Test English-20

Instructions
1. The test comprises of 15 questions. You should complete the test within 20 minutes.
2. There is only one correct answer to each question.
3. All questions carry four marks each.
4. Each wrong answer will attract a penalty of one mark.

Direction for question number 1:
Given below are four sentences followed by four words. Mark as your answer the word that fits in the maximum number of sentences.

1. Corroborative: It is not always possible to obtain corroborative evidence in insurgency cases.

a. authentic
b. misleading
c. spurious
d. confirmative
Ans: d

Direction for question number 17 to 20:
Few numbered paragraphs are given below. If matched properly they will form a coherent article. Read all the paragraphs carefully and arrange them to form that meaningful article.

Paragraph1 In May, the last time a jobs report came a few days before a Fed meeting, there was virtually no doubt before or after the report that the Fed would raise rates. This time, traders on Thursday saw just a 44 percent chance that the Fed will boost its short-term target rate to 5.5 percent from 5.25 percent. On average, economists polled by financial wire services expect that the economy created about 140,000 non-farm payroll jobs in July, up from 121,000 in June. The figure was confirmed by an auction late Thursday at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, in which traders bet on the number.

Paragraph2 If so, the Fed will have to choose between the inflationary implications of higher wages and the recessionary implications of weaker hiring. The official unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 4.6 percent for the third month in a row. That's a historically low rate that creates ragging rights for incumbent politicians. But a 4.6 percent unemployment rate is below the so-called neutral range said to be tracked by Fed officials. A third month at 4.6 percent could weigh in favor of higher interest rates next week. A slip in the rate to 4.5 percent or less, combined with a 4 percent or greater increase in average hourly wages, likely would erase optimism among investors that the Fed is about to pause or end its rate-hike campaign, even if headline job growth is less than analysts expect.

Paragraph3 The monthly government reports on U.S. job growth, due Friday morning for July, always has the potential of moving markets. That's because persistent and large errors by experts in predicting the report's data leave the door open for surprises. The timing of Friday's scheduled Labor Department report has a special twist that could magnify its impact. For the first time in a while there are pronounced doubts about the Federal Reserve's next move on interest rates, set to be announced Tuesday.

Paragraph4 In recent years Fed officials have attempted to guide investors to their periodic rate decisions, to avoid surprises and build confidence in the soundness of the central bank. The Fed has raised short-term rates 17 straight times since June 2004, each time with ample forewarning. But this time the speeches and testimony by Fed chief Ben Bernanke and other Fed gnomes have left investors unsure about what will happen on Tuesday. Indeed, many analysts say Friday's jobs report could determine Tuesday's Fed action

Paragraph5 But, as usual, the so-called headline job growth number won't tell the whole story. Several other issues about the outlook for interest rates will be revealed Friday: - The report includes figures labeled average hourly earnings, a measure of wages paid to rank-and-file workers. Lately the number has been increasing at a pace that raises concern among some analysts about inflation. In the June report, the year-over-year increase in hourly earnings was 3.9 percent, representing a fairly steady increase from 2.7 percent in June 2005. Workers in construction and mining saw the largest increases in hourly earnings in June. According to economist Ray Stone at Stone & McCarthy Research, there's a chance that hiring in these and other industries is declining, while the amount being paid to those employed is going up.

2. In the meaningful article the paragraph that will follow paragraph 2 is

a. 1
b. 3
c. 5
d. None
Ans: d

3. Which of the following is not true according to the above passage.

a. The monthly government reports on U.S. job growth always impacts on the market.
b. In the last report before the due July report, the rates was raised.
c. Workers in construction and manufacturing saw the largest increases in hourly earnings in June
d. The official unemployment rate has been constant for last two months.
Ans: c

4 The paragraph that precedes paragraph 4 is

a. 3
b. 1
c. 2
d.None
Ans: a

5. The passage most likely to be taken from a

a. A journal on work report.
b. Research paper on US Job market.
c. A local news paper
d. A textbook.
Ans: c

Direction for question number 21 to 26:
Select the most logical order of sentences from among the given choices to construct a coherent paragraph.

6.

