Punjab National Bank Specialist Officers Exam 2010 English Language Solved Paper

Punjab National Bank Specialist Officers Exam., 2010
English Language : Solved Paper
(Held on 4-10-2010)
Directions—(Q. 1–10) 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.

What Indian politicians and bureaucrats share with their scientist, engineer and carpenter counterparts is their acceptance of mediocrity and lack of skill. The greatest moral failure of Indian institutions is the tolerance of incompetence, …(1)… criminality or corruption. The tolerance of incompetence in …(2)… is a result of a low cultural value attached to the creation and …(3)… of institutions.

Institution building is a hard work; it requires a combination of vision, commitment and performance. Any institution involves a contract between those who …(4)… to the institution and those who support it. The support can take the form of money or votes but that support must be …(5)… continuously. In a properly functioning institutional system, the institutional contract …(6)… the institution members and their supporters takes the form : you give me support and I will give you results. Competence is the channel that sustains the flow of trust from supporters to institutions and back. If doctors don’t cure will they not lose our trust ? While blaming individual politicians and babus for their corrupt ways, let us also examine the system that accepts mediocrity and even lets it …(7)….

What we are seeing in India is a case of contract failure. The contractor who bribes an official and then builds a leaky stadium is not just being …(8)…. He is sustaining a collusive system that subverts rules regulating mutual co-operation between government institutions, market players and society as a whole. In the case of endemic contract failure everyone …(9)…, including the contractor, for once the public loses its trust in institution is even businessmen will …(10)… out on opportunities to make money. The moral status of institutions is central to continued development and prosperity.

1. (A) as
(B) to
(C) never
(D) not
(E) for
Ans : (D)

2. (A) turn
(B) individual
(C) world
(D) partly
(E) importance
Ans : (B)

3. (A) destruction
(B) justification
(C) sustenance
(D) excess
(E) marginalization
Ans : (C)


4. (A) belong
(B) work
(C) help
(D) employed
(E) trust
Ans : (A)

5. (A) returned
(B) earned
(C) needed
(D) discouraged
(E) asked
Ans : (C)

6. (A) suggests
(B) akin
(C) twosome
(D) centered
(E) between
Ans : (E)

7. (A) question
(B) bolder
(C) thrive
(D) out
(E) kill
Ans : (C)

8. (A) variant
(B) trivial
(C) immature
(D) corrupt
(E) generous
Ans : (D)

9. (A) succeeds
(B) suffers
(C) proliferates
(D) responsible
(E) encompasses
Ans : (B)

10. (A) storm
(B) venture
(C) lose
(D) get
(E) walk
Ans : (E)

Directions—(Q. 11–15) Rearrange the following five sentences (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them.
(a) Thus, if we really value it, we will work hard to make it a reality.
(b) Inner peace is the most elusive thing that a human being can seek.
(c) The most important criterion in order to experience it is to value the importance of inner peace.
(d) To experience inner peace one doesn’t have to retreat to a Himalayan cave; rather, one can experience inner peace seated exactly where they are by watching these thoughts.
(e) Nobody can gift the other inner peace at the same time it is only one’s own thoughts that can rob them of their inner peace.

11. Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) (a)
(B) (b)
(C) (c)
(D) (d)
(E) (e)
Ans : (C)

12. Which of the following should be the FOURTH sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) (e)
(B) (d)
(C) (c)
(D) (b)
(E) (a)
Ans : (A)

13. Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) (e)
(B) (d)
(C) (c)
(D) (b)
(E) (a)
Ans : (C)

14. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) (a)
(B) (b)
(C) (c)
(D) (d)
(E) (e)
Ans : (B)

15. Which of the following should be the THIRD sentence after rearrangement ?
(A) (a)
(B) (b)
(C) (c)
(D) (d)
(E) (e)
Ans : (D)

Directions—(Q. 16–20) 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.

