Previous years solved papers for practice of SBI_CLERK_(PRELIMINARY_EXAM)_2016

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Directions (15): Rearrange the given six sentences/group of sentences A, B, C, D, E and
Fin a proper sequence so as to form a meaningful paragraph and then answer the given
questions.
A. Anansi was just about to eat them when he noticed smoke in the distance. He learnt from
the cassava that the smoke was from the town of rice.
B. “Rice is much better than cassava!” Saying this Anansi promptly journeyed to the town of
rice. When he reached there he noticed smoke in the distance. So he left the rice village and
headed for the smoke, greedily thinking that he’d get something better.
C. Alas, when he reached there he found it was his own village and he had no food for the
villagers or himself. Greed had got him nowhere.
D. He left his village to find food for his people and himself. After walking miles and miles he
saw smoke from a distant village.
E. Anansi, the spider was very unhappy. There was a drought and all his people were starving.
F. When he reached, the only food he found was cassava. The cassava asked Anansi, “Would
you like us roasted, fried or boiled?” Anansi told them that he did not have a particular choice
and so they roasted themselves.

1. Which of the following should be the SIXTH (LAST) sentence after the rearrangement ?

2. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after the rearrangement ?

3.Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after the rearrangement ?

4. Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after the rearrangement ?

5. Which of the following should be the THIRD sentence after the rearrangement ?

Directions (6-10): Read each of the following sentences to find out whether there is
any grammatical error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. Select
the part with the error as your answer. If there is no error, select `No error’ as your
answer. (Ignore the errors of punctuation, if any)

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Directions (16-25): Read the passage carefully and answer the questions given
below it. Certain words/phrases have been given in bold to help you locate them while
answering some of the questions.
Long time ago, in a forest, there lived a young antelope. He was fond of the fruits of a
particular tree. In a village bordering the forest, there lived a hunter who captured and
killed antelopes for various reasons. He used to set traps for animals under fruit-bearing
trees. When the animal came to eat the fruit, it would be caught in the trap. He would
then take it away and kill it for its meat. One day, while visiting the forest in search of
game, the hunter happened to see the antelope under its favourite tree, eating fruit. He
was delighted. ‘What a big, plump antelope!’ he thought. ‘I must catch him. I will get a
lot of money from selling his meat.’ Thereafter, for many days, the hunter kept track of
the antelope’s movements. He realised that the antelope was remarkably vigilant and
fleet footed animal that it would be virtually impossible for him to track him down.
However, he had a weakness for that particular tree. The crafty concluded that he could
use this weakness to capture him.
Early one morning, the hunter entered the forest with some logs of wood. He climbed the
tree and put up a machan (platform used by hunters) on one of its branches by tying the
logs together. Having set his trap at the foot of the tree, he then took up position on the
machan and waited for the antelope. He strewed a lot of iy ,ovef mrui bts eo
rn2thoeig6round beneath the 11.004.3, tree to conceal the trap and lure the antelope.
Soon, the antelope came strolling along. He was very hungry and was eagerly looking
forward to his usual breakfast of delicious ripe fruits. On the treetop,the hunter, having
sighted him, sat with bated breath, willing him to come closer and step into his trap.
However, the antelope was no fool. As he neared the tree he stopped short. The number
of fruits lying under the tree seemed considerably more than usual. Surely, something
was amiss, decided the antelope. He paused just out of reach of the tree and carefully
began examining the ground. Now, he saw what distinctly looked like a human footprint.
Without going closer, he looked suspiciously at the tree. The hunter was well hidden in
its thick foliage, nevertheless the antelope, on close scrutiny, was now sure that his
suspicions had not been unfounded. He could see a corner of the machan peeping out of
the leaves. Meanwhile the hunter was getting desperate. Suddenly, he had a brainwave.
Let me try throwing some fruit at him,’ he thought. So the hunter plucked some choice
fruits and hurled them in the direction of the antelope. Alas, instead of luring him closer,
it only confirmed his fears! Raising his voice, he spoke in the direction of the tree
—”Listen, my dear tree, until now you have always dropped your fruits on the earth
Today, you have started throwing them at me! This is the most unlikely action of yours
and I’m not sure I like the change! Since you have changed your habits, I too will change
mine. I will get my fruits from a different tree from now on-one that still acts like a tree!’
The hunter realised that the antelope had outsmarted him with his cleverness. Parting
the leaves to reveal himself, he I grabbed his javelin and flung it wildly at the antelope.
But the clever antelope was well prepared for any such action on his part. Giving a saucy
chuckle, he leapt nimbly out of the harm’s way.

