IBPS PO 2021 Previous Year Question Paper

Reading comprehension

When microfinance lenders first spread across the villages of eastern and southern India, their strongest selling point was discipline. Loans were small, repaid in weekly instalments and given to women organised in joint-liability groups, in which every member was answerable for the dues of the others. Repayment rates above 95 per cent were advertised as a matter of routine, and investors took them as proof that the poor were safe borrowers.

The same numbers, however, can hide a quieter problem. A household that repays on time is not necessarily a household that is doing well. Field surveys have found families taking a second loan from one lender to pay the instalment owed to another, or selling livestock and cutting back on food to stay current. Group pressure, which keeps repayment high, also discourages borrowers from admitting that they are struggling. By the time defaults finally appear in a lender's books, the borrower may already owe several institutions at once.

One remedy often proposed is to limit how many lenders a single borrower may have and to require every lender to compare a household's total repayments with its income before sanctioning a fresh loan. Such rules work only if credit bureaus hold complete data, and only if lenders are willing to turn customers away in a crowded market. The lesson of the last decade is that a repayment rate measures the lender's comfort, not the borrower's.

1. According to the passage, why were investors confident that poor borrowers were safe?

   1. Borrowers were required to pledge livestock as security
   2. Lenders routinely reported repayment rates of more than 95 per cent
   3. Credit bureaus held complete data on every borrower
   4. Each borrower was limited to a single lender
   5. Loans were given only to households with a regular salary
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: B (Lenders routinely reported repayment rates of more than 95 per cent)

   Paragraph 1: repayment rates above 95 per cent were advertised routinely, and investors 'took them as proof that the poor were safe borrowers'. The other options are either not mentioned or are proposed remedies, not the reason for confidence.

2. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about group pressure in joint-liability groups?

   1. It can keep repayment high while hiding the distress of borrowers
   2. It has no effect on how often loans are repaid
   3. It makes borrowers more willing to report their difficulties early
   4. It has been banned by credit bureaus
   5. It is the main reason lenders turn customers away
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: A (It can keep repayment high while hiding the distress of borrowers)

   Paragraph 2 says group pressure 'keeps repayment high' but 'also discourages borrowers from admitting that they are struggling', so it raises repayment while concealing distress. Option C states the opposite.

3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to 'current' as used in the phrase 'to stay current'?

   1. Flowing
   2. Fashionable
   3. Up to date with payments
   4. Electric
   5. Temporary
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: C (Up to date with payments)

   Families sell livestock and cut food 'to stay current', that is, to avoid falling behind on instalments. Here 'current' means up to date with payments; the other meanings do not fit the context.

4. What does the author mean by the last sentence of the passage?

   1. Lenders should stop measuring repayment rates altogether
   2. A high repayment rate shows that loans are being recovered, but not that borrowers are better off
   3. Borrowers are more comfortable than lenders with weekly instalments
   4. Repayment rates are usually falsified by lenders
   5. Investors care more about borrowers than lenders do
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: B (A high repayment rate shows that loans are being recovered, but not that borrowers are better off)

   The passage argues that on-time repayment can coexist with hardship (paragraph 2). So the repayment rate reassures the lender ('the lender's comfort') without telling us about the borrower's well-being. Nothing suggests abolishing the measure or falsification.

Fill in the blanks

5. Choose the word that best fills the blank: The new scheme was meant to ______ the burden on small borrowers, but the extra paperwork has only added to it.

   1. aggravate
   2. impose
   3. alleviate
   4. estimate
   5. transfer
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: C (alleviate)

   'But ... has only added to it' shows the scheme was supposed to do the opposite of adding, i.e. reduce the burden. 'Alleviate' means to lessen. Aggravate and impose mean to increase or put on; estimate and transfer do not set up the contrast.

6. Choose the pair that correctly fills both blanks: Neither the loan officer ______ the branch manager ______ able to explain the extra charge.

   1. or, was
   2. nor, were
   3. and, was
   4. nor, was
   5. nor, are
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: D (nor, was)

   'Neither' pairs with 'nor'. With 'neither ... nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject, 'the branch manager', which is singular, and the sentence is in the past, so 'was' is needed.

Error spotting

7. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error: The number of applicants (A) / for the scholarship have risen (B) / sharply over (C) / the last three years. (D) / No error (E)

   1. A
   2. B
   3. C
   4. D
   5. E
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: B (B)

   The subject is 'The number', which is singular ('of applicants' only describes it). So part B should read 'for the scholarship has risen'.

Phrase replacement

8. Choose the option that should replace the phrase in quotes to make the sentence grammatically correct: If the clerk 'would have checked' the figures, the error would have been caught in time.

   1. has checked
   2. would check
   3. had checked
   4. checked
   5. No replacement required
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: C (had checked)

   This is a third conditional (an unreal past). The if-clause takes the past perfect, 'had checked', and the main clause takes 'would have + past participle'. 'Would have' is never used in the if-clause.

