Syndicate Bank PO Examination Held on 9-2-2016
English Language
Directions- (Q. 1-5) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions. Certain words/phrases are given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
In general, before the financial crisis of 2008, the financial sector the world over had been steadily liberalizing limits on foreign ownership of banks and on the kinds of transactions they were able to engage in were being lifted. Rich countries were deregulating faster than others. Banks were given greater leeway on how much capital they should hold and how much risk they should take on. But banks the world over, did not maintain adequate capital cushions and balance sheets showed inflated profits. In 1999, America also repealed the Glass Staegall Act-a 190s Depression era law separating investment and commercial banking-with-out bothering about the threat to the economy. ‘Restrictions are a sign of backwardness’ –But the resulting crisis of 2008 put an end to this belief. Banking supervisors in many developing countries said that tight regulations saved them from getting into trouble. Under the old rules supervisors were simply referees tryi9ng to ensure that the game was played fairly. Now regulators have gone from saying ‘tell me’ that all your payment systems work to saying ‘show me how your payment system works’. Regulators are now tentatively stepping over a long standing divide between enforcing basic rules and playing a part in business decisions. This shift is particularly marked in Britain which once championed ‘light touch regulation’. This precrisis behaviour is being criticized as surrender to banks or as a self servicing device for attracting financial activity to Britain. In truth it was neither. It was the simple belief that markets are better than governments at allocating services. In America, too, regulators were reluctant to suppress innovation because they felt that “the self interest of lending institutions will be enough to ensure they did not all leap from the same tall building.”
In rich countries, enthusiasm for prescriptive supervision depends on the degree of harm suffered during the banking crisis or to the threat from the failing banks to bring down their governments with them. But it is not easy to stop banks from making bad decisions. In the past, regulators left it to the market to judge the health of the banks. But clever, well-paid analysts failed to see the crisis coming. Now central bankers are expected to do a better job. One problem is that the rules and the laws are written with the benefit of hindsight. The good ideas that may have prevented the last crisis however can make regulators dangerously overconfident about being able to predict and prevent the next one. Also, if regulators underwrite certain strategies that seem safe such as lending to small business, they may encourage banks to crowd into those lines of business. If enough banks pile into these markets, downturns in them can affect not just a few banks but the whole system. On the other hand prescriptive supervision can stifle financial innovation and squeeze all appetite for risk out of the banking system. In Japan, a banking crisis that started more than two decades ago still lingers on, in part because the country’s bankers have become gun shy and lend to buy government bonds rather than lend money or make foreign investments. Regulators are doing all they can to strike a balance and mitigate these risks.
1. Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning to the word LAST given in bold as used in the passage-
(A) final
(B) continue
(C) first
(D) recent
(E) subsequent
2. Which of the following is the central idea of the passage ?
(A) Regulators are lazy and shirk their duty of protecting financial systems
(B) Banks should go back to traditional banking and abandon riskier options
(C) Banks in developed countries have destroyed developing economies.
(D) Today the task of financial regulation is tricky.
(E) Financial systems have been damaged beyond repair.
3. Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning to the CROWD given in bold as in the passage.
(A) multitude
(B) flock
(C) party
(D) crew
(E) not
4. Which of the following is/are the possible impact(s) of prescriptive supervision ?
1. Governments are likely to collapse as people are opposed to such measures.
2. Many executives are likely to exploit the system.
3. The measures could unintentionally prolong a crisis.
(A) Only 3
(B) Only 2 and 3
(C) Only 1 and 2
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) Only 2
5. What is the author’s view of central banks’ present efforts at regulation ?
(A) These are unnecessary and harmful to banks.
(B) These are faulty as they encourage risky financial innovations.
(C) To succeeded these should be coordinated and uniform across countries.
(D) The measures they prescribe have not loopholes.
(E) They have done their best to effectively regulate.
6. Which of the following can be said about ‘light touch regulation’ adopted by Britain ?
(A) It gave Britain’s financial institutions very little autonomy.
(B) It forced banks to invest in government bonds.
(C) It resulted in banks holding too much capital.
(D) It encouraged financial activity in the country.
(E) It stifled banks’ appetite for risk.
7. Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning to the word LIMITS given in bold as used in the passage.
(A) caps
(B) rims
(C) frames
(D) frontiers
(E) skirts
8. Which of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage ?
(A) The financial crisis of 2008 did not impact developing countries.
(B) Markets can easily regulate themselves.
(C) Developing economies should not allow foreign investment at present.
