Reading Comprehension for SBI PO/Clerk 2018: 02 May
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.
Sheela and Jairam were a poor old couple. Their only possession was a cow. Once, Jairam fell very sick. Soon all their money was used up in buying medicines and they realised that they would have to sell their cow in order to bear the rest of the expenses. Sheela decided to go to the market and sell the cow. She set off, leading the cow by a rope. On the way, she met four young men. They were the local bullies who enjoyed teasing and tormenting old people. When they saw old Sheela with her cow, they decided to play a trick. One of them sneaked up behind her, untied the cow and tied a goat in its place. Sheela had been walking immersed in thought, worried about Jairam. Suddenly she heard a goat bleating behind her. She turned around and was surprised to see that her cow had vanished. She was leading a goat to the market. The four bullies came up to her and said, “There is magic in the air these days. See, it turned your cow into a goat.” Poor Sheela walked on with the goat. After a little while, the boys untied the goat and tied a rooster in its place. The rooster crowed and Sheela was surprised again. The goat had turned into a rooster. The four bullies shouted, “Magic in the air, Grandma.” She resumed walking with the rooster in tow. After a few minutes the boys crept up again, untied the rooster and tied a log of wood in its place. A few moments later, Sheela realised that she was dragging a log of wood with a rope. Again, the bullies shouted, “Magic in the air, Grandma.” After a few minutes, the boys untied the log of wood too and ran away with it. When Sheela finally reached the market, she found that she had nothing but a rope in her hand. She came back home dejected, as she had lost the cow. She told Jairam the whole story. He immediately understood what had happened. “Make chapatti, vegetable and kheer for lunch tomorrow,” he said. “Cook for at least four people. I will come home with some guests. As soon as they come you must say, ‘I cooked what the rabbit told me. Come, eat your lunch. Leave everything else to me,” Jairam reassured her. The next morning Jairam went and borrowed two identical rabbits from a friend. He left one at home, tied the other one with a string and started walking towards the market with it. On the way, he too met the four bullies. ‘Hey Grandfather !’ they yelled, “Your wife’s cow vanished yesterday. Where are you taking this rabbit now ?” Jairam sighed sadly and said, “This rabbit is like my son. It obeys everything I say. But now I am sick and we need money, so I am going to sell it in the market.” The four bullies were surprised when they heard this. “Does it really understand what you say, Grandfather ?” they asked. Jairam replied, “Of course it does. Here, watch me.” Jairam turned towards the rabbit and said, “Hop home and tell Sheela to make chapattis, vegetable and kheer for four people.” Then he untied the string and let the rabbit hop away. He turned towards the four boys and said, “Come home and have lunch with me.” When they reached his house, his wife welcomed them and said, “I cooked what the rabbit asked me to cook. Come, eat your lunch.” She served the chapattis, vegetable and kheer to all of them. The four bullies were stunned when they saw the rabbit sitting in the corner. They told Jairam, “We will buy your rabbit.” Jairam pretended to think and said, “It is very precious to me.” The four bullies immediately offered him a higher price. Jairam showed some reluctance. The moment he agreed to sell the rabbit they paid him the money and left with the rabbit immediately. The four bullies decided to test the rabbit’s abilities. They had been blackmailing a landlord for money. So they told the rabbit, “Go and tell the landlord to bring us the money within ten minutes.” The rabbit hopped off. They waited for an hour but the landlord did not come with the money. They marched to his house and yelled, “Give us the money and our rabbit.” The landlord had been waiting for a chance to teach these bullies a lesson. He ordered his strongest bodyguard to give them a good thrashing. Bleeding and bruised, they went back to Jairam’s house and said, “You fooled us. Return our money at once.” Jairam simply smiled and said, “The money has disappeared. There is magic in the air.”
1. Why did Sheela and Jairam decide to sell the cow?
1) They had spent all their money on Jairam’s sickness and needed more money.
2) Sheela wanted to buy a rooster and they needed money for that.
3) They were fed up of the four bullies and wanted to teach them a lesson.
4) They wanted to invite the four bullies for lunch and needed money for buying the ingredients.
5) They owed money to the landlord.
2. Why was Jairam reluctant to sell the rabbit?
1) He only pretended to be reluctant in order to fool the bullies.
2) He was fond of the little rabbit and did not want to sell it to the bullies.
3) He wanted to gift the rabbits to the landlord.
4) He knew that the bullies would not take good care of the rabbit.
5) He wanted to sell the rabbit in the market and get a better price for it.
3. Which of the following may be an appropriate title to the passage?
1) Magic in the air
2) Never steal a cow
3) The strongest bodyguard
4) The smart bullies
5) The obedient rabbit
4. What did Sheela do after reaching the market empty-handed?
1) Determined to earn money, she managed to sell the rope that she was left with.
2) She returned home dejected and narrated the whole incident to her husband.
3) She bought two rabbits and devised a plan to get back at the bullies.
4) She went to the landlord and complained about the bullies.
5) She went home and cooked lunch for her husband and herself.
5. What did the four bullies tie to Sheela’s rope immediately after untying the cow?
1) A log of wood 2) A rooster
3) A rabbit 4) A goat
5) Not mentioned in the passage
6. Why were the four bullies surprised when they were talking to Jairam?
1) They knew that Jairam was sick and had not expected to see him.
2) They had not expected Jairam to invite them for lunch.
3) They could not believe that the rabbit could understand and obey Jairam.
4) They knew that Jairam did not own a rabbit and were surprised to see him with one.
5) They could not believe that Jairam knew the rabbit’s language.
7. What did the four bullies see when they reached Jairam’s house?
1) They saw that two rabbits were sitting in the corner.
2) They saw that Sheela had not prepared any lunch.
3) They saw the cow they had stolen from Sheela on the previous day.
4) They saw the log of wood they had tied to Sheela’s rope.
5) They saw that the same rabbit was sitting in the corner.
8. Arrange the following incidents in a chronological order as they occurred in the passage.
(A) Jairam and Sheela needed money.
(B) The four bullies sent the rabbit to the landlord.
(C) Sheela cooked chapattis, vegetable and kheer.
(D) The four bullies tied a log of wood to the rope.
1) ADBC 2) ACDB 3) ADCB
4) DABC 5) DACB
9. Which of the following is true, according to the passage?
1) The four boys liked to help old people.
2) Jairam asked Sheela to cook lunch for at least four people.
3) The rabbit could understand Jairam.
4) Jairam could not trick the four boys.
5) None is true
10. What did the landlord do when the four bullies went to his house and yelled?
1) He got scared and immediately gave them the money.
2) He ran away and hid in the market.
3) He complained to Jairam about this.
4) He ordered his strongest bodyguard to thrash them.
5) He offered them lunch in order to calm them down.
Directions (Q. 11-13): 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.
11. Thrashing
1) Garbage 2) Beating 3) Shouting
4) Warning 5) Rejection
12. Possession
1) Control 2) Power 3) Custody
4) Keeping 5) Belonging
13. Vanished
1) Gone missing 2) Was found 3) Was killed
4) Was left behind 5) Had exchanged
Directions (Q. 14-15): Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning of the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
14. Agreed
1) Decided 2) Arranged 3) Accepted
4) Declined 5) Fixed
15. Dejected
1) Happy 2) Hurried 3) Crestfallen
4) Slowly 5) Angrily
Answers:
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 2
- 4
- 3
- 5
- 3
- 2
- 4
- 2
- 5
- 1
- 4
- 1