16. As mentioned in the story, which of the following can be said about the hunter ?

17. Which of the following is most nearly the same in meaning as the word ‘AMISS’ as used in the story ?

18. Which of the following statements is true in the context of the story ?

19. Which of the following is most nearly the opposite in meaning as the word ‘VIGILANT’ as used in the story ?

20. As mentioned in the story, the antelope told the tree that he would not have its fruits
anymore as…………….
A. he had sensed danger as everything around the tree appeared different than usual.
B. he felt insulted by the tree.
C. he started liking fruits from the adjacent tree as they were more juicy.

21. As mentioned in the story, the hunter prepared a machan on the tree to……….
A. live peacefully
B. keep a watch on the entire forest.
C.catch his prey.

22. Which of the following could be a suitable title to the story ?

23. Which of the following is most nearly the opposite in meaning as the word ‘PLUMP’ as
used in the story ?

24.Which of the following correctly explains the meaning of the phrase, ‘bated breath’ as
used in the story ?

25.Which of the following is most nearly the same in meaning as the word ‘LURE’ as used
in the story ?

Directions (26-30): In the following passage, some of the words have been left out.
Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer to each question out of the
five alternatives and fill in the blanks.
There lived an old tiger in a forest. It was becoming ..(26)… for him to catch a prey. The
Tiger thought, “I no longer have the strength and speed of a youth. …(27)… I find some
trick, I will starve to death.” On thinking hard, the tiger came upon a plan. He began
shouting loudly, ‘I am very old. I have turned into a vegetarian. I have become a saint
and will not eat animals anymore.’
These words spread like …(28)… in the jungle. Innocent animals came to pay respect to
the tiger thinking that the tiger had changed into a saint. In turn, the tiger pounced on
the animals when they came to his cave.
One day, a witty fox heard the words of the tiger. The fox began to wonder, “Can a tiger
become a saint?” So stealthily, the fox approached the tiger’s cave. He carefully examined
the footprints of animals. He found that all the footprints were going towards the cave
but none were …(29)… from the cave. He quickly alerted all animals in the forest. “The
Tiger is a cheat. Don’t go to the cave.” No animal ever …(30)… the cave again and the
tiger died of starvation.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

NUMERICAL ABILITY

1. The average monthly income of P and Q is Rs. 7,050/-.The average monthly income of Q
and R is Rs.7,700/and that of P and R is Rs.8,250/-.What is the monthly income of P ?

2. The side of a square is equal to height of a triangle. If the area of the triangle is 294 m²
and the respective ratio of its height and base is 3 : 4, what is the perimeter of the square
(in m) ?

3. The interest earned when a sum of Rs. 1,200/was invested for 4 years in scheme A
(offering simple interest at the rate of 20% p.a.) was Rs. 1,460/less than the amount
received when Rs. x was invested for 2 years in scheme B (offering compound interest
compounded annually at the rate of 10% p.a.). What was x ?

4. The sum of allowances received by Riddhi and Siddhi together was Rs. 3,800/-.
Riddhi and Siddhi both paid 2/8th of their respective allowances as their tuition fees. If the
tuition fees paid by Siddhi was more than that paid by Riddhi, by Rs. 80/-,how much was Riddhi’s allowances ?

5. Train A, 220m long, can cross a platform 340 m long in 32 sec. If the respective ratio of
speed of trains A and B is 7 : 9 and the length of train B is 270 m, how much time (in sec)
would train B take to cross an electric pole ?

6.Directions (6-10): Refer to the table and answer the following questions.
Number of Horror Novels published by 5 companies during 5 months
Month Company


6. What is the respective ratio between total number of horror novels published by
company A in January and April together and total number of horror novels published
by company C in February and March together ?

7.Number of horror novels published by company E in January is what percent less than
the number of horror novels published by company D in February

8.What is the difference between total number of horror novels published by company A in
February and March together and that by company C in January and April together ?

9.What is the average number of horror novels published by companies B, D and E in
March ?

10.Number of horror novels published by companies B and D increased by 10% and 5%
respectively from May to June. What is the total number of horror novels published by companies B and D together in June ?

Directions (11-20): What approximate value will come in place of question mark (?)
in the given questions ? (You are not expected to calculate the exact value.)

11. 10^? – 162 × 1 1/3 = 28^2

12.(29.55 + 95.45) × ? = 150

13.√? ÷ 5 = 220 – 6^3

14.140% of 80 + ? – 23 =100

15.\( \frac{1}{5} \) + \( \frac{2}{15} \) + ? + \( \frac{1}{6} \) = 1 \( \frac{1}{6} \)

16. 2 × 4.5 + 12 × 1.5 = ?

