Punjab National Bank Agriculture Officers Exam., 2009
English Language : Solved Paper
(Held on 16-8-2009)

Directions—(Q. 1–15) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

Despite the global slowdown, the online shopping in India has increased. The growing pace of online buying is because of the attractive discounted prices offered and the ability of the customers to research and compare the prices across several outlets.

The average frequency of online purchases in India grew up to 2•9 in the fourth quarter of 2008 from 2•6 during the same quarter in 2007, as reported by the survey of Master Card Worldwide.

"The economic meltdown has not affected our business", said the CEO of an e-commerce portal which specializes in personalized gifting and merchandise space in India. He said, "Our business has increased up to five times this year despite the economic recession. Currently, we possess a database of 25,000 designs posted by a thousand designers so that the users can create their own merchandise by selecting the designs sitting at home".

The CEO also said that with the rise in bandwidth penetration in India and the increasing awareness of internet among people, the online shoppers sense the convenience to click on the products they want to purchase.

Holding onto a similar conviction, the CEO of another company said, "With the convenience of online buying, customers can save their time and money to move across multiple outlets for a product."

The online shoppers also plan their shopping in advance and conduct research on their planned purchases. It becomes easier for the customers to decide the price at which they want the products. Sharing views on this point, the Manager of the e-commerce portal says, "Through the online shopping, customers can attain the objective of value for money during these tough times."

Today, India is the only country where the 18 to 29 years age group has the highest average spend on online shopping. In India, the popular online purchases include the home appliances and the electronic gadgets like cell phones, camera, laptops and so on. According to the survey, the epurchasing of electronic products has gone up by 51 per cent.

So to drive these online shoppers, e-commerce portals are adopting a networking culture by incorporating 'social networking feature' in their websites, so that people can discuss with their friends and relatives before buying the particular product. There are more startups, who are innovating their products to combat slowdown.

1. What does the phrase 'value of money' as used in the passage mean ?
(A) Get the best at optimum price
(B) Buy the cheapest possible product
(C) Pay a lot for the best product
(D) Get a lot of money in return for the purchase
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)


2. Which of the following statements is not true in the context of the passage ?
(A) Purchases online have increased as the people buying these products are rich
(B) Online buying has increased because customers are getting a lot of discounts
(C) Customers have access to a number of outlets online thus online buying is more popular
(D) Online purchases have increased because the customers are able to compare prices easily
(E) All of the above are not true
Ans : (E)

3. What according to the CEO of ecommerce portal is the reason for increase in the number of online shoppers ?
1. Greater bandwidth is now available in India.
2. Internet is available at a cheap cost.
3. More people are aware of the internet.
(A) Only (1) and (2)
(B) Only (2)
(C) Only (3)
(D) Only (2) and (3)
(E) Only (1) and (3)
Ans : (E)

4. Which of the following statements is True in the context of the passage ?
(A) Cameras, laptops and mobile phones are popular online shopping products
(B) Customers find online shopping more convenient
(C) More people in the age group of 18 to 29 spend on online shopping
(D) Home appliances are a popular online product
(E) All the above are true
Ans : (E)

5. How can customers plan their purchases online in advance ?
(A) By looking at the product in a store and then searching for it online
(B) By waiting for discounts being offered by companies
(C) By creating their own websites and socially interacting
(D) By conducting research and then deciding the price at which they want to buy
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

6. What can possibly be the most appropriate title to the passage ?
(A) Innovation-the art of survival
(B) Online shopping-unaffected by recession
(C) Recession and its impact
(D) Customer is king
(E) Sale of Electronic Goods
Ans : (B)

7. Which of the following statements is true in the context of the passage ?
(1) People make purchases only through e-commerce portals.
(2) Online buying of electronic gadgets has increased by 51 per cent.
(3) E-commerce portals are finding it difficult to sell their products.
(A) Only (1)
(B) Only (2)
(C) Only (1) and (3)
(D) Only (2) and (3)
(E) All the three (1), (2) and (3)
Ans : (B)

8. How are e-commerce portals luring customers ?
(A) By innovating their products
(B) By offering free products with other products bought
(C) By creating an awareness about social networking
(D) By enabling customers through their website to interact with friends and relatives before buying a product
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

Directions—(Q. 9–12) Choose the word/group of words which is most similar in meaning to the word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.

9. Pace
(A) Walk
(B) Length
(C) Rate
(D) Tread
(E) Variety
Ans : (C)

10. Conviction
(A) Sense
(B) Culture
(C) Belief
(D) Value
(E) Worry
Ans : (A)

11. Drive
(A) Coax
(B) Show
(C) Dishearten
(D) Ride
(E) Implement
Ans : (A)

12. Innovating
(A) Researching
(B) Improvising
(C) Selling
(D) Measuring
(E) Deleting
Ans : (B)

Directions—(Q. 13–15) Choose the word/group of words which is most opposite in meaning to the word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.