16. After ……… payrolls and tightening perks to cope with the economic slowdown last year, software companies are finding that a rising number of engineering and management graduates are transferring their ……… to vocations such as manufacturing and banking.
(A) trimming - loyalties
(B) reducing - accounts
(C) hiking - services
(D) increased - affections
(E) dropped – potentials
Ans : (A)

17. It is very important to ……… that when the swine flu virus enters a human body, it takes a minimum of one day to a maximum of eight days for the disease to develop ……….
(A) gauge - extensively
(B) ascertain - further
(C) understand - fully
(D) verify - remarkably
(E) fathom – clearly
Ans : (C)

18. Scientists, working to save the earth, have ……… ‘dry water’ that soaks carbon three times better than water, and hence helps ……… global warming.
(A) aided - cut
(B) created - combat
(C) built - stop
(D) produced - increase
(E) invented – monitoring
Ans : (B)

19. The first round of the contest had the students ……… themselves and ……… about their hobbies.
(A) introducing - talking
(B) sensitizing - sketching
(C) showcasing - planning
(D) acclimatizing - mentioning
(E) gearing – chalking
Ans : (D)

20. The varsity’s poll process for ……… of new candidates has ……… poor response with only ten thousand applications being received till date.
(A) entrusting - seen
(B) registration - evoked
(C) entrance - made
(D) admission - visited
(E) experimenting – generated
Ans : (B)

Directions—(Q. 21–25) Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error or idiomatic error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The letter of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is (E). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any.)

21. Initially, shop owners tried to (A) / offer some resistance to the demolition but (B) / seeing the heavy presence of the police force, (C) / their resistance faded off. (D) No error (E)
Ans : (E)

22. Cleanliness drives will be (A) / conducted in various localities (B) / to opening the drains blocked (C) / with polythene bags. (D) No error (E)
Ans : (C)

23. The results of the study showed that (A) / if the partners were willing to talk to each other (B) / and arrive at a mutually agreeable decision,` (C) / the joint decisions were more better than any one person’s judgment. (D) No error (E)
Ans : (D)

24. A year after the global financial crisis saw (A) / students from the best B-schools across the world struggling for a job, (B) / a survey on management education this year thrown (C) / up some rather interesting findings. (D) No error (E)
Ans : (C)

25. The district authorities are making (A) / a last-ditch attempt to provide (B) / alternative solutions to farmers but (C) / the options is clearly inadequate. (D) No error (E)
Ans : (D)

Directions—(Q. 26–30) 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.

At the time when the unfortunate incident of the ‘accidental’ exposure to radiation that affected workers and waste collectors in Delhi as they handled radioactive material, took place, the issue of waste disposal, particularly hazardous waste, made the headlines. The lives of those who live off collecting and sorting waste came into out line of vision. But then the issue disappeared.

Long term policies that ensure that the safety and health of those who do such an essential job – “a community of silent environmentalists” someone called them – are not such a high priority any more. One reason is that the people affected are virtually invisible.

Waste collectors around India work silently, often late into the night, sorting out mountains of waste, foraging for anything that can be sold. If you walk down some streets of Central Mumbai after 11 at night, you will see an army of waste collectors. Men, women, children are all hard at work. They work through the night and finally manage to get some sleep on the doorsteps of the shops on those streets. By daylight they become invisible, having stowed their belongings in boxes behind the signs of the shops on whose doorsteps they sleep. These are the people of the night, not noticed by those who inhabit the areas in the day.

What is often not entirely appreciated is that a substantial percentage of waste collectors is women. According to a study, 85 per cent of waste collectors in the city are women, five per cent are children and 10 per cent are men. The majority of them are poor and landless people who came to the city because of drought in their villages. The age group ranges from 7 to 70 years and 98 per cent of them are illiterate. A survey of 60,000 waste collectors found a similar proportion : 60 per cent women, 20 per cent men and 20 per cent children. Studies have revealed that 90 per cent of the women waste pickers are primary bread-winners, often widowed or deserted. It is interesting how the gender division of labour plays out even in the business of waste. While women, and children, do the more hazardous job of sorting and separating the waste, the men deal with the dry garbage, which they transport to wholesalers and factories. As a result, it is the women who are exposed to hazardous waste – none of them wear any kind of protective gear – and also face the physical problems of constantly bending and carrying head loads of the waste. Look at any group of waste collectors and you will spot the bent old women who have been performing this function for decades.