(D) After the crisis, America’s central bank has imposed unnecessary regulations.
(E) None of the given statements is true in the context of the passage.
9. Why was the author citied the reference of repealing the Gass-Steagall Act ?
(A) To indicate that regulations were relaxed without appreciating the impact on the economy.
(B) To criticize the backward restrictions that rich countries imposed on developing countries.
(C) To show that the economy had not progressed much since the Depression.
(D) To illustrate that only America could foresee the financial crisis.
(E) To indicate the soundness of America’s financial system prior to depression.
10. Which of the following difficulties is faced by regulators at present ?
(A) Bank lack the expertise to comply with norms.
(B) Tremendous competition between local and foreign banks.
(C) Striking a balance between protecting and stifling the economy
(D) Unwillingness of government to bail out failing banks
(E) Lack of adequate manpower
11. Which of the following approaches was adopted by the financial sector of rich world economies prior to the crisis ?
(A) Bank strictly adhered to outdated laws.
(B) Banks maintained very large capital cushions.
(C) They were innovative and took a lot of risks.
(D) They withdrew investment from traditional banking.
(E) Not clearly mentioned in the passage.
12. Choose the word which is most nearly the OPPOSITE in meaning to the word TENTATIVELY given in bold as used in the passage.
(A) confidently
(B) hesitantly
(C) fixed
(D) provisionally
(E) None
13. Which of the following is/are the consequence(s) of the crisis of 2008 ?
1. Banks have become over-confident in their ability to regulate themselves.
2. Regulators have increased vigilance of financial systems.
3. Economies are careful about foreign investment.
(A) Only (1)
(B) Only (2) and (3)
(C) Only (1) and (2)
(D) All (1), (2) and (3)
(E) Only (1) and (3)
14. Choose the word which is most nearly the OPPOSITE in meaning to the world FAILING given in bold as used in the passage-
(A) increasing
(B) passing
(C) successful
(D) depleting
(E) important
15. What does the author want to convey through the phrase ‘Under the old rules, supervisors were simply referees trying to ensure that the game was played fairly’ ?
(A) Regulators did not make mistakes while regulating financial markets.
(B) Regulators were passive and did not intervene in the working of financial organizations in the past.
(C) Regulators were concerned about the health of financial organizations.
(D) Regulators used to cross the lone and interfere in financial markets in the past.
(E) Regulators devised many strict rules without taking into account the needs of financial systems.
Directions- (Q. 16-25) Read this sentence to find out whether there is any error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. That part is the answer. If there is no error, mark ‘No error’ as the answer. (ignore the error of the punctuation, if any).
16. In the current year, / small
(A)
lenders, who global banks have /
(B)
long sneered at, are performing /
(C)
more better than the giants.
(D)
No error
(E)
17. The Central Bank has cut / its
(A)
policy repo rate by fifty basis
(B)
points/ but only a few banks
(C)
has / lowered their base lending rates
(D)
No error
(E)
18. Apart from not speaking up
(A)
enough, / many professional do
(B)
not think about / how asking different types of questions /
(C)
can lead to different outcomes.
(D)
No error
(E)
19. With the exception of / music,
(A)
no other industry / has embraced
(B)
has globalization / as keenly as the banking industry.
(C) (D)
No error
(E)
20. The bank’s stringent on boarding process /
(A)
for new executives ensures / that they understand
(B) (C)
from other leaders / what it takes to success.
(D)
No error
(E)
21. CEO’s have a lot / to worry about, / but what are / their greatest concerns.
(A) (B) (C) (D)
No error
(E)
22. When business leaders / fail to decide / and act wisely, /
(A) (B) (C)
their companies suffers. No error
(D) (E)
23. We are often blindly to / the many forces / that create and /
(A) (B) (C)
sustain our behaviours. No error
(D) (E)
24. Mediclaim policies usually /
(A)
reimburse certain / medical expenses and /
(B) (C)
not the out-of-pocket expenses. No error
(D) (E)
25. High performers show a stronger tendency /
(A)
to direct their own learning, / which may be one of
(B) (C)
the ways to predict / who will be a high performer. No error
(D) (E)
Directions – (Q. 26-30) In the given sentences there are two blank spaces. Below each sentence five pairs of words have been given. Find out which pair of words can be filled up in the blanks in the sentence in the same sequence to make the sentence meaningfully complete.