13. Attractive
(A) Dark
(B) Ugly
(C) Slim
(D) Insignificant
(E) Striking
Ans : (D)

14. Rise
(A) Finish
(B) Improve
(C) Reduction
(D) Heighten
(E) Stop
Ans : (C)

15. Tough
(A) Soft
(B) Delicate
(C) Comfortable
(D) Difficult
(E) Simple
Ans : (C)

Directions—(Q. 16–20) Which of the phrases (A), (B), (C) and (D) given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold in the sentence to make it grammatically correct ? If the sentence is correct as it is given and 'No correction is required', mark (E) as the answer.

16. The traders' community is up to in arms against the police on their failure for not ensuring the arrest of wanted criminals.
(A) Up in arming
(B) Up arm
(C) Up in arms
(D) Up to arms
(E) No correction required
Ans : (C)

17. Chief Justice announced that a total of 30 evening courts will be started in all the five district courts of the city by the end of December.
(A) Will be start
(B) Is started
(C) Will starting
(D) Is being started
(E) No correction required
Ans : (E)

18. If you are planning on getting admission forms to enroll your child in school, you might as well forgetting about it.
(A) Forgets with it
(B) Forget in it
(C) Forgetting it
(D) Forget about it
(E) No correction required
Ans : (D)

19. Police said that basis on secret information, a trap was laid and the criminal was arrested near the station.
(A) As basis of
(B) That based on
(C) As base on
(D) That base in
(E) No correction required
Ans : (B)

20. With order to help outstation candidates planning to move to the city, a few colleges load their application forms online.
(A) In order to
(B) As order in
(C) Alongwith order to
(D) In ordering to
(E) No correction required
Ans : (A)

Directions—(Q. 21–25) Each question below has two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the set of words for each blank which best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

21. The petitioner had ……… an immediate stay from the court on allotment of the flats till ……… of investigation into the alleged irregularities.
(A) asked, process
(B) sought, completion
(C) propagated, finish
(D) demanded, course
(E) granted, end
Ans : (B)

22. Modern music doesn't lend ……… to longevity; sometimes it is hard even to remember what the biggest hit from a ……… of years ago was.
(A) itself, couple
(B) much, few
(C) money, some
(D) matter, spatter
(E) substance, variety
Ans : (A)

23. Opportunities ……… when they are seized and ……… when they are not.
(A) gather, evade
(B) needed, reflect
(C) create, disperse
(D) shout, calm
(E) multiply, die
Ans : (E)

24. At the sound of the bell we are ……… to pause, relax our body and become gently ……… of our in-breath and out-breath.
(A) asked, thoughtless
(B) requested, wishful
(C) invited, aware
(D) forced, meaningful
(E) braced, calm
Ans : (C)

25. ………… to listen to the sounds of nature, we find that we can afterwards carry on with whatever we were doing in a more ……… and loving way.
(A) feeling, helpful
(B) waiting, rough
(C) dreaming, dramatic
(D) pausing, attentive
(E) hurting, creative
Ans : (A)

Directions—(Q. 26–35) In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.

Since …26… times, people have …27… that human activity could affect the environment. The discovery of past ice ages shows that Earth's climate is in constant …28… and that …29… history, scientists have …30… for the cause of these changes. Though scientists discovered the greenhouse effect in the late 19th century, the theory of global warming wasn't …31… as a scientifically proven fact until 1992 when the United Nations held a Conference on Environment and Development. Today, global warming is a …32… accepted reality and …33… about its effects ranges from the hysteria to the acceptance. Newspapers chronicle the slowly changing climate and the actions that have …34… that change. From developing nations to industrial countries, global climate affects …35…

26. (A) Long
(B) Great
(C) Urgent
(D) Ancient
(E) Stone-age
Ans : (D)

27. (A) Believed
(B) Succeeded
(C) Wished
(D) Lost
(E) Wanted
Ans : (A)

28. (A) Hot
(B) Flux
(C) Fight
(D) Changes
(E) Reality
Ans : (B)

29. (A) With
(B) For
(C) To
(D) Throughout
(E) As
Ans : (D)

30. (A) Contribute
(B) Talked
(C) Resigned
(D) Visited
(E) Searched
Ans : (E)

31. (A) Accepted
(B) False
(C) Real
(D) Greeted
(E) Expected
Ans : (A)

32. (A) Rarely
(B) Widely
(C) Wrongly
(D) Leisurely
(E) Faithfully
Ans : (B)

33. (A) Principles
(B) Various
(C) Measurement
(D) Idea
(E) Speculation
Ans : (E)

34. (A) Meaning
(B) Worked
(C) Affected
(D) Cause
(E) Witness
Ans : (C)

35. (A) One
(B) Much
(C) Everyone
(D) More
(E) Singular
Ans : (C)

--
with warm regards

Harish Sati
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068

(M) + 91 - 9990646343 | (E-mail) Harish.sati@gmail.com

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