In the slum-city of Mumbai, waste collectors experience the most acute degree of homelessness. While poor people in other kinds of jobs somehow manage to find some shelter in a slum, irrespective of whether it is legal or illegal, waste collectors sleep next to the garbage they have sorted. This is their “wealth”, something they have to protect after they have collected and sorted it until they can monetize it. Hence, near many garbage dumps, even in the better off localities of cities like Mumbai, you see families of waste pickers asleep in the morning. And most often you see only women and children.

Why bring up waste collectors at a time when the main environmental issues being debated are the larger issues of global warming, or environmental disasters such as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico ? This is because one cannot speak of the environment without considering its impact on the lives of people. We have hundreds of small-scale and continuing environmental disasters taking place all around us. But we overlook them so long as they do not impact our lives or our lifestyles. Millions of waste pickers in India, who play a crucial role in dealing with the perennial environmental crisis of waste, risk their lives and their health every single day. This is an on-going environmental issue that requires as much attention from ordinary people, the media and policy makers as the larger macro issues.

26. Why are long term policies favouring waste collectors not high priority ?
(A) The Government is currently contemplating over the effects of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and does not have time for other issues.
(B) The plight of these people is not evident as they work late into the night and are not seen much during the day.
(C) The Government is unable to see these people at all and thus is not aware of their existence.
(D) These waste collectors themselves are not in favour of being brought into the organized sector because of the numerous complications involved.
(E) As previous such favourable policies failed to improve the conditions of these waste collectors as they were not implemented effectively.
Ans : (B)

27. Which of the following is true about waste collectors as given in the passage ?
1. Majority of waste collectors are people who have migrated from their village because of some natural calamity.
2. Waste collectors prefer to sleep next to the garbage they have sorted.
3. Most waste collectors are not literate.
(A) Only (2)
(B) Only (1) and (2)
(C) Only (3)
(D) Only (2) and (3)
(E) All (1), (2) and (3) are true.
Ans : (E)

28. Why are women waste collectors at a disadvantage as compared to the men waste collectors as mentioned in the passage ?
(A) The men sell the waste collected by the women to wholesalers and keep all the money to themselves without sharing it with the women.
(B) The women do the more dangerous and physical work of sorting through the garbage whereas men mostly transport dry garbage.
(C) Men wear protective gear while sorting through the garbage thereby shielding themselves from the ill effects of being exposed to the waste.
(D) The men force their wives and children to work for them whereas the women do not have this luxury.
(E) The men are not as affected by the waste as the women waste collectors because of the difference in their physical constitution.
Ans : (B)

29. Which of the following is possibly the most appropriate title for the passage ?
(A) The General Public’s Apathetic ways
(B) The Unorganized Sector
(C) The Invisible Waste
(D) Waste Collectors – The World Over
(E) Recognizing the ‘Work’ in ‘Dirty Work’
Ans : (B)

30. Why, according to the author, is the issue of waste collectors as important as the issue of global warming ?
1. As most waste collectors in big cities are children who are ultimately the future of our nation.
2. As without the waste collectors sorting waste the phenomenon of global warming would increase exponentially.
3. As waste collectors deal with wastage which impacts the people’s everyday lives and is also environmentally significant.
(A) Only (2) and (3)
(B) Only (1)
(C) Only (1) and (2)
(D) Only (3)
(E) All (1), (2) and (3)
Ans : (D)

Directions—(Q. 31–33) 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.

31. INHABIT
(A) Reside in
(B) Encompass
(C) Infest
(D) Submerge
(E) Are used to
Ans : (A)

32. FORAGING
(A) Penetrating
(B) Incising
(C) Probing
(D) Begging
(E) Searching
Ans : (E)

33. MONETIZE
(A) Currency
(B) Buy
(C) Encash
(D) Regulate
(E) Pay
Ans : (C)

Directions—(Q. 34–35) 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.

34. CONSIDERING
(A) Untying
(B) Remembering
(C) Understanding
(D) Disregarding
(E) Condemning
Ans : (D)

35. HAZARDOUS
(A) Pleasant
(B) Efficient
(C) Important
(D) Risky
(E) Harmless
Ans : (E)

Canara Bank Specialist Officers

Eligibility:
BE/B.Tech (Agricultural / Irrigation Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Information Science/Technology, Mechanical Engineering)
CA
ICWA
MBA/PGDM (Marketing)
MCA
Location: Any where in India Industry Type: Govt Sector, IT/Software, Marketing, MBA, Technical Last Date: 20 September 10
Job Type: Full Time Hiring Process: Written-test.




