As SBI has released the much-awaited vacancies for the post of Probationary Officers, we have launched subject-wise quizzes for the exam. It will include quizzes of all the subjects- Quantitative Aptitude, English, Reasoning and Computer. All these quizzes will be strictly based on the latest pattern of SBI PO exam and will be beneficial for your preparations. So, keep following the quizzes which will provide you a set of 10 questions daily.
Here, we are providing you important questions of English Language for SBI PO 2019 exam.
Directions (1-10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words have been given in bold to help you locate them while answering some questions.
China’s growing geopolitical heft is emboldening its territorial creep in Asia. After laying claim to 0% of the South China Sea, it has just established a so-called air defence identification zone in the East China Sea, raising the odds of armed conflict with Japan and threatening the principle of freedom of navigation of the seas and skies. Meanwhile, the People’s Republic continues to nibble furtively at territory across the long, disputed Himalayan border with India. Few seem to fathom the logic behind China’s readiness to take on several neighbours simultaneously. China is seeking to alter the status quo gradually as part of a high-stakes effort to extend its control to strategic areas and resources. President Xi Jinxing’s promise of national greatness – embodied in the catchphrase “China dream” – is tied as much to achieving regional hegemony as to internal progress. China’s approach reflects what the Chinese general Zhang Zhaozhong this year called a “cabbage” strategy: assert a territorial claim and gradually surround the area with multiple layers of security, thus denying access to a rival. The strategy relies on a steady progression of steps to outwit opponents and create new facts on the ground. This approach severely limits rival states’ options by confounding their deterrence plans and making it difficult for them to devise proportionate or effective counter-measures. This is partly because the strategy – while bearing all the hallmarks of modern Chinese brinkmanship, including reliance on stealth, surprise, and a disregard for the risks of military escalation – seeks to ensure that the initiative remains with China. The pattern has become familiar: construct a dispute, initiate a jurisdictional claim through periodic incursions, and then increase the frequency and duration of such intrusions, thereby establishing a military presence or pressuring a rival to cut a deal on China’s terms. What is ours is ours, the Chinese invariably claim, and what is yours is negotiable. For example, China says “no foundation for dialogue” with Japan exists unless the Japanese accept the existence of a territorial dispute over the uninhabited Senkaku Islands. Here, as elsewhere, China has painted its rival as the obstructionist party. As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi put it, “Japan needs to recognize that there is such a dispute. The whole world knows that there is a dispute.” But there is a dispute only because China has succeeded in shaking the status quo in recent years by popularizing the islands’ Chinese name (“Diaoyu”) and staging incursions into their territorial waters and airspace. After steadily increasing the frequency of those incursions since September 2012, China has recently begun increasing their duration. The establishment of a new air defence identification zone extending over the islands is its latest cabbage-style security “layer” – a unilateral power grab that US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel quickly branded ”a destabilizing attempt to alter the status quo in the region.” The zone even covers the sky over the Leodo (Suyan) Reef, a submerged rock that both South Korea and China claim. As China escalates its campaign of attrition against a resolute Japan, it increases the risk of armed conflict, whether by accident or miscalculation.
Q-1 Why has China painted its rival as the obstructionist party?
01. To create a moral pressure over the rival.
02. To create a dispute to attain a bargaining point in negotiations.
03. To avoid conflict in the event that the dispute gets escalated.
04. To confuse the general public and gain their sympathy.
05. To shake the status quo in the area.
Q-2 What according to the passage is the great ‘China dream’?
01. A China that is self-sufficient.
02. A China that is not only internally prosperous but also has a considerable regional hegemony over its neighbours.
03. A china that exists in harmony with the world all over.
04. A China that emerges as a promoter of democratic values and free thinking.
05. A China that is self-sufficient in food grains, technology and weapons.
Q-3 What could be the most appropriate title for this passage?
01. China: The global leader democratic values.
02. Diplomatic efforts to make peace in Asia.
03. Chinese Cabbage strategy and Hegemony.
04. Instability in south China.
05. India and China future super powers.
Q-4 Which of the following is true in context of the passage:
A. Chinese brinkmanship is based on stealth, surprise and disregard for military risk.
B. China wishes to artificially generate regional disputes by making false claims.
C. China wishes to give sufficient regard to international principles of dispute settlement and Diplomacy.
01. Only A is correct.
02. Only A and C are correct.
03. B and C are correct.
04. Only A and B are correct.
05. All are correct.
Q-5 Which of the following is not true in context of the passage:
A. China and Japan could potentially be involved in a military dispute in the near future.
B. The disputed islands are called Senkaku in China and Diaoyu in Japan.
C. President Xi Jinxing can be credited for coining the term ‘Cabbage Strategy’.
01. Only A
02. A, B and C
03. A and B
04. A and C
05. B and C only
Q-6 What according to the passage could be the real reason behind China creating a dispute over the uninhabited islands of East China Sea?
01. To create a fear in the minds of regional states.
02. To fulfil the patriotic aspirations of the Chinese people.
03. To prevent any other Asian state from making a claim to a permanent seat in in the UN Security Council.
04. To create a regional alliance with Japan and India to counter the growing influence of the USA around Asia.
05. To encroach upon the vast treasure of oceanic resources particularly minerals obtained on the sea bed.
Q-7 What could be the most similar in meaning to the word ‘Hegemony’ as used in context of the Passage?
01. Submission
02. Dominance
03. Cooperation
04. Nonchalance
05. Assertiveness
Q-8 What could be the most similar in meaning to the word ‘Status quo’ as used in context of the Passage?
01. Maintaining law and order.
02. To preserve the existing condition.
03. To disturb peace and tranquility.
04. To explore alternative channels of diplomacy.
05. To state the truth in absolute clear terms.
Q-9 Which among the following is the most opposite in meaning of the word ‘attrition’ as used in context of the passage?
01. Increasing the impact
02. Creating a conflict
03. Making diplomatic efforts.
04. Reducing the impact of something by wear and tear.
05. Maligning the image.
Q-10 Which among the following is the most opposite in meaning of the word ‘stealth’ as used in context of the passage?
01. Something bold
02. Something illegal
03. Something very imminent
04. That which is difficult to understand
05. That which is hidden or concealed.
Answers :-
Q.1 (2)
Q.2 (2)
Q.3 (3)
Q.4 (4)
Q.5 (5)
Q.6 (5)
Q.7 (2)
Q.8 (2)
Q.9 (4)
Q.10 (5)
