The article will take almost 30 minutes of your time and provide you with some invaluable tips to cracking the questions. You won’t find such tips anywhere on the internet. So, read it only when you can spare 30 minutes of your time with full concentration and read it in one go.
Sentence Completion is one of the easiest questions to crack. One has to read the paragraph and suggest the option that fits in at the end. The question can be asked in a number of ways. Examiner may omit the sentence from in between the paragraph or may ask about the ending sentence. In this session, we will focus on the easier one – in which last sentence is omitted.
- Solving these questions is easy as it does not entail any expertise on grammar rules, nor does it require a good vocabulary. The only ingredient for solving these questions is in-depth reading and understanding the theme of the paragraph.
- Beware, that a lot of information will be provided in the paragraph, but don’t lose the track of the theme of the passage. Check out question 1.Read as many times as you want. Do not refer to any dictionary. Give it a try and then see the solution.
Directions for Questions: Each of the following questions has a paragraph from which the last sentence has been deleted. From the given options, choose the sentence that completes the paragraph in the most appropriate way.
- Most people at their first consultation take a furtive look at the surgeon’s hands in the hope of reassurance. Prospective patients look for delicacy, sensitivity, steadiness, perhaps unblemished pallor. On this basis, Henry Perowne loses a number of cases each year. Generally, he knows it’s about to happen before the patient does: the downward glance repeated, the prepared questions beginning to falter, the overemphatic thanks during the retreat to the door __________________
1.Other people do not communicate due to their poor observation.
2.Other patients don’t like what they see but are ignorant of their right to go elsewhere.
3.But Perowne himself is not concerned.
4.But others will take their place, he thought.
5.These hands are steady enough, but they are large.Answer – 2
Explanation :
Even if one doesn’t know the meaning of ‘furtive’, ‘unblemished pallor’ etc. this question can be cracked. A normal reading of the paragraph suggests that the doctor loses some of his patients.
First consultation of patient – patients look for delicacy, steadiness …..etc – due to these observations of smart patients, our Dr. Perowne loses lot of cases – due to his experience he knows that patient will not come again (its about to happen before patient does) – doctor knows this from patient behaviour – downward glance, questions falter, overemphatic thanks.
This information is contained in the paragraph, which you must get after one or max two readings. Now coming to options.Option 5 can be easily eliminated as the pronoun “these” has no antecedent in the para. Option 3 & 4 are farfetched as they are to do with the doctor’s attitude towards the problem, which the para does not indicate in any way (para indicates of loss of patients). Only options 1 & 5 focus on patients, hence answer must be one of them. Option 1 can be done away with as it suggests those patients who fail to speak up and not about those who leave his treatment, as indicated in the para. Option 2 fits in perfectly as it speaks of those who do not see going to other doctors as an option (this is what 2nd option says – ignorant of their right to go elsewhere). Hence the answer is 2
Questions on Sentence Completion are totally reading based. There is not particular method or trick to solve them. Reading the para and understanding the theme and tone of the author is a prerequisite to solving these questions. There will be a lot of options which would just repeat what has already been given in the para; whereas we need to take the para forward. What we need to find is the sentence with which we can continue the para. Keeping this thing in mind, check out question 2. Read as many times as you want. Decide your answer and then check solution.
- Given the cultural and intellectual interconnections, the question of what is ‘Western’ and what is ‘Eastern’ (or ‘Indian’) is often hard to decide, and the issue can be discussed only in more dialectical terms. The diagnosis of a thought as ‘purely Western’ or ‘purely Indian’ can be very illusory.
1.Thoughts are not the kind of things that can be easily categorized.
2.Though accidently we may define them as such.
3.‘East is East and West is West’ has been a discredited notion for a long time now.
4.Compartmentalizing thoughts is often desirable.
5.The origin of a thought is not the kind of thing to which ‘purity’ happens easily.Answer – 5
Explanation :
It is a small para and easy to grasp. Author says that it is difficult to categorize thoughts as Western on Eastern. Option 1 can be easily eliminated as it is a mere repetition of the ideas presented in the para. ‘them’ in Option 2 has no antecedent, so eliminated. Option 3 does not match with the idea presented in the passage (passage talks of relating thoughts to East or West). Option 4 goes totally opposite to what has been discussed in paragraph. Option 5 completes the idea (it talks of purity) as the emphasis in the last line of the para is that the idea of ‘pure Western and pure Indian thoughts’ is deceptive. Hence the answer 5.
