SBI Clerk 2016 Previous Year Question Paper

Passage

Seven years ago, twelve women in a small hill village formed a self-help group with a simple rule: each member would save twenty rupees a week. For the first year the money sat in a tin box kept by the group leader, and members borrowed small sums from it for school fees or medicines, repaying with a little interest.

Once the group had a record of regular saving, a nearby bank agreed to lend it money. The women used the loan to start making pickles from the mangoes and lemons that grew around the village and had earlier been left to rot. Selling them at the weekly market was slow at first, but a shopkeeper in the district town soon placed a standing order.

Today the group employs four young people to pack and label jars. The members say the income matters, but so does something harder to measure: the confidence of speaking to bank officers and traders as equals.

1. What did the group do with its money in the first year?

   1. Deposited it in a bank
   2. Lent small sums to its own members, who repaid with a little interest
   3. Bought mango trees
   4. Gave it to a shopkeeper
   5. Spent it on a weekly market stall
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: B (Lent small sums to its own members, who repaid with a little interest)

   The money was kept in a tin box and 'members borrowed small sums from it ... repaying with a little interest'.

2. Why did the nearby bank agree to lend money to the group?

   1. The group had a record of regular saving
   2. A shopkeeper guaranteed the loan
   3. The government ordered it to
   4. The group already sold pickles
   5. The members owned land
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: A (The group had a record of regular saving)

   'Once the group had a record of regular saving, a nearby bank agreed to lend it money.'

3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

   1. The pickles were made from fruit that earlier went to waste
   2. A shopkeeper in the district town placed a standing order
   3. The group now employs four young people
   4. The bank lent money before the group started saving
   5. Members value their new confidence as well as the income
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: D (The bank lent money before the group started saving)

   The bank lent money only after the group had built a record of saving; the other statements are in the passage.

Cloze test

Online banking has made it possible to pay bills (1) ______ leaving home. However, customers must stay (2) ______ of messages that ask for passwords.

4. Choose the word that fits blank (1).

   1. without
   2. while
   3. before
   4. despite
   5. unless
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: A (without)

   Paying bills online means paying them 'without leaving home'.

5. Choose the word that fits blank (2).

   1. wary
   2. fond
   3. proud
   4. tired
   5. envious
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: A (wary)

   Customers should be cautious, i.e. 'wary', of messages asking for passwords.

Para jumbles

Rearrange the sentences to form a meaningful paragraph. A. She noticed that many customers left the shop because they had to wait too long. B. Sales rose by a quarter within two months. C. Asha runs a small medical store near the bus stand. D. So she installed a second billing counter and hired a helper. E. Customers no longer had to queue for more than a few minutes.

6. Which sentence comes SECOND?

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

   Answer: A (A)

   Order: C-A-D-E-B. C introduces Asha, A states the problem, D her solution ('So ...'), E its effect and B the final result.

7. Which sentence comes LAST?

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

   Answer: B (B)

   In the order C-A-D-E-B, the paragraph ends with the rise in sales (B).

Error spotting

8. Find the part with an error: The price of vegetables / have risen / sharply in / the last month.

   1. (A) The price of vegetables
   2. (B) have risen
   3. (C) sharply in
   4. (D) the last month.
   5. (E) No error
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: B ((B) have risen)

   The subject is 'The price' (singular), so it should be 'has risen'.

Simplification and approximation

9. 63 × 14 ÷ 21 + 58 = ?

   1. 90
   2. 96
   3. 100
   4. 104
   5. 110
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: C (100)

   63 × 14 = 882; 882 ÷ 21 = 42; 42 + 58 = 100.

10. 5/12 of 1440 − 35% of 600 = ?

    1. 370
    2. 380
    3. 390
    4. 400
    5. 410
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (390)

    5/12 of 1440 = 600; 35% of 600 = 210; 600 − 210 = 390.

11. 39.97% of 1200.05 + 15.02 × 11.98 ≈ ?

    1. 600
    2. 630
    3. 660
    4. 690
    5. 720
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (660)

    ≈ 40% of 1200 + 15 × 12 = 480 + 180 = 660.

Number series

12. 4, 12, 36, 108, 324, ?

    1. 648
    2. 864
    3. 972
    4. 996
    5. 1296
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (972)

    Each term is multiplied by 3: 324 × 3 = 972.

13. 1, 9, 25, 49, 81, ?

    1. 100
    2. 111
    3. 121
    4. 144
    5. 169
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (121)

    Squares of consecutive odd numbers: 1², 3², 5², 7², 9², so next is 11² = 121.