Recruitment Project – 3 / 2010

The details of posts are as follows;
Post Code Post Name Scale No.of Posts Age Years (Min-Max)
8 Agri-Business Marketing Officer JMGS-I 10 21 – 30
9 Computer Programmer JMGS-I 07 21 – 30
10 Database Administrator JMGS-I 01 21 - 30
11 Financial Analyst JMGS-I 14 21 - 30
12 Junior Economist JMGS-I 01 21 - 30
14 Network Administrator JMGS-I 07 21 - 30
17 SME Marketing Officer JMGS-I 10 21 – 30
18 Systems Engineer JMGS-I 01 21 – 30
19 Technical Field Officer – Civil JMGS-I 03 21 – 30
20 Technical Field Officer – Electrical JMGS-I 02 21 – 30
21 Technical Field Officer – Mechanical JMGS-I 18 21 – 30

Post Code-8: Agri-Business Marketing Officer [JMG Scale – I]
Qualification:
Post Graduate in Agri-business Management or Post Graduate in Rural Management from institutes like MANAGE-Hyderabad, NIAM-Jaipur, IRMA- Anand and who have secured first class / `A’ grade or equivalent. Experience in the field desirable.
Job Profile:
Agri-business Marketing – Developing tailor made products; Develop marketing strategies and implement them through field level units; Syndicate large loans etc.

Post Code-9: Computer Programmer [JMG Scale – I]
Qualification:
First class / equivalent grade in BE (Computer Science / Information Technology / Electronics) or equivalent. Experience in the field desirable.
Job Profile:
Software development; Database Management; Testing & Documentation; Knowledge in Visual Basic / Java / D2K / Crystal Reports etc.

Post Code-10: Database Administrator [JMG Scale – I]
Qualification:
First class / equivalent grade in BE (Computer Science / Information Technology / Electronics) or equivalent. Candidates with RDBMS certification & Knowledge in Oracle shall be preferred
Experience in the field desirable.
Job Profile:
Database administration preferably in Oracle, Maintaining the database; Report generation; Rectification of problems in database; Trouble Shooting; Purging; Archiving; Back-up; Re-organisation of Database; Performance tuning; Defining Oracle Parameters etc.

Post Code-11: Financial Analyst [JMG Scale – I]
Qualification:
First class / equivalent grade in MBA (Finance) / Pass in CA / ICWA / CFA / M.Sc (Statistics) / MA (Economics) with statistics & applied econometrics.
Experience in the field desirable.
Job Profile:
Profit Planning, Capital Planning, ALM, Profitability Research, Analysis of Balance Sheet, Future projection of financial data etc.

Post Code-12: Junior Economist [JMG Scale – I]
Qualification:
First class / equivalent grade in Post Graduate Degree in Economics / Econometrics / Banking / Finance / International Economics / Industrial Economics.
Experience in the field desirable.
Job Profile :
Analysis of macro-economic environment, financial sector reforms; impact of monetary, fiscal and other policies on Banking Sector; giving key inputs for proper policy formulation etc.

Post Code-14: Network Administrator [JMG Scale – I]
Qualification:
First class / equivalent grade in BE (Telecommunication) or equivalent.
Experience in the field desirable.
Job Profile:
Maintaining Network and Network equipments; Network monitoring and trouble shooting; Adding Network Equipments to network; Liaisoning with service provider; Ensuring maximum uptime of the network, knowledge of HP open view etc.

Post Code-17: SME Marketing Officer [JMG Scale – I]
Qualification :
First class / equivalent grade in Graduation with MBA (Marketing).
Experience in the field desirable.
Job Profile:
Conceiving SME Products depending upon market requirement; Canvassing individual proposals and recommending them to branches / Circle Offices; Organizing meets / loan mela in co-ordination with Circle Offices and Industrial associations in their command area etc.