17.√\( \frac{2.76 × 3}{2.3 × 2.5} \)=?

18. 4\( \frac{1}{3} \) + 4\( \frac{1}{5} \) x 2 \( \frac{7}{9} \)=?

19. 70% of 20% of 240 = ?

20.120% of ( 11 \( \frac{1}{6} \) + \( \frac{5}{6} \) ) +?=26 ( 6 6

Directions (21-25): What will come in place of question mark (?) in the given
number series ?

21. 8 ? 16 48 192 960

22. 16.8 16.85 16.75 16.9 16.7 ?

23. 8 20 35 54 78 ?

24. 16 ? 32 16 4 0.5

25. 63 72 97 146 227 ?

26.Jar A has ‘x’ ml mixture of milk and water, of which 40% is water. Jar B also has mixture
of milk and water, of which 20% is water. The quantity of mixture in Jar B is twice that of
Jar A. If the content of Jar B is emptied into Jar A completely and the resultant quantity
of milk in Jar A is 198 ml, what is the value of ‘x’ ?

27.A and B start a business together with an investment of Rs. 3,000/and
Rs. 6,000/respectively.At the end of six months from the start of the business, B withdrew half of
his investment. If at the end of the year, B’s share from the total profit earned was
Rs. 3,750/-,what was the total profit earned ?

28. In a village, 64% of the total population are literates. The respective ratio of literate
male and female is 3 : 1 and the respective ratio of illiterate male and female is 5 : 4.
What is the respective ratio of literate male and illiterate male in the village ?

29. A certain sum P when invested for four years at the rate of 10% p.a. simple interest,
amounts to 22,960/-.What will be the interest earned when (P + 600) is invested in the
same rate of simple interest p.a. for four years ?

30. When one-sixth of a number x, is added to 117, it becomes equal to y². If one-fifth of y is
equal to 2.2, what is the value of x ?

31.A, B and C can independently finish a piece of work in 18 days, ‘x’ days and 27 days
respectively. A and C started working together and after 6 days B replaced both of them.
If B could finish the remaining work in 16 days, what is the value of ‘x’ ?

32.The floor of a square hall is tiled completely with fortynine square shaped tiles. If the
side of each tile measures 2 m, what was the perimeter of the hall ? (in m)

33.The present age of a father is equal to the sum of his son’s and wife’s present ages. The
respective ratio between the present ages of his wife and son is 8 : 1 and the difference
between his wife’s and son’s present ages is 28 years, what will be father’s age after 4
years ? (in years)

34.A shopkeeper sold first unit of an article to Aria at 20% discount and the second unit of
the same article at 40% discount. If the shopkeeper earned an overall
profit of 5%, the marked price of the article was what percent of the cost price of the
article ?

35.The time taken by a boat to travel ‘x’ km upstream is twice the time taken by the same
boat to travel ‘x’ km downstream. If speed of the boat in still water is 12 km/h, what is the speed of current ? (in km/h)

REASONING

Directions (1-5): These questions are based on the five three digit numbers given below :
346 815 428 271 732
1. If ‘1’ is added to the first digit of every number and ‘1’ is subtracted from the third digit
of I every number, in how many numbers thus formed will the difference between first
and third digits be more than 5 ?

2.If all the numbers are arranged in ascending order from left to right,
which of the following will be resultant if first and third digits of the number which is
second from the right are multiplied ?

3.If ‘2’ is added to the second digit of every even number and ‘1’ is subtracted from the first
digit of every odd number, in how many numbers will a digit appear twice ?

4.If in each number all the digits are arranged in descending order within the number, how
many numbers thus formed will be odd numbers ?

5.The positions of the first and the third digits of each of the numbers
are interchanged. What will be the resultant if first digit of the highest number thus
formed is divided by the third digit of the lowest number thus formed ?

Directions (6-8): Study the following information and answer the questions.
K is the wife of V. V is the brother of J. L is the only daughter of J. D is the father of M
and L. S is the only daughter of M.

6.How is D related to V ?

7.If S is married to G, how is G related to M ?

8.How is K related to L ?

Directions (9-13): Study the following information and answer the questions.
Seven people, namely K, L, M, N, 0, P and Q have seven different meetings on the seven
different days of the same week starting from Monday and ending on Sunday, not
necessarily in the same order.
L has a meeting on Thursday. Only two people have a meeting between L and 0. Only
three people have a meeting between 0 and N. As many people have a meeting between
N and P as between P and 0. Q has a meeting immediately before M. Q does not have a
meeting on Saturday.