Data interpretation (pie-chart shares with a table)

A two-wheeler dealer sold 3,600 vehicles in 2020 through five showrooms V, W, X, Y and Z. A pie chart showed each showroom's percentage share of these sales; the shares are given in the table below together with the ratio of electric to petrol vehicles sold by each showroom.

9. How many electric vehicles did the five showrooms sell in total?

   1. 1110
   2. 1040
   3. 1070
   4. 1150
   5. 980
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: C (1070)

   Showroom-wise sales split in the given ratios: V: 3600 × 15% = 540, electric 90, petrol 450; W: 3600 × 25% = 900, electric 200, petrol 700; X: 3600 × 20% = 720, electric 180, petrol 540; Y: 3600 × 30% = 1080, electric 480, petrol 600; Z: 3600 × 10% = 360, electric 120, petrol 240. Total electric = 90 + 200 + 180 + 480 + 120 = 1070.

10. What is the ratio of petrol vehicles sold by showroom V to petrol vehicles sold by showroom Y?

    1. 4 : 5
    2. 3 : 4
    3. 5 : 6
    4. 2 : 3
    5. 9 : 10
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: B (3 : 4)

    V sold 540 vehicles, petrol = 540 × 5/6 = 450. Y sold 1080, petrol = 1080 × 5/9 = 600. Ratio 450 : 600 = 3 : 4.

11. Electric vehicles sold by showroom X are what percent of petrol vehicles sold by showroom Z?

    1. 75%
    2. 60%
    3. 66.67%
    4. 80%
    5. 120%
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (75%)

    X sold 720, electric = 720 × 1/4 = 180. Z sold 360, petrol = 360 × 2/3 = 240. Required % = 180 ÷ 240 × 100 = 75%.

12. In 2021, showroom W's total sales rose by 20% over 2020, and electric vehicles made up one-third of its 2021 sales. By how many did W's electric vehicle sales increase from 2020 to 2021?

    1. 120
    2. 180
    3. 200
    4. 140
    5. 160
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: E (160)

    W in 2020: 900 vehicles, electric = 900 × 2/9 = 200. W in 2021: 900 × 1.2 = 1080, electric = 1080 ÷ 3 = 360. Increase = 360 − 200 = 160.

Data interpretation (caselet)

A coaching centre has 540 students in three batches: Morning, Afternoon and Evening. The Evening batch has 25% of all the students, and the Morning batch has 45 more students than the Afternoon batch. In the Morning batch, 40% of the students are girls. In the Afternoon batch, the ratio of girls to boys is 4 : 5. In the Evening batch, there are 15 more boys than girls.

13. How many girls are there in the coaching centre altogether?

    1. 225
    2. 230
    3. 236
    4. 220
    5. 240
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: B (230)

    Evening = 25% of 540 = 135. Morning + Afternoon = 405, and Morning = Afternoon + 45, so Afternoon = (405 − 45) ÷ 2 = 180 and Morning = 225. Girls: Morning 40% of 225 = 90 (boys 135); Afternoon 180 × 4/9 = 80 (boys 100); Evening (135 − 15) ÷ 2 = 60 (boys 75). Total girls = 90 + 80 + 60 = 230.

14. The number of boys in the Morning batch is what percent more than the number of boys in the Evening batch?

    1. 70%
    2. 44.44%
    3. 75%
    4. 80%
    5. 60%
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: D (80%)

    Evening = 25% of 540 = 135. Morning + Afternoon = 405, and Morning = Afternoon + 45, so Afternoon = (405 − 45) ÷ 2 = 180 and Morning = 225. Girls: Morning 40% of 225 = 90 (boys 135); Afternoon 180 × 4/9 = 80 (boys 100); Evening (135 − 15) ÷ 2 = 60 (boys 75). Required % = (135 − 75) ÷ 75 × 100 = 80%.

Quadratic equations

In each question two equations (I and II) are given. Solve both and mark the correct relationship between x and y.

15. Solve both equations and choose the correct relationship between x and y. I. x² − 11x + 30 = 0 II. y² − 9y + 20 = 0

    1. x > y
    2. x ≥ y
    3. x < y
    4. x ≤ y
    5. x = y or the relationship cannot be established
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: B (x ≥ y)

    I: x = 5, 6. II: y = 4, 5. Comparing every pair of values gives: x ≥ y.

16. Solve both equations and choose the correct relationship between x and y. I. 2x² − 11x + 15 = 0 II. 3y² − 16y + 21 = 0

    1. x > y
    2. x ≥ y
    3. x < y
    4. x ≤ y
    5. x = y or the relationship cannot be established
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: E (x = y or the relationship cannot be established)

    I: x = 5/2, 3. II: y = 7/3, 3. Comparing every pair of values gives: x = y or the relationship cannot be established.