Post Code-18: Systems Engineer [JMG Scale – I]
Qualification:
First class / equivalent grade in BE (Computer Science / Information Technology / Electronics) or equivalent / MCA.
Experience in the field desirable.
Job Profile:
Maintenance, monitoring and management of software and hardware etc.

Post Code-19: Technical Field Officer - Civil [JMG Scale – I]
Qualification:
First class / equivalent grade in BE / B Tech (Civil) or Equivalent
Experience in the field desirable.
Job Profile:
Evaluation of housing projects, entering into tie–up with builders / developers, independent valuation etc.

Post Code-20: Technical Field Officer - Electrical [JMG Scale – I]
Qualification :
First class / equivalent grade in BE / B Tech (Electrical) or Equivalent. Experience in the field desirable.
Job Profile:
Maintenance and Monitoring of Building Electrical equipments, UPS, Generators, Assessing / Reviewing the power requirement for the building, Liaisoning with vendors, Government Bodies etc.

Post Code-21: Technical Field Officer - Mechanical [JMG Scale – I]
Qualification:
First class / equivalent grade in BE / B Tech (Mechanical) or equivalent. Experience in the field desirable.
Job Profile:
Techno-economic feasibility studies of Industrial Projects including Infrastructural projects; Drawing up revival / rehabilitation packages of industrial units under the purview of CDR; Post sanction monitoring of industrial projects during implementation and regular operations; Loan Syndication and Asset Securitization; Data mining and warehousing with reference to industrial projects; Handling of credit matters in Branches and Administrative Units etc.

Note:
A candidate can apply for a maximum of 2 posts only.

Scale of Pay : JMGS-I 14500 – 600/7 – 18700 – 700/2 – 20100 – 800/7 - 25700

The selection for the posts is as mentioned below :
Post Code 12 : Shortlisting and Interview
Post Code : 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20 & 21 : Written Test and / or Interview

Date of Written Test :
The written test is tentatively fixed on 12.12.2010 at the following Centres. The exact venue address of the test will be intimated in the Test Call Letter.
Centre Code Test Centre Centre Code Test Centre
51 Ahmedabad 57 Hyderabad
52 Bangalore 58 Kolkata
53 Chandigarh 59 Lucknow
54 Chennai 60 Mumbai
55 Delhi 61 Patna
56 Guwahati 62 Thiruvananthapuram

Probation Period & Bond Amount :
JMGS-I 2 years Probation Period, 2 years Bond and 1 lakh amount.

Application Fee :
Rs.300/- (Rs.50/- for SC/ST/PWD) The application fee / postal charges can be paid by Directly crediting the amount in any of the Canara Bank Branch.

How to apply


Eligible candidates are requested to apply ON-LINE through Bank’s website from 25/08/2010 to 20/09/2010 only. No other means / mode of Application will be accepted. After applying online take System Generated Print-out of the Registered Application, duly complete in all respects should be sent by ORDINARY POST only in a cover superscribed “Print-out of the Application for the post of ________________ Post Code _____ in Canara Bank and Choice of Centre of Test__________” on or before 27.09.2010 to

Canara Bank Recruitment Project – 3 / 2010 – Specialist Officers, Post Box No. - 9722, Borivali (East), MUMBAI – 400 066.

Important Dates
Opening Date for on-line registration on Website 25.08.2010
Closing Date for on-line registration on Website [including far-flung areas] 20.09.2010
Last date for receipt of system generated print-out of registered application along with Payment Challan & other documents 27.09.2010
Last date for receipt of system generated print-out of registered application along with Payment Challan & other documents from far-flung areas@ 04.10.2010
Details Here

To Download Payment Challan

To Apply Online


Company Profile

Widely known for customer centricity, Canara Bank was founded by Shri Ammembal Subba Rao Pai, a great visionary and philanthropist, in July 1906, at Mangalore, then a small port in Karnataka. The Bank has gone through the various phases of its growth trajectory over hundred years of its existence. Growth of Canara Bank was phenomenal, especially after nationalization in the year 1969, attaining the status of a national level player in terms of geographical reach and clientele segments. Eighties was characterized by business diversification for the Bank. In June 2006, the Bank completed a century of operation in the Indian banking industry. The eventful journey of the Bank has been characterized by several memorable milestones.