Improve Accuracy in Fillers for RBI Grade B Exam

Fillers are one of the most important parts of the English Language section in the RBI Grade B Phase 1 exam. They are like fill-in-the-blanks. The questions check, just like other topics, a candidate’s grammar, vocabulary, and ability to understand context. Fillers often carry 5 to 10 marks, making them a high-scoring area if prepared well. In 2024, we saw approximately 5 questions, in 2023 around 5, in 2022 around 4, and in 2021 around 4-5 questions in the English section. Many candidates get confused while choosing the options between close options. If you master fillers, you can not only improve your score but also confidently solve other verbal ability questions.

Tips to Master Fillers Quickly

Many aspirants find filler questions confusing due to close answer options and tricky sentence structures. With the right technique, these questions can become one of the easiest to solve. Use the tips below to improve accuracy and speed smartly.

1. Understand the Sentence Context

It is important to understand the context first. When you figure out the overall meaning, you will be able to guess the correct word easily.

• Read the full sentence carefully before reading the options.
• Identify the tone (Is it positive or negative, or neutral?).
• Understand what the sentence is trying to convey.
• Visualize the word to better understand what could complete the meaning.
• Confirm if your chosen word fits the context.

2. Focus on Keywords and Clues

You need to find the keywords. An easy way is to pay heed to the words around the blank. They often give strong hints.

• Find nearby adjectives, verbs, or conjunctions.
• Pay attention to contrast words like “but” or “however.”
• Use cause-effect indicators like “because” or “therefore.”
• Match the word type (noun, verb, etc.) with the clue.
• Keep looking for words that get repeated or are contradictory.

3. Apply Grammar Rules

Master the basic grammar rules that are essential for such types of questions, like subject-verb agreement, etc. Grammar will help you eliminate incorrect choices quickly.

• Check subject-verb agreement.
• Match the tense of the sentence.
• Make sure that the prepositions are used correctly.
• Avoid options with awkward or incorrect phrasing.
• Use grammar to rule out at least one or two options.

4. Use Vocabulary and Word Patterns

A strong vocabulary is essential, too. It will help you recognize the right fit instantly.

• Learn synonyms and antonyms to understand subtle meanings.
• Study collocations like “make a decision” or “pay attention.”
• Read daily to improve word familiarity.
• Note how words are used in context.
• Practice quizzes via apps like PracticeMock.
• Use flashcards.

5. Practice and Revise Regularly

Doing something again and again makes you more correct and more confident. So, keep practicing regularly. If you keep practicing, you’ll make fewer mistakes. Plus, you’ll feel more confident.

• Take daily quizzes or RBI Grade B 2025 mock tests.
• Solve previous year filler questions.
• Review wrong answers and understand why.
• Revise tricky word pairs often.
• Recreate real exam settings to improve performance.

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Sample Questions on Fillers

Here are some Filler question types that can help you understand the pattern of the questions asked in the RBI Grade B Phase 1 exam:

Directions: In the question below, a paragraph is given with five numbered blanks, followed by a sentence. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Like any precious commodity that is rare or endangered, wood has become the focal point of a global black market that seeps through porous international borders and defies law enforcement and conservation managers.
(1) The relentless search for rare species devastates whole ecosystems and the animals and cultures that depend on them.
(2) Illegal logging and associated trade is a cause of forest degradation, and is often a catalyst for complete conversion of forests to agriculture or degraded wasteland.
(3) It also robs communities and governments of revenue, breeds and feeds corruption, and is increasingly linked to transnational criminal networks and trafficking in wildlife and arms, with a growing online presence.
(4) In China, for instance, rosewood—known as Hongmu and under CITES protection since 2013—is used to build high-end Ming and Qing dynasty replica furniture.
(5)

The sentence given below will fit in which blank in the passage?
Consumer passion for the material is fueling a bloody yet profitable trade in Asian countries where stands of the trees remain.
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4
e) 5

Ans: e

Solution: The given sentence tells us how consumer demand for a particular material has led to a trade in Asian countries where the trees remain. From this, we can understand that the previous sentence must talk about the material being discussed and the trees which are mentioned in the given sentence. It can fit in (5), as the previous sentence gives more context and tells us how in China, rosewood is used to build Ming and Qing dynasty replica furniture. The given sentence can follow as it talks about how demand for this wood has led to a trade in countries where rosewood trees are still left. Thus, E is the right answer.