9. Which of the following is not true about K ?

10.How many people have meeting(s) between the days on which Q and L have their
meetings ?

11.Who amongst the following has a meeting immediately after the one who has a meeting
on Tuesday ?

12.On which of the following days does M have a meeting ?

13.Four of the following five are alike in a certain way and thus form a group as per the
given arrangement. Which of the following does not belong to that group ?

Directions (14-18): In these questions, relationship between different elements is
shown in the statements. The statements are followed by conclusions. Study the
conclusions based on the given statements and select the appropriate answer.
Give answer :
(1) If both conclusions I and II are true
(2) If only conclusion I is true
(3) If neither conclusion I nor II is true
(4) If only conclusion II is true
(5) If either conclusion I or conclusion II is true

14.Statements :
P>L ≤ T = Q ; Z < L ≥ V
Conclusions :
I. Q ≥ V
II. Z < P

15.Statement :
T< H ≥ A < N ≤ C
Conclusions :
I. C > A
II. N > T

16.Statement :
R= Q ≥ E ≤ S >T
Conclusions :
I. R > S
II. Q ≥ T

17.Statements :
C = O ≤ V=L ≤ R ; S ≥ R
Conclusions :
I. S > C
II. S = C

18.Statements :
E < N = C ≥ L > S
Conclusions :
I. L < E
II. S < N

19.Directions (19-24): Study the following information carefully and answer the given
questions.
B, C, D, E, F, G, H and I are sitting around a circular table facing the centre but not
necessarily in the same order.
• Only one person sits between D and E B sits to the immediate right of E
• Only three people sit between F and H.
• C sits to the immediate left of G.
• G is not an immediate neighbour of E
• E sits second to the left of C.

19. Who amongst the following sits to the immediate left of E?

20.What is the position of B with respect to G ?

21.Four of the following five are alike in a certain way based on their positions in the given
arrangement and so form a group. Which is the one that does not belong to the group ?

22.If all the persons are made to sit in alphabetical order in anticlockwise
direction,starting from B, the positions of how many, excluding B, would remain unchanged ?

23.Which amongst the following statements is true regarding I, as per the given
arrangement ?

24.If two is added to the first three digits and three is subtracted from the last three digits in
the number 657489, how many digits in the number thus formed will be multiples of 3 ?

25.Among five friendsJ,K, L, M and N each having a different number of pencils. K has
more pencils than N but less than L. M has more pencils than L. J neither has the most
nor the least number of pencils. Who amongst the following has the lowest number of
pencils ?

26.In a certain code, if ‘they shouted loud’ is written as ‘4 1 5’ and ‘loud music heard’ is
coded as ‘7 6 1’, then what is the code for ‘ music’ in the given code language ?

Directions (27-33): Study the given information carefully to answer the given
questions.
Syne who is standing at point H, walks 11m towards east and reaches point R. She then
takes a left turn and walks 7m. She takes a left turn, walks 5m and reaches point Q. Point
G is 6m to the south of point H. Point B is 6m to the east of point G.

27.How far and in which direction is point Q with respect to point B ?

28.In which direction is point G with respect to point R ?

29.How many such pairs of letters are there in the word `INKED’ each of which has as
many letters between them in the word (in both forward and backward directions) as
they have between them in the English alphabetical series ?

Directions (30-34): Study the following arrangement carefully and answer the
questions.
D L J # 3 P + A W Z R E 8 G 2 N S = T 6 & Y 9 @ X 4 H U 5 ^ 7 B

30.In a certain code, based on the given arrangement, `HER’ is coded as ^ RG’ and ‘SUN’ is
coded as ‘6HT’. How will ‘PAT’ be coded following the same coding pattern ?

31.How many such letters are there in the given arrangement, each of which is immediately
preceded by a symbol and also immediately followed by an even number ?

32.Four of the following five are alike in a certain way based on their positions in the given
arrangement and hence form a group. Which one does not belong to that group ?

33.If all the symbols are deleted from the given arrangement then which of the following
will be ninth element from the right end ?

34.Which one of the following will come next in the given sequence ?
D#L PW+ E28 TY6 ?

35.In a certain code language, ‘SEAL’ is coded as `NDGV’ and `LION’ is coded as ‘PRK0’.
In the same .code language, ‘HOLD’ will be coded as :