Questions on ‘Sentence Completion’ are meat to just check the thought process of the reader alongwith the reading capability. Best preparation to solving these would be reading newspaper on daily basis. Also, since the paper is limited to economy or social issues, eclectic reading from internet would help to diversify the reading material.
Let’s move forward – A number of times you will find that all the options are perfect fit for the sentence. You should either leave such questions but I recommend that you attempt these, even if you are not 100 percent sure, provided you have good reading ability. Next is one such question. Keeping in mind the pointers discussed above, attempt question it, it’s a tough one, so read with concentration. Read as many times as you want. Decide your answer and then check the solution.
- Trade protectionism, disguised as concern for the climate, is raising its head. Citing competitiveness concerns, powerful industrialized countries are holding out threats of a levy on imports of energy- intensive products from developing countries that refuse to accept their demands. The actual source of protectionist sentiment in the OECD countries is, of course, their current lackluster economic performance, combined with the challenges posed by the rapid economic rise of China and India – in that order.
1.Climate change is evoked to bring trade protectionism through the back door.
2.OECD countries are taking refuge in climate change issues to erect trade barriers against thesetwo countries.
3.Climate change concerns have come as a convenient stick to beat the rising trade power ofChina and India.
4.Defenders of the global economic status quo are posing as climate change champions.
5.Today’s climate change champions are the perpetrators of global economic inequity.Answer – 5
Explanation :
If you are still unable to decide or not sure of the answer, try removing the options which you feel are just repetition of the views represented in the passage and do not present any new idea. After doing this move forward.
Option 1 –just repeating in different words, what has already been discussed in paragraph. trade protectionism through the back door (Trade protectionism, disguised as concern for the climate). Options 2 and 3 are almost same and are repetition of things discussed in the paragraph. Option 2 – erection of trade barriers (trade protectionism); Option 3 – stick to beat (developing countries are suppressing the countries that refuse to accept their demands). Only options 4 and 5 remain. Option 4 and 5 talk about the same thing but 4 goes along with the subtle suggestive tone of the para while 5 is more sharp or terse in its accusation of ‘perpetrators of inequity’.
From the examples, you must have learnt that there is no particular way of solving these questions. Only reading between the lines will help, hence I advise you to read as much English as possible. If you feel bored while reading newspaper, there is no harm in reading any material relevant to your interest. You may read novel or stories; read about sports if you are interested; read articles on technology if that entices you but just read and read the material which you find a bit challenging or difficult to understand.
Now attempt the questions given below.
- Relations between the factory and the dealer are distant and usually strained as the factory tries to force cars on the dealers to smooth out production. Relations between the dealer and the customer are equally strained because dealers continuously adjust prices – make deals – to adjust demand with supply while maximizing profits. This becomes a system marked by a lack of long-term commitment on either side, which maximizes feelings of mistrust. In order to maximize their bargaining positions, everyone holds back information – the dealer about the product and the consumer about his true desires.
1.As a result, ‘deal making’ becomes rampant, without concern for customer satisfaction.
2.As a result, inefficiencies creep into the supply chain.
3.As a result, everyone treats the other as an adversary, rather than as an ally.
4.As a result, fundamental innovations are becoming scarce in the automobile industry.
5.As a result, everyone loses in the long run.Answer – 5
Explanation :
The paragraph stresses on the relationships between the factories, dealers and the consumers. Every entity has certain short-term expectations from each other. This makes these relationships strenuous. This strain leads to feelings of mistrust and lack of commitment. So the longer this continues, the more the chances of everyone succumbing to this vicious trap and they would soon realize that they have sacrificed long term stability and gain for short-term benefits. Hence Option (5). Option (4) is too specific to industry (at the cost of the other players – dealers and customers), option (2) suffers from the same short-comings together with throwing the technical (unexplained) jargon ‘supply chain’ to us. Option (1) takes into account only 2 players and repeats what is stated in the passage about “dealers adjusting prices and making deals” in the term ‘Deal making’; option (3) seems close but can be eliminated as the word ‘adversary’ is too strong. The passage implies that everyone tries to maximize his benefits, not that they ‘oppose’ one another. - We can usefully think of theoretical models as maps, which help us navigate unfamiliar territory. The most accurate map that it is possible to construct would be of no practical use whatsoever, for it would be an exact replica, on exactly the same scale, of the place where we were. Good maps pull out the most important features and throw away a huge amount of much less valuable information. Of course, maps can be bad as well as good – witness the attempts by medieval Europe to produce a map of the world. In the same way, a bad theory, no matter how impressive it may seem in principle, does little or nothing to help us understand a problem.