Number series

17. What should come in place of the question mark? 6, 7, 15, 42, 106, ?

    1. 239
    2. 216
    3. 206
    4. 231
    5. 225
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: D (231)

    Differences are cubes: +1, +8, +27, +64, so the next difference is +125. ? = 106 + 125 = 231.

18. Find the wrong number in the series: 15, 29, 57, 115, 225, 449

    1. 29
    2. 57
    3. 115
    4. 225
    5. 449
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (115)

    Rule: each term = previous × 2 − 1. Correct series: 15, 29, 57, 113, 225, 449. After 57 the term should be 57 × 2 − 1 = 113, not 115; the next term 225 = 113 × 2 − 1 confirms it.

Floor and flat puzzle

Six persons A, B, C, D, E and F live in a three-storey building. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the top floor is floor 3. Each floor has two flats, flat X to the west and flat Y to the east; flat X of each floor is directly above flat X of the floor below, and likewise for flat Y. Each person lives in a different flat and likes a different fruit among Apple, Banana, Cherry, Guava, Mango and Papaya.

E lives on floor 1. The person who likes Cherry lives in flat X of floor 1. C does not live on floor 1. A lives on a floor above C's floor, in the same type of flat as C. F lives directly above B. D lives in flat X, on a floor above F's floor. F likes Apple. The person who likes Mango lives directly above the person who likes Papaya. E likes neither Papaya nor Guava. The person who likes Banana lives in flat Y.

19. Who lives directly above E?

    1. A
    2. D
    3. B
    4. C
    5. F
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: D (C)

    Cherry occupies flat X of floor 1, so E (floor 1) is in flat Y of floor 1. C is not on floor 1 and A is on a higher floor than C, so C is on floor 2 and A on floor 3 in the same type of flat. D is in flat X above F, so F cannot be on floor 3; F is directly above B, so F is on floor 2 and B on floor 1, which leaves flat X of floor 1 for B (Cherry) and flat X of floor 2 for F. Then C takes flat Y of floor 2, A flat Y of floor 3 and D flat X of floor 3. Mango must be directly above Papaya: the X column is ruled out because F (floor 2 X) likes Apple, so A likes Mango and C likes Papaya. E likes neither Guava nor Papaya, so E likes Banana (flat Y, as required) and D likes Guava. Final arrangement: floor 3: flat X D (Guava), flat Y A (Mango); floor 2: flat X F (Apple), flat Y C (Papaya); floor 1: flat X B (Cherry), flat Y E (Banana). Directly above E (floor 1, flat Y) is C.

20. Which fruit does D like?

    1. Guava
    2. Banana
    3. Mango
    4. Papaya
    5. Cherry
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (Guava)

    Cherry occupies flat X of floor 1, so E (floor 1) is in flat Y of floor 1. C is not on floor 1 and A is on a higher floor than C, so C is on floor 2 and A on floor 3 in the same type of flat. D is in flat X above F, so F cannot be on floor 3; F is directly above B, so F is on floor 2 and B on floor 1, which leaves flat X of floor 1 for B (Cherry) and flat X of floor 2 for F. Then C takes flat Y of floor 2, A flat Y of floor 3 and D flat X of floor 3. Mango must be directly above Papaya: the X column is ruled out because F (floor 2 X) likes Apple, so A likes Mango and C likes Papaya. E likes neither Guava nor Papaya, so E likes Banana (flat Y, as required) and D likes Guava. Final arrangement: floor 3: flat X D (Guava), flat Y A (Mango); floor 2: flat X F (Apple), flat Y C (Papaya); floor 1: flat X B (Cherry), flat Y E (Banana).

21. Who lives on the same floor as the person who likes Papaya?

    1. B
    2. E
    3. A
    4. D
    5. F
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: E (F)

    Cherry occupies flat X of floor 1, so E (floor 1) is in flat Y of floor 1. C is not on floor 1 and A is on a higher floor than C, so C is on floor 2 and A on floor 3 in the same type of flat. D is in flat X above F, so F cannot be on floor 3; F is directly above B, so F is on floor 2 and B on floor 1, which leaves flat X of floor 1 for B (Cherry) and flat X of floor 2 for F. Then C takes flat Y of floor 2, A flat Y of floor 3 and D flat X of floor 3. Mango must be directly above Papaya: the X column is ruled out because F (floor 2 X) likes Apple, so A likes Mango and C likes Papaya. E likes neither Guava nor Papaya, so E likes Banana (flat Y, as required) and D likes Guava. Final arrangement: floor 3: flat X D (Guava), flat Y A (Mango); floor 2: flat X F (Apple), flat Y C (Papaya); floor 1: flat X B (Cherry), flat Y E (Banana). Papaya is liked by C on floor 2; the other flat on that floor belongs to F.

