions on what is said in the passage and
some are on terms used in the passage.
Generally some words or terms are printed in
bold in the passage. Some questions related to
these words are antonyms and synonyms.
Clearly, a student must have a good knowledge
of word-power, grammar and ability to
understand a passage.

(a) Firstly, it is not possible for anyone to

remember all the questions as they are
given at once. Again, when, one reads
the passage, ones stress will be on
locating the answer to the questions
and not on comprehending the central
idea of the passage.
(b) The order of the questions need not
be progressive with the text. Thus, one
may not be able to find the answers in
the same order.

Quite a few students believe that it is

possible to understand the key idea of paragraph
by just reading the first and the last sentence
but this need not be necessarily true.

(c) Now it is observed that most of the

ques- tions in reading comprehension
are indirect. Such questions may be
of the following formats :

The level of comprehension (understanding) of passage is a very wide term and

this includes skills such as :

(i) It can be inferred from the passage

that...
(Implied Information)

(i) logical ability and the ability to infer

(ii) According to the author....

(Main Idea)

(ii) ability to link paragraph or analytical

ability

(iii) Which of the following describes the

mood of the passage....
(Tone or Mood)

(iii) ability to reason

(iv) reading speed
(v) ability to understand the motive of the
author

(iv) The authors statement that...

(vi) vocabulary power, and

(v) The passage is primarily concerned

with ...
(Ask)

(Specific Information)

Descriptive English

Amar Ujala Publications

(vi) The author implies that...

(Implied Information)

stated in the passage or the tone/ mood

of the passage.

(vii) The main purpose of the passage...

(Matn Idea)

If you find out quickly what the question

is aiming for, you will arrive more easily
at the correct answer by referring to
your underlinings in the passage.

(viii) The authors tone is best described

as...
(Tone or Mood)

4. Derive the meaning of tough or

unfamiliar words by using the context
method. Suppose, you dont know the
meaning of a certain word in a passage,
try to determine the meaning of that word
from the context, i.e., from the words
that are close in position to that word
whose meaning you do not know. Often
an author uses an unfamiliar word and
then immediately defines it within the
same sentence. Look at the words in the
immediate vicinity of the word or phrase
which appears to be tough or unfamiliar.
These words will give you a sense of
the meaning of the unfamiliar word.

(ix) What is the difference/commonality

between ..... (Linking Paragraphs)
(x) One could easily see the author as ...
(Implied Information)
This list may be still longer. The answers
to such questions cannot be directly lifted from
the text of the passage. One can answer these
questions accurately only if one has a good
comprehension of the passage. Therefore,
reading such questions before reading the
passage shall have no additional value and can
only be a hindrance to comprehension.

IMPORTANT TIPS
1. The most important way to really
understand what you are reading is to
get involved with the passage.

5. Encircle transitional and keywords while

reading the passage. The transitional
words are bridge words that will help
you to discover logical connections in the
given passage. Encircling these
transitional words will help you to get a
better understanding of the passage.

2. While reading the passage you should

translate the information given in each
para into your own language, by analysing
the elements of the passage, recognising
the relationship between these elements,
seeking cause-effect relationships,
impmcations etc.

6. As you read each question, determine

the type :
(i) Main Idea : Selection of the main
thought of the passage, ability to judge
the general significance of the passage,
ability to select the best title of the
passage.

3. You should underline important parts of

passage. The underlining will help you to
answer of questions. Practically a
question will ask you to detect the
main idea or the information that is
specifically mentioned in the passage or
(information) that is implied (not directly)

(ii) Inferential Reasoning : Ability to

weave together the ideas of a passage
and to see their relationship or linking, to
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Descriptive English

(1), (2), (3) and (4). If the first choice

does not give you the definite feeling
that it is correct, do not try to analyse it
further. Move to the second choice.
Again, if that choice does not make you
feel that it is correct one, and you really
have to think carefully about the choice,
go on the third choice. The choice, that
you feel first, is definitely correct (say
choice 3) is the one you should mark.
Do not bother about going on to the
remaining choices. In other words, stop
at the choice that you feel is obviously
right one.

draw correct inferences, to go beyond

literal interpretation to the implications of
the statements.
(iii) Detecting Details : Ability to
understand the authors explicit statement,
to get the literal meaning of what is
written, to identify details.
(iv) Tone or Mood : Ability to determine
from the passage, the tone or mood that
is dominant in the passage humorous,
serious, sad, mysterious, factual etc.
7. Look back at the passage when in doubt.
Sometimes while you are answering a
question, you are not quite sure whether
you have chosen the correct answer.
Often, the underlinings, that you have
made while reading the passage, will help
you to determine whether a certain choice
is the only correct choice. Again, refer
to the passage while answering factual
questions.

IMPORTANT FACT
It is generally seen that the passages
asked in SBI & Associate Banks
Probationary Officers Exams and other
Bank P.O. Exams are related to financial
sector, banking sectors, Information
Technology etc. The passages are no
longer story or event based that are
easily comprehensible. Today it is a
different thing. Candidates are therefore,
advised to study Business Standard, The
Economic Times, etc to focus on economy
based passages. Umarujala Publication
has introduced this approach in under
title improve Your Comprehension in
which you get passage based on economy
with answers and explanations. It will
be proved useful in the preparation of
this section.