Data interpretation

The table shows the number of students who appeared and who passed in an examination from four schools.

14. Which school had the highest pass percentage?

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

    Answer: C (C)

    Pass percentages: A 80%, B 70%, C 85%, D 75%. C is highest.

15. How many students in all failed in the four schools?

    1. 405
    2. 415
    3. 425
    4. 435
    5. 445
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (425)

    Failed: A 80, B 150, C 45, D 150; total 425.

16. What is the ratio of students who passed from school A to students who failed from school D?

    1. 32 : 15
    2. 16 : 15
    3. 8 : 5
    4. 32 : 45
    5. 15 : 32
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (32 : 15)

    Passed from A = 320; failed from D = 600 − 450 = 150; 320 : 150 = 32 : 15.

Arithmetic

17. The cost price of 20 articles equals the selling price of 16 articles. What is the profit percentage?

    1. 20%
    2. 22%
    3. 25%
    4. 30%
    5. 33⅓%
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (25%)

    Let each article cost ₹1. SP of 16 = ₹20, so SP of 1 = ₹1.25; profit = 25%.

18. A train running at 72 km/h passes a man standing on a platform in 9 seconds. What is the length of the train?

    1. 160 m
    2. 170 m
    3. 180 m
    4. 190 m
    5. 200 m
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (180 m)

    72 km/h = 20 m/s; length = 20 × 9 = 180 m.

Seating arrangement

Six persons U, V, W, X, Y and Z sit in a row, all facing south.

V and X sit at the two extreme ends. Two persons sit between V and U. W sits immediately to the right of Y. W sits somewhere to the left of U. Z is not an immediate neighbour of W.

19. Who sits at the extreme right end of the row?

    1. U
    2. V
    3. W
    4. X
    5. Z
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: D (X)

    From west to east: X, Z, U, W, Y, V. All face south, so each person's right is towards the west and left towards the east. V and X take the two ends, with U three seats from V. If V were at the west end, U would be 4th from the west and W (to U's left, i.e. east of U) would have to be 5th, putting Y (W is on Y's right) at the east end, which belongs to X. So V is at the east end, X at the west end and U 3rd from the west. W is east of U and immediately to Y's right, so W is 4th and Y 5th; Z takes the 2nd seat, which is not next to W.

20. Who sits second to the left of U?

    1. V
    2. W
    3. X
    4. Y
    5. Z
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: D (Y)

    From west to east: X, Z, U, W, Y, V. All face south, so each person's right is towards the west and left towards the east. U's left is east; two seats east of U is Y.

21. How many persons sit between X and W?

    1. None
    2. One
    3. Two
    4. Three
    5. Four
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (Two)

    From west to east: X, Z, U, W, Y, V. All face south, so each person's right is towards the west and left towards the east. X is at the west end and W 4th from the west; Z and U sit between them.

Inequality

Decide which conclusion(s) definitely follow.

22. Statement: H > I ≥ J, J < K, K = L Conclusions: I. H > J II. L > J

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

    Answer: E (Both I and II follow)

    H > I ≥ J gives H > J. L = K > J gives L > J. Both follow.

23. Statement: P ≤ Q = R, S > R, T < S Conclusions: I. P < S II. T < Q

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

    Answer: A (Only conclusion I follows)

    P ≤ Q = R < S gives P < S. T and Q are both less than S but not related to each other, so II does not follow.

Miscellaneous

24. In a code language, 'pen is blue' is 'ka ti ro', 'blue sky clear' is 'ro mu na' and 'sky is high' is 'na ti zu'. What is the code for 'pen'?

    1. ka
    2. ti
    3. ro
    4. na
    5. zu
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (ka)

    'is' = ti (sentences 1 and 3) and 'blue' = ro (sentences 1 and 2), so 'pen' = ka.

25. In the series P 4 R % 9 T # M 6 @ K 2 S how many numbers are immediately followed by a symbol?

    1. None
    2. One
    3. Two
    4. Three
    5. Four
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: B (One)

    4 is followed by R, 9 by T, 6 by @ and 2 by S. Only 6 qualifies.

26. Rohan walks 5 km north, turns east and walks 3 km, then turns south and walks 9 km. How far is he from his starting point?

    1. 3 km
    2. 4 km
    3. 5 km
    4. 7 km
    5. 17 km
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (5 km)

    Net: 9 − 5 = 4 km south and 3 km east; distance = √(4² + 3²) = 5 km.