SBI PO 2021 Previous Year Question Paper

Reading comprehension

A food-delivery rider in a large Indian city may work longer hours than many salaried employees, yet in the eyes of the law he is often not an employee at all. Platforms describe him as a 'partner' who logs in whenever he chooses, and that description has consequences: no provident fund, no paid sick leave and, for a long time, no clear claim to accident cover if he is hurt on the road.

Supporters of the platform model argue that this flexibility is the whole point. Students, homemakers and people between jobs can earn without committing to a fixed shift, and many of them say they value that freedom. Critics reply that flexibility means little to a rider who depends on the app for his entire income, and whose rating, and with it his access to orders, can fall because of a single complaint he has no way to contest.

The Code on Social Security passed in 2020 takes a middle path. It recognises gig and platform workers as a category of their own and allows governments to frame social security schemes for them, with platforms contributing a share of the cost. Much remains to be worked out, including how contributions should follow a worker who rides for two or three apps at once. But the principle has shifted: protection is no longer tied only to having an employer, and is beginning to attach to the work itself.

1. According to the passage, why do delivery riders often lack benefits such as a provident fund and paid sick leave?

   1. They choose to opt out of all benefits in exchange for higher pay
   2. Platforms treat them as partners rather than as employees
   3. They usually work fewer hours than salaried employees
   4. The law forbids platforms from paying for accident cover
   5. Riders who work for more than one app lose their benefits
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: B (Platforms treat them as partners rather than as employees)

   Paragraph 1: platforms describe the rider as a 'partner' who logs in when he chooses, 'and that description has consequences: no provident fund, no paid sick leave'. The passage says riders may work longer hours, not fewer, and never says the law forbids accident cover.

2. What is the critics' main objection to the argument about flexibility?

   1. Flexible work is unsuitable for students and homemakers
   2. Riders earn more on fixed shifts than on flexible ones
   3. Flexibility is of little value to riders who depend wholly on one app and cannot challenge a rating that controls their orders
   4. Platforms do not actually allow riders to log in when they choose
   5. Ratings are irrelevant to the number of orders a rider receives
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: C (Flexibility is of little value to riders who depend wholly on one app and cannot challenge a rating that controls their orders)

   Paragraph 2: critics say 'flexibility means little to a rider who depends on the app for his entire income, and whose rating, and with it his access to orders, can fall because of a single complaint he has no way to contest'.

3. Which of the following best describes the shift in principle mentioned in the last paragraph?

   1. Platforms must now hire every rider as a permanent employee
   2. Riders must choose a single app in order to receive protection
   3. Social security is being linked to the work done, not only to the existence of an employer
   4. Governments will pay the entire cost of riders' social security
   5. Flexible work has been banned in large cities
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: C (Social security is being linked to the work done, not only to the existence of an employer)

   The passage ends: 'protection is no longer tied only to having an employer, and is beginning to attach to the work itself'. It says platforms contribute a share of the cost, so 'entire cost' by governments is wrong, and nothing is said about hiring riders as permanent employees.

4. Choose the word most similar in meaning to 'contest' as used in the passage.

   1. accept
   2. win
   3. enter
   4. challenge
   5. organise
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: D (challenge)

   A complaint 'he has no way to contest' is one he cannot dispute or challenge. 'Accept' is close to the opposite; 'win' and 'enter' belong to the noun sense of contest (a competition), and 'organise' does not fit.

Fill in the blank

5. Choose the word that best fills the blank: The new rule is meant to ______ workers from a sudden loss of income, not to discourage them from choosing flexible hours.

   1. shield
   2. expose
   3. dismiss
   4. recruit
   5. tempt
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: A (shield)

   The rule protects workers 'from a sudden loss of income'; 'shield ... from' expresses protection. 'Expose' would need 'to', and dismiss, recruit and tempt do not fit the sense of protecting against a loss.

Error spotting

6. Find the part of the sentence that contains an error: Each of the riders who (A) / joined the strike last week (B) / have lost access (C) / to the app since Monday. (D) / No error (E)

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

   Answer: C (C)

   The subject is 'Each', which is singular, so the verb must be 'has lost' (part C). 'Who joined' correctly refers to the plural 'riders'.