A. He has a daughter who offers herself as a sacrifice.
B. The village headman tells the pilgrims about the monster.
C. The local monster, a water spirit, is with-holding rain because the village has no more boys to sacrifice.
D. In desperation, some of the villagers try and kidnap Tripitaka so he can be sacrificed, but Monkey saves him.

a. DCBA
b. CBAD
c. BDCA
d. CDBA
Ans: d

7.

A. Furthermore, if a programmer spills coffee into a disk drive, it will be possible to install a new disk and recover the transactions up to the coffee spill, showing that you tried to bill someone for $500 and still aren't sure what happened over at CyberSource.
B.A millisecond later, before your server has heard back from CyberSource, someone trips over the machine's power cord.
C. An ACID-compliant DBMS will not have forgotten about the new order.
D. Suppose your e-commerce system inserts an order from a customer into a database table and then instructs CyberSource to bill the customer $500.

a. DBCA
b. BCAD
c. CADB
d. ADBC
Ans: a

8.

A. The discovery, published in today's edition of the journal Science, goes a long way toward explaining blood clots' Jekyll-and-Hyde persona .
B. You need clots to seal up wounds, prevent hemorrhaging and start the healing process.
C. The fibers that make up blood clots are more elastic than rubber bands and stretchier than spider webs. They're even tougher than doctors suspected — a discovery that could lead to improved treatment of heart attacks and strokes.
D.But abnormal clots can kill, blocking critical arteries to cause strokes, heart attacks or lung-clogging pulmonary emboli.

a. ABDC
b. ABCD
c. CABD
d. CADB
Ans: c

9.

A. And with such a tiny margin of loss, Lopez Obrador would be negligent not to pursue legal challenges.
B. In a nation with 71 years' electoral manipulation recently behind it, that reaction makes sense.
C. Luckily, Mexico is admirably equipped to handle them.
D. Its model electoral system was specifically crafted — by all parties, helped by international experts — to address irregularities

a. BACD
b. ACDB
c. BCDA
d. BDAC
Ans: a

10.

A. It is a complete reversal of fortunes for Mr. Yanukovych, the former mechanic-turned politician
B. Mr. Yanukovych has served in the post before, under former President Leonid Kuchma, but never with the extent of powers he holds now, thanks to new constitutional reforms Mr. Yushchenko agreed to during the revolution in order to end the impasse
C. By a vote of 271 to nine, Ukraine's parliament voted to confirm Mr. Yanukovych to the cheers of his Region's Party supporters.
D. Those powers include greater say in cabinet picks, as well as greater job security, because according to the new changes, parliament must now approve any dismissal of the prime minister

a. CABD
b. ACDB
c. BDCA
d. ACBD
Ans: d

11.

A. For the past decade and a half, this once vibrant, coastal city on the Indian Ocean had been synonymous with violence, lawlessness, and decay.
B. But long-term stability is still far from certain.
C. The recent ousting of unpopular factional warlords by Islamists in the Somali capital Mogadishu has raised hope among residents that peace will finally prevail after more than 15 years of clan-based warfare.
D. Signs of stability are returning to the city.

a. ADBC
b. CDBA
c. CDAB
d. DBAC
Ans: b

Direction for question number 27 to 30
In each question, the capitalized word in four different ways, numbered a to d. Choose the option in which the usage of the word is incorrect or inappropriate.

12. RASH

a. There was a rash of burglaries in the upscale neighborhood.
b. Though Melissa lied about playing in the brambles , the rash on her face told her parents the real story.
c. In a Don Quixote like manner, he planned a rash attempt to climb the World Trade Center.
d. Rash drinking and driving is a recipe for disaster.
Ans: d

13. KEY

a. The key of success lies in being humble and down-to-earth.
b. The company embarked upon a high-key marketing campaign to publicize its new product.
c. You need to key into the consumers psyche to create a successful brand.
d. The key decisions should be made after careful deliberation.
Ans: a

14. SPIRIT

a. Her dour sprit put a damper on the gathering
b. Though unable to join us today, the Guptas are with us in spirit.
c. The spirit on the girls face brought a feeling of peace to the onlookers.
d. Even though they lost the match, the team spirit was still strong
Ans: c

15. ENSHRINED

a. The right to vote is enshrined in our constitution.
b. The priests enshrined the holy pendant inside the sacred vault.
c. The diamond was enshrined in the blank vault.
d. Respect for elders is enshrined in our religious books since time immemorial.
Ans: c