26. A new study has ………… the five most common health issues in men and how to ……. them.
(A) said, arrest
(B) stated, shrink
(C) revealed, prevent
(D) exposed, react
(E) laid, restrict
27. ………… to the challenge of fighting drug addiction, children have ………. up the task of spreading awareness against drugs.
(A) Taking, set
(B) Accepting, taken
(C) Responding, set
(D) Reply, found
(E) Accept, found
28. The night fabric can do ……… for your frame and as a ……….. your confidence.
(A) wonders, consequence
(B) marvels, side
(C) good, process
(D) remarkably, finish
(E) superb, result
29. The wheat grains do not meet the ……… standards …….. for procurement of food grains by the government agencies.
(A) total, kept
(B) most, meant
(C) excellence, allowed
(D) optimistic, placed
(E) quality, prescribed
30. Students will be ………. on their reading and writing abilities through questions papers ………… by the government.
(A) judged, assorted
(B) kept, set
(C) tested, provided
(D) evaluated, asked
(E) calculated, assigned
Directions – Rearrange the following five sentences (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph, then answer the given questions.
(1) But the conventional wisdom is wrong.
(2) The assumption is that planting trees and avoiding further deforestation provides a convenient carbon capture and storage facility on the land.
(3) Considering all the interactions, large-scale increases in forest cover can actually make global warming worse.
(4) Deforestation accounts for about 20 per cent of global emissions of carbon dioxide.
(5) That is the conventional wisdom.
(6) In reality, the cycling of carbon, energy and water between the land and atmosphere is much more complex.
31. Which of the following should be second sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 6
32. Which of the following should be third sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 6
(D) 4
(E) 5
33. Which of the following should be fourth sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 5
(E) 6
34. Which of the following should be first sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5
35. Which of the following should be last (sixth) sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) 1
(B) 6
(C) 4
(D) 3
(E) 2
36. Whether people change or not is largely determines by ‘why’ they change.
(A) large determinant of
(B) largely determined by
(C) large determination by
(D) large determinant for
(E) No correction required
37. With the night mentoring at the top, everyone stands to gain.
(A) for gain
(B) to gaining
(C) of gained
(D) to gained
(E) No correction required
38. The best leaders know how to kept moving forward even in ambiguous situations.
(A) know how to keep
(B) knows how to keep
(C) know how for keeping
(D) knowing what to keep
(E) No correction required
39. Asking questions helps up better understand what has been say.
(A) has being said
(B) has been said
(C) have been say
(D) has been saying
(E) No correction required
40. A high performer is four hundred times much productivity that the average performer.
(A) more produce
(B) productive more
(C) more productive
(D) much products
(E) No correction required
Directions – (Q. 41-50) In the following passage, there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. Against each, five words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate world in each case.
Visual experiences can ……..(41)……… children, teenagers and even adults learn and absorb more due to its highly stimulating and ……..(42)…. engaging impact. It is for this reason that we are seeing an increase in schools across the globe ……….(43)….. content provider programmes into their class curriculum to ……..(44)….. lessons through, video. Visual excursions and school collaborations are …..(45)…… by advances in high definition video, high fidelity audio and content sharing, allowing students to experience a richer and more stimulating learning experience.
Schools that have previously transported students to excursions in ….(46)…. now face increased transportations costs, higher insurance premiums, attendance costs for the families and strict duty of care policies for students while …….(47)…….. school property. Virtual excursions …..(48)…. students to improve their presentation, research, learning and speaking skills while they engage in a live learning session. Students also now have the ability to meet peers from many cultures, speak to subject-matter ……(49)….. like scientists or authors practice a foreign language with students from another country, and learn about global issues from the …..(50)…. of their own classrooms.
41.
(A) help
(B) aiding
(C) prescribe
(D) feature
(E) present
42.
(A) plus
(B) lonely
(C) ably
(D) many
(E) deeply
43.
(A) Incorporating
(B) pressing
(C) following
(D) parting
(E) leaving
44.
(A) make
(B) demand
(C) impart
(D) vision
(E) need
45.
(A) dissolved
(B) enhanced
(C) measured
(D) failed
(E) blasted
46.
(A) deed
(B) total
(C) parent
(D) person
(E) lieu
47.
(A) involving
(B) saving
(C) away
(D) off
(E) vacating
48.
(A) let
(B) enable
(C) present
(D) pressure
(E) collect
49.
(A) clauses
(B) dictionaries
(C) books
(D) experts
(E) partners
50.
(A) vacancy
(B) availability
(C) safety
(D) comfortable
(E) gap
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