Sentence rearrangement

Rearrange the sentences into a meaningful paragraph.

A. By evening, the queue outside the branch had disappeared. B. The branch's server crashed at ten in the morning on the last day for paying school fees. C. Within minutes, a long queue of anxious parents had formed at the counter. D. The manager asked two officers to accept the fees in cash and issue handwritten receipts. E. Those receipts were entered into the system the next day, once the server had been restored.

7. Which sentence comes THIRD after rearrangement?

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

   Answer: D (D)

   The order is B-C-D-A-E: the server crash (B) leads to the queue (C); the manager's response (D) clears it by evening (A); the receipts are entered the next day (E, 'Those receipts' refers back to D). The third sentence is D.

Phrase replacement

8. Choose the option that best replaces the phrase in quotes. If no change is needed, choose 'No improvement required'. The committee 'has submitted its report yesterday' after months of hearings.

   1. submitted its report yesterday
   2. had been submitting its report yesterday
   3. has been submitted its report yesterday
   4. submits its report yesterday
   5. No improvement required
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: A (submitted its report yesterday)

   A definite past time ('yesterday') needs the simple past, not the present perfect: 'submitted its report yesterday'. The other forms are either ungrammatical or wrong in tense.

Data interpretation (table)

The table shows, for one week, the number of active delivery riders in five zones of a city, the number of orders they delivered, and the average amount paid to riders per order.

9. Orders delivered in the South zone are what percent more than those delivered in the North zone?

   1. 20%
   2. 25%
   3. 28%
   4. 22.5%
   5. 30%
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: B (25%)

   Difference = 10500 − 8400 = 2100. Percentage = 2100 ÷ 8400 × 100 = 25%.

10. What is the difference between the total pay earned by riders in the East zone and that earned by riders in the West zone?

    1. ₹44300
    2. ₹42600
    3. ₹46800
    4. ₹46300
    5. ₹48300
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: D (₹46300)

    East: 6175 × 36 = ₹222300. West: 4400 × 40 = ₹176000. Difference = ₹46300.

11. In which zone is the number of orders delivered per rider the highest?

    1. North
    2. East
    3. South
    4. West
    5. Central
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: E (Central)

    Orders per rider: North 8400 ÷ 120 = 70, East 6175 ÷ 95 = 65, South 10500 ÷ 140 = 75, West 4400 ÷ 80 = 55, Central 11700 ÷ 150 = 78. The highest is Central.

12. What is the average pay earned per rider in the Central zone in the week?

    1. ₹2240
    2. ₹2196
    3. ₹2184
    4. ₹2116
    5. ₹2084
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (₹2184)

    Total pay in Central = 11700 × 28 = ₹327600. Per rider = 327600 ÷ 150 = ₹2184.

Quadratic equations

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

13. Solve both equations and choose the correct relationship between x and y. I. 2x² − 11x + 12 = 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: D (x ≤ y)

    I: x = 3/2, 4. II: y = 4, 5. Comparing every pair of values gives: x ≤ y.

14. Solve both equations and choose the correct relationship between x and y. I. x² − 11x + 30 = 0 II. y² − 7y + 12 = 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: A (x > y)

    I: x = 5, 6. II: y = 3, 4. Comparing every pair of values gives: x > y.

Number series

15. Find the wrong number in the series: 8, 9, 13, 22, 36, 63

    1. 9
    2. 13
    3. 22
    4. 36
    5. 63
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: D (36)

    The differences are squares: +1, +4, +9, +16, +25. Correct series: 8, 9, 13, 22, 38, 63. After 22 the next term should be 22 + 16 = 38, not 36; then 38 + 25 = 63 confirms it.

16. What should come in place of the question mark? 4, 7, 15, 30, 54, ?

    1. 89
    2. 91
    3. 84
    4. 86
    5. 95
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (89)

    Differences are 3, 8, 15, 24, 35 (that is 2² − 1, 3² − 1, 4² − 1, 5² − 1, 6² − 1). So ? = 54 + 35 = 89.