8. Do not answer a question on the basis

of your own opinion. Answer each
question on the basis of the information
given or suggested in the passage itself.
Your own views or judgements may
sometimes conflict with what the author
of the passage is expressing. Answer
the question according to what the author
believes.
9. To answer questions on comprehension
most effectively you should read the
question and proceed to look at the
alternative choices in the order of choices

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Descriptive English

Amar Ujala Publications

DESCRIPTIVE ENGLISH

PRACTICE SET-1
FOR BANK & SSC EXAM

1. Write a letter in about 150 words on

any one of the following :

did not score equally high70 percent in

Economics and 73 percent in Commerce theory.

(i) Write a letter to your younger sister

advising her how she should prepare
for the forthcoming school
examination.

There are certain rules which have to be

observed in order to do very well in the
examination. First of all, please dont take the
Board Examination lightly which is only about
three and a half months away. You should make
the best use of your time. The golden rule of
Early to bed and Early to rise, must be
observed. It is always good to study early in
the morning when mind is fresh and also after
nights rest, body is active and ready to work
hard. You should study any subject at that time
which needs more attention. Please pay special
attention to statistical graphs in Economics. Do
not sleep during the day. I think this period of
time can be best used to revise Mathematics
and English.

(ii) You are planning to visit Nainital this

summer with your family. Write a
letter to a travel agency in Nainital
requesting them to book you a room
in a five-star hotel. Give other details
of your journey and the facilities you
require there. Sign yourself as Dinesh
of C/8 Railway Colony, Nainital.
(iii) Write a petition to the Post-Master
General for the establishment of a
Post-Office in your locality.

Answer
(i)

Your future aim depends upon the marks

you obtain in the Final Examination of the
Central Board. If you secure good marks and
division, you are sure to get admission in very
good college, specializing Commerce, like Sri
Ram College of Commerce or Vanketashwara
college. Do not waste your time in gossips or
political discussions which can wait for the timebeing. These things you can do in your free
time after the Senior Secondary Examination.

Examination Hall
Date....................

My dear M,
I have just received your letter and hasten
to reply it. I am much pleased to know that in
the Selection Test of your school, you have
fared very well by securing high first division
and second position in your school. It is very
heartening to learn that in Mathematics, you
got 100 percent marks and in Accountancy
and English over eighty five percent. Only in
Economics and Commerce theory papers, you

With love to you and respects to father

and mother.
Yours affectionately,
XYZ
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Amar Ujala Publications

Descriptive English

2. Write a paragraph on any one of the

following topics in not more than 150
words :

on the mind. In olden days, the saints or the

gurus advised their pupils to go on repeating
the holy scriptures even without understanding.
They had a belief that repeated reading was
superior to understanding. But this is wrong to
say so. It should be always understood first
and only then to be repeated to gain better
effect on the mind. The best way for preparation
of the examination is to complete the whole
course of study a few months before the actual
date of examination. Then there will be
sufficient time left for the student to utilize that
time in revision and repetition of the related
course learnt. This process of revision and
repetition should be continued till the date of
examination. And it should be done as many
times as possible. In this way, the student will
find very easy to learn the whole course of
study before the examination. In this manner,
she will also gain self-confidence and she will
be sure to perform remarkably well in the
examination. It will be in the interest of the
student to go through the previous examination
papers of previous ten years.

(i) Examination day

(ii) The habit of saving
(iii) My favourite book
(iv) Preservation of wild life in India
(v) The place of English in our
educational system

Answer
(i) Examination Day
Examination day decides the future of a
students life. It is a vitally important day for
her. On this day her whole years labour and
effort bears fruit. But these days are few and
far between. The examination is meant to test
the knowledge of the student what she has
learnt during the year. But this system of
examination is faulty as the students fate will
be decided within a short span of three hours.
Therefore, the student has to prepare in such
a way that she should be able to give answers
from her memory in a small period of time.
God has made our brain with a wonderful
mechanism which is able to store and then to
reproduce knowledge that she has been
acquiring during the whole year. No computer
can compete with the human brain in memory.

In this manner, there will be no fright of

examination for the student because her brain,
the store-house of knowledge, is ready to shunt
out the required knowledge to answer the
questions asked in the question paper.
3. Write an essay on any one of the
following topics in approximately 250300 words :

But the question arises how a student

should retain her learnings in mind. There is a
definite system to do so. First of all, a student
is expected to read dilligently and try to
understand what she is studying. It is not wise
to cram the subject without proper
understanding. Such type of reading must be
avoided. Once the basic matter is understood,
a few repeated revisions will remain impressed

(i) Are We Progressing?

(ii) Advertising : Uses and Abuses
(iii) Mans Landing on the Moon
(iv) Morality and Politics dont go together
(v) Is the Modern Student Pampered?
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