Reading Comprehension Questions For SBI Clerk 2024 Prelims

Reading Comprehension (RC) is a scoring topic in the English section of the SBI Clerk 2024 exam. It is an important part of the SBI Clerk exam for multiple reasons. It tests the candidates’ sense of the English language from many angles. It evaluates their comprehension skills via a given passage. The questions revolve around this passage. This passage analyses their logical thinking skills, by examining their ability to manage time under pressure, and tests their grammar and vocabulary. This topic covers an array of diverse topics. Therefore, performing well in this section can surely maximize your overall score in the English section. In this blog, we’ll guide you on how to attempt such questions and master this topic, with tips and sample RC questions.

English Reading Comprehension Weightage for SBI Clerk 2024 Exam

To emphasize the early preparation of this topic, it becomes essential to know the weightage of this topic in both the Prelims and mains exams. Take a look at the table showcasing the weightage of Reading Comprehension in the English section for both the SBI Clerk 2024 Prelims and Mains exams:

Reading Comprehension Tips for SBI Clerk 2024 Exam

Given below are the best 10 tips that will help you master the art of answering questions on Reading Comprehension in the SBI Clerk 2024 exam:

1. Read the passage quickly at least once before you start reading the questions.
2. Read the questions well and try to look for answers in the passages or extracts provided.
3. Stay close to the main theme of the passage when answering the central idea questions because they ask you to identify the subject of the passage.
4. For vocabulary questions, find the meanings of the words by understanding the context in which they are used.
5. Do not spend a long time on one question. It is better to quit and move on to the next one and come back to the unanswered question later.
6. Try to find keywords in the passage that correspond to the questions.
7. Do not use outside knowledge in your answer to answer the questions based on inference.
8. It is essential to focus on words that signal the shift of points in the argument. These are transition words such as ‘however,’ ‘therefore,’ and so on.
9. First, exclude those answers that are wrong beyond a doubt and then choose the right answer.
10. You should try and solve as many RC questions as you can in a timed environment. Practice is the only key to increasing your speed.

Check out the table below to revise the tips for Reading Comprehension (RC) discussed above:

Reading Passage & Questions with Answers

Directions (Qs. 8-15): Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.

Passage:

After years, I found my beloved old Blytons calling out to me during the lockdown. The comforting aura of childhood favourites was necessary to tide me over this strange time, and I recalled the rapturous hours I had spent with the books in the past. As I riffled through a few pages, I was entranced by the familiar worlds of exploration they opened up. So, I sat and read through the evergreen novels again.

As a young reader, my favourite novels involved secret passageways, majestic palaces, rolling mountains, rushing water, cosy cottages, and daring children. Unfortunately, my reality, then and now, remains quite different.

Today, I dream of heather, bramble, lakes in the middle of hidden mountains, creepy houses, and stark moors, the isolated settings in nature, and kind friends to travel with, while I’m caught in a reality that is defined by its isolation and lack of exploration. And I wonder if I’ll still crave the isolation once we return to a state of normality or if I’ll be more grateful for the bustling streets I had previously scorned, and appreciative of more people, and yes, even the sun that I cannot even see from the confines of my home on many days.

In the past, reading the book would help me travel with valiant Julian, sensible Dick, scaredy-cat Anne, and admirable George and Timmy the dog in their boat to Kirrin Island, thrilling over the hidden well and the clanking dungeon chains. This time, however, I considered how our current existence is similar to life on an isolated island. As we wage our battle against this invisible robber, the virus, my sometimes failing courage was soothed by reading about 12-year-old George sitting paralysed in one spot, hearing the ominous footsteps of the smugglers echo on the cold stone flags. Her determination to dodge or confront her would-be attackers, despite her fear, is something I remind myself of today.

Persistence and pluck in the face of undeniably distressing circumstances are necessary during these times. And emulating the qualities that the protagonists in Blyton’s mystery and adventure series possess can pay off. Making the best of an unexpected situation has been the hallmark of Blyton’s mysteries and adventures, and they have taught me how to overcome them with what is at hand, to keep persevering despite all odds, to leap into uncertainty, and trust that one will be delivered. So, while I cannot follow suspects, jangle rusty locks on doors, or tap against crumbling brick in real life, I can certainly tap into my intuition and chase leads on topics of interest to ensure that I am better equipped to deal with any new twists life (and the world) might throw my way.

Questions:

Question 8: Refer to the line from the passage: “Unfortunately, my reality, then and now, remains quite different.” What can we infer from the above lines?
(1) The reality the author lives in does not match her dreams.
(2) Author is more aware of reality now than she was as a child.
(3) The reality the author lives in contradicts Blyton’s adventures.
(4) The reality the author lives in now is different from her childhood.
(5) More than one option is correct.

Question 9: Which of the following line(s) best describes 12-year-old George’s characteristic that inspired the author?
(1) George had a dauntless spirit and that inspired the author to fight her inner monsters.
(2) George was not afraid of any situation and was always ready to confront her would-be attackers.
(3) George fought her attackers even though she was paralysed and that inspired the author to fight her attackers as well.
(4) George was afraid but she chose to fight her fear to confront the ones who were about to attack her.
(5) None of the above

Question 10: The author compares the lockdown with which of the following(s)?
I. Being trapped in a hidden well with dungeon chains.
II. Being trapped on an isolated island.
III. Being trapped in a dream that contradicts reality.
(1) Only I
(2) Only II
(3) Only III
(4) Only I and III
(5) Only II and III

Question 11: As per the author, what has/have been the hallmark of Blyton’s mysteries and adventures?
I. The author was motivated to overcome an unexpected situation with the resources at hand.
II. They taught the author to make the best of an unexpected situation.
III. The author learnt to keep working hard even if he is in a tight spot.
(1) Only I
(2) Only II
(3) Only I and II
(4) Only II and III
(5) All I, II, and III

Question 12: Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
(1) The passage discusses the influence of Blyton’s books on the children of the current generation.
(2) The passage focuses on the idea of how to spend one’s time during the lockdown.
(3) The passage elucidates the idea of how inspiration can be drawn from the characters in Blyton’s books to overcome today’s harsh realities.
(4) The passage revolves around the correlation between Blyton’s mysteries and adventures and the current reality.
(5) The passage depicts the author’s love for Blyton’s books from her childhood to present.

Question 13: The passage is most likely extracted from:
(1) A journal of paediatrics
(2) A literary magazine
(3) An editorial
(4) A biography
(5) A book review

Question 14: Which of the following is similar in meaning to ‘entranced’ as used in the passage?
(1) Beguiled
(2) Charred
(3) Bored
(4) Ingested
(5) Ramified

Question 15: Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word ‘emulating’ as used in the passage?
(1) Imitating
(2) Ratifying
(3) Insinuating
(4) Accentuating
(5) Exerting

SBI Clerk Free English Topic Test & Other Links

If you want to score full marks in Reading Comprehension, you will need to master this topic. This is only possible if you start focusing on reading and do rigorous practice with different types of passages. To achieve this aim, you will need to make a good start. For that, PracticeMock is giving you 1 Free SBI Clerk Prelims 2024 mock test and 1 Free English topic-wise test. This test will not only cover RC but also all the important topics of the English section. Along with this, we are also providing you direct links to free tests of the Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude sections. So that you can start your preparation now, leave other candidates behind in the English and other sections, and clear the exam with flying colors.

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