22. Which of the following combinations is correct?

    1. A – floor 3, flat Y – Guava
    2. B – floor 1, flat X – Banana
    3. C – floor 2, flat X – Papaya
    4. E – floor 1, flat Y – Cherry
    5. F – floor 2, flat X – Apple
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: E (F – floor 2, flat X – Apple)

    Cherry occupies flat X of floor 1, so E (floor 1) is in flat Y of floor 1. C is not on floor 1 and A is on a higher floor than C, so C is on floor 2 and A on floor 3 in the same type of flat. D is in flat X above F, so F cannot be on floor 3; F is directly above B, so F is on floor 2 and B on floor 1, which leaves flat X of floor 1 for B (Cherry) and flat X of floor 2 for F. Then C takes flat Y of floor 2, A flat Y of floor 3 and D flat X of floor 3. Mango must be directly above Papaya: the X column is ruled out because F (floor 2 X) likes Apple, so A likes Mango and C likes Papaya. E likes neither Guava nor Papaya, so E likes Banana (flat Y, as required) and D likes Guava. Final arrangement: floor 3: flat X D (Guava), flat Y A (Mango); floor 2: flat X F (Apple), flat Y C (Papaya); floor 1: flat X B (Cherry), flat Y E (Banana). Only F lives in flat X of floor 2 and likes Apple; each other option has a wrong flat or fruit.

Syllogism

23. Statements: Some loans are assets. All assets are bonds. No bonds are shares. Conclusions: I. Some loans are not shares. II. Some assets are shares. Decide which conclusion(s) logically follow from the statements, disregarding commonly known facts.

    1. Only conclusion I follows
    2. Only conclusion II follows
    3. Either conclusion I or II follows
    4. Neither conclusion I nor II follows
    5. Both conclusions I and II follow
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (Only conclusion I follows)

    Some loans are assets and all assets are bonds, so those loans are bonds; no bond is a share, so those loans are not shares: I follows. All assets are bonds and no bond is a share, so no asset is a share: II is false. Answer: Only conclusion I follows.

24. Statements: All bonds are shares. No shares are assets. Some assets are loans. Conclusions: I. Some loans are bonds. II. Some loans are not bonds. Decide which conclusion(s) logically follow from the statements, disregarding commonly known facts.

    1. Only conclusion I follows
    2. Only conclusion II follows
    3. Either conclusion I or II follows
    4. Neither conclusion I nor II follows
    5. Both conclusions I and II follow
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: B (Only conclusion II follows)

    All bonds are shares and no share is an asset, so no bond is an asset. Some assets are loans; those loans are assets and therefore not bonds, so 'Some loans are not bonds' (II) follows. Whether any loan is a bond is not fixed, so I does not follow. Answer: Only conclusion II follows.

Inequality

25. Statements: M > N ≥ O, O = P ≥ R, Q > P. Conclusions: I. M > R II. Q > R. Which conclusion(s) is/are definitely true?

    1. Only conclusion I is true
    2. Only conclusion II is true
    3. Either conclusion I or II is true
    4. Neither conclusion I nor II is true
    5. Both conclusions I and II are true
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: E (Both conclusions I and II are true)

    M > N ≥ O = P ≥ R gives M > R, so I is true. Q > P ≥ R gives Q > R, so II is true. Answer: Both conclusions I and II are true.

26. Statements: S ≤ T < U, V ≥ U, W > T. Conclusions: I. W ≥ V II. V > W. Which conclusion(s) is/are definitely true?

    1. Only conclusion I is true
    2. Only conclusion II is true
    3. Either conclusion I or II is true
    4. Neither conclusion I nor II is true
    5. Both conclusions I and II are true
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (Either conclusion I or II is true)

    V ≥ U > T and W > T: both V and W are greater than T, but there is no direct link between V and W, so neither I nor II is definite on its own. However, I (W ≥ V) and II (V > W) together cover every possibility for the same pair, so one of them must be true. Answer: Either conclusion I or II is true.

Blood relation

27. M is the only son of N. P is M's sister. Q is married to M, and R is the son of M and Q. How is R related to P?

    1. Son
    2. Brother
    3. Nephew
    4. Cousin
    5. Cannot be determined
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (Nephew)

    P is M's sister, and R is M's son. So P is R's aunt (father's sister), and R is P's nephew.

28. In a certain code, 'A + B' means A is the father of B; 'A − B' means A is the wife of B; 'A × B' means A is the brother of B; and 'A ÷ B' means A is the daughter of B. If 'J × K ÷ L − M', how is M related to J?

    1. Uncle
    2. Grandfather
    3. Brother
    4. Father
    5. Father-in-law
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: D (Father)

    J × K: J is K's brother. K ÷ L: K is L's daughter. L − M: L is M's wife. So K is the daughter of L and M, and J, her brother, is their son. Hence M is J's father.