During the 52 years of conflict in Colombia, armed groups have engaged in illegal drug cultivation and mining, often murdering indigenous and Afro-Colombians who stood up to them.
(1) But in 2012, the indigenous guard worked alongside peasant farmers and Afro-Colombian communities, employing a number of nonviolent methods to protest these groups’ activities.
(2) Improbably, the guards managed to shut down illegal gold mines and end the violence that came with them in the area around Munchique.
(3) Today, the fruits of their labor still stand.
(4) The area’s dense vegetation speaks to the country’s natural assets: Colombia is a resource-rich, “megadiverse” country that lays claim to nearly 10 percent of the world’s biodiversity.
(5)

The sentence given below will fit in which blank in the passage?
The entrances to the mines on the indigenous reserve at Las Canoas remain sealed, and the surrounding forest is thriving again after years of deforestation.
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4
e) 5

Ans: d

Solution: The given sentence tells us how the entrance to the mines remain sealed and the forest surrounding the area is thriving after many years of deforestation. The sentence before blank (4) talks about how the fruits of their labour still stand. Here, “their” refers to the indigenous guard that early managed to shut down illegal gold mines and end the violence. The given sentence can fit in (4) as it establishes continuity with the previous sentence as it tells us how the results of their labour are still in place. Thus, D is the right answer.

Directions: In the question given below, a short paragraph is given, with a part missing. Complete the passage with the correct option as per the directions of the first question, and answer the questions that follow on the basis of the completed passage.

P. When historians write books about why so many Brazilians voted for the far-right, they will justifiably focus on ideological, political and social issues.
Q. There is another key reason why President Jair Bolsonaro is still competitive: he’s handing out billions from a government slush fund.
R. It is strongly believed by many that it’s the biggest corruption scandal on the face of the earth.
S. ____________
T. With just days to go before the run-off between Bolsonaro and his leftist challenger, the budget’s workings, fund spendings and other discretionery outlays are coming under scrutiny.
U. Lots of people are now explaining that the secret budget means embezzlement.

Which of the following statements will fit in blank S of the paragraph?

(1) The fund is now getting praised by every Brazilian who is going to determine the country’s future.
(2) The fund is known as the secret budget because as far as the money is concerned, there is no transparency about the spendings.
(3) There is little or no oversight over where the money goes once it is handed to lawmakers or bureaucrats.
(4) The president has become a legal dictator of the country and people seem to be optimistic about Brazil’s future.
(5) Both B and C

Ans: 5

Solution: Solution E is the correct answer. Sentence R tells us that it is strongly believed that this so-called government fund is the biggest corruption scandal on the face of the earth. Sentence T tells us that the budget’s workings and fund spendings are now under careful and detailed examination. B fits in S as it tells us that the fund is known as a secret budget because nobody knows anything about its spendings. C again fits in S as it states the same – there is no oversight over where the money goes once it is handed to lawmakers, which again strengthens R that the fund is a scandal.

Which of the following words in Statement T is contextually inapt or incorrectly spelled?

I. run-off
II. outlaws
III. discretionery
IV. scrutiny

(1) Only I and II
(2) Only III and IV
(3) Only II and III
(4) Only II and IV
(5) Only I

Ans: 3

Solution: Option 3 is the correct answer. The sentence tells us how, with just days to go before the run-off (an election or competition) between Bolsonaro and his leftist challenger, the budget’s workings, fund spendings and other arbitrary spendings are coming under scrutiny (investigation).
OUTLAWS (criminals) is inappropriate in this context and should be replaced with OUTLAYS (expenses).
DISCRETIONERY should be spelled DISCRETIONARY.

Which of the following best describes the relationship Statement Q of the paragraph bears to Statement P?

(1) Q sums up the main idea of P
(2) Q and P talk about totally different things
(3) Q doesn’t support the claim made in P
(4) Q brings a different perspective to P
(5) Q gives an expert’s view on the fact mentioned in P

Ans: 4

Solution: Option 4 is the correct answer. Statement P talks about historians giving reasons and justifying in their books why so many Brazilians voted for the far-right. Statement Q talks about another reason behind it: Bolsonaro’s handing out billions from a government slush fund. So statement Q provides a different reason behind so many Brazilians voting for the far-right rather than the ideological, political, and social issues mentioned in P.

Takeaway

Fillers can become a scoring portion in your RBI Grade B preparation by following the right strategy. The tips mentioned above will help you solve them quickly and correctly. So, be consistent, keep practicing, and you will see the positive results in your daily performance, and at last in the actual exam.

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