1.But good theories, just like good maps, are invaluable, even if they are simplified.
2.But good theories, just like good maps, will never represent unfamiliar concepts in detail.
3.But good theories, just like good maps, need to balance detail and feasibility of representation.
4.But good theories, just like good maps, are accurate only at a certain level of abstraction.
5.But good theories, just like good maps, are useful in the hands of a user who knows their limitations.Answer – 1
Explanation :
The passage heads towards describing the functions that bad / good maps (and therefore theories) serve. Just as a ‘Bad theory’ does not help us understand a problem, a ‘good theory’ is invaluable to us, though it may be simplified. ‘Simplified’ here implies that less valuable information is left out. According to this logic, option (2), (3), (4), get eliminated. Option (5) is close but more negative in tone than required. The word ‘limitation’ here indicates a short coming whereas the passage implies that it is a simplification as it would not be of practical use otherwise. - Age has a curvilinear relationship with the exploitation of opportunity. Initially, age will increase the likelihood that a person will exploit an entrepreneurial opportunity because people gather much of the knowledge necessary to exploit opportunities over the course of their lives, and because age provides credibility in transmitting that information to others. However, as people become older, their willingness to bear risks declines, their opportunity costs rise, and they become less receptive to new information.
1.As a result, people transmit more information rather than experiment with new ideas as they reach an advanced age.
2.As a result, people are reluctant to experiment with new ideas as they reach an advanced age.
3.As a result, only people with lower opportunity costs exploit opportunity when they reach an advanced age.
4.As a result, people become reluctant to exploit entrepreneurial opportunities when they reach an advanced age.
5.As a result, people depend on credibility rather than on novelty as they reach an advanced age.Answer – 4
Explanation :
In the first part of the passage, the author seeks to explain why one who is young would exploit an entrepreneurial opportunity. Thus, in the second part of the passage once the “however” is established, evidence will seek to show how older people will be reluctant to exploit entrepreneurial opportunity. Option 2 seems correct but it only gives a general statement that with age, people become reluctant to new ideas. Between option 2 and 4, option 4 goes in continuation with the text as it states that at a mature age, people are unwilling to utilize entrepreneurial opportunities. So, option 4 is correct. - The audiences for crosswords and sudoku, understandably, overlap greatly, but there are differences, too. A crossword attracts a more literary person, while sudoku appeals to a keenly logical mind. Some crossword enthusiasts turn up their noses at sudoku because they feel it lacks depth. A good crossword requires vocabulary, knowledge, mental flexibility and sometimes even a sense of humor to complete. It touches numerous areas of life and provides an “Aha!” or two along the way
1.Sudoku, on the other hand, is just a logical exercise, each one similar to the last.
2.Sudoku, incidentally, is growing faster in popularity than crosswords, even among the literati.
3.Sudoku, on the other hand, can be attempted and enjoyed even by children.
4.Sudoku, however, is not exciting in any sense of the term.
5.Sudoku, however, helps in enhancing the general aptitude.Answer – 1
Explanation :
The passage contrasts crosswords with Sudoku. Across word touches numerous areas of life and provides a few surprises along the way. So the next sentence needs to talk about Sudoku along these lines.Option 1 which describes Sudoku as “just a logical exercise” (unlike the crossword which touches numerous areas of life) with each one similar to the last (unlike the surprises that a good crossword can provide). - Many people suggest _______________and still other would like to convince people not to buy pirated cassettes.
1.to bring down audio cassette prices to reduce the incidence of music piracy, others advocate strong legal action against the offenders
2.bringing down audio cassette prices to reduce the incidents of music piracy, others are advocating strong legal action against offenders,
3.bringing down audio cassette prices to reduce the incidents of music piracy, others advocate strong legal action against offenders,
4.audio cassette prices to be brought down to reduce incidents of music piracy, others advocate that strong legal action must be taken against offenders,
5.that pricing of audio cassette should be brought down to help in reduction of incidents of music piracy, others being advocating strong legal action against offenders,
Explanation :
Put down your answer in comments section with reasoning.
Note : The level of questions in SBI Mains will be nowhere close to what you people experienced in Pre. You might have find the article hard but be prepared for such questions. I have tried to explain all the answers in detail but still if any query remains, put it in the ‘comments section’ and it will be resolved. Don’t lose heart if you got most of the questions wrong, we will be posting a lot of questions on Sentence Completion. Practice makes a man perfect – even a woman :p)
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