Arithmetic

17. A can finish a piece of work in 12 days and B in 18 days. They work together for 4 days, after which A leaves. In how many more days will B finish the remaining work?

    1. 9 days
    2. 6 days
    3. 10 days
    4. 7 days
    5. 8 days
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: E (8 days)

    Together they do 1/12 + 1/18 = 5/36 of the work per day; in 4 days, 20/36. Remaining = 4/9. B alone needs 4/9 × 18 = 8 days.

18. A shopkeeper marks an article 40% above its cost price and sells it at a discount of 15% for ₹2,380. What is his profit?

    1. ₹380
    2. ₹300
    3. ₹420
    4. ₹476
    5. ₹340
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (₹380)

    Selling price = cost × 1.40 × 0.85 = cost × 1.19. Cost = 2380 ÷ 1.19 = ₹2000. Profit = 2380 − 2000 = ₹380.

Box stacking puzzle

Six boxes P, Q, R, S, T and U are stacked one above another, position 1 being the bottom and position 6 the top. Each box is of a different colour: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, White and Black.

Box R is third from the bottom. Only one box is placed between R and the Green box, and the Green box is above R. The White box is somewhere above the Green box. Only three boxes are placed between T and the White box. Q is placed below T. The Blue box is immediately above Q. Box P is immediately above the Red box. U is somewhere below S. The Red box is above the Black box. The Yellow box is not adjacent to the Red box.

19. Which box is Black?

    1. T
    2. S
    3. R
    4. P
    5. Q
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (R)

    R is at 3, so the Green box is at 5 and the White box at 6. Three boxes between T and White puts T at 2; Q, below T, is at 1, and the Blue box is at 2 (T). P is immediately above Red. P at 6 would make 5 Red, but 5 is Green; P at 4 makes R Red, then Black must be at 1 (2 is Blue) and Yellow would be at 4, next to Red, which is not allowed. So P is at 5 (Green) and Red is at 4. U is below S, so U is at 4 (Red) and S at 6 (White). Yellow cannot be at 3 (next to Red), so Yellow is at 1 (Q) and Black at 3 (R). Final stack from top: 6 S (White); 5 P (Green); 4 U (Red); 3 R (Black); 2 T (Blue); 1 Q (Yellow).

20. How many boxes are placed between Q and the Green box?

    1. 0
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 1
    5. 2
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (3)

    R is at 3, so the Green box is at 5 and the White box at 6. Three boxes between T and White puts T at 2; Q, below T, is at 1, and the Blue box is at 2 (T). P is immediately above Red. P at 6 would make 5 Red, but 5 is Green; P at 4 makes R Red, then Black must be at 1 (2 is Blue) and Yellow would be at 4, next to Red, which is not allowed. So P is at 5 (Green) and Red is at 4. U is below S, so U is at 4 (Red) and S at 6 (White). Yellow cannot be at 3 (next to Red), so Yellow is at 1 (Q) and Black at 3 (R). Final stack from top: 6 S (White); 5 P (Green); 4 U (Red); 3 R (Black); 2 T (Blue); 1 Q (Yellow). Q is at 1 and Green at 5, so 3 boxes lie between them.

21. What is the colour of box U?

    1. Red
    2. Blue
    3. Green
    4. Yellow
    5. White
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (Red)

    R is at 3, so the Green box is at 5 and the White box at 6. Three boxes between T and White puts T at 2; Q, below T, is at 1, and the Blue box is at 2 (T). P is immediately above Red. P at 6 would make 5 Red, but 5 is Green; P at 4 makes R Red, then Black must be at 1 (2 is Blue) and Yellow would be at 4, next to Red, which is not allowed. So P is at 5 (Green) and Red is at 4. U is below S, so U is at 4 (Red) and S at 6 (White). Yellow cannot be at 3 (next to Red), so Yellow is at 1 (Q) and Black at 3 (R). Final stack from top: 6 S (White); 5 P (Green); 4 U (Red); 3 R (Black); 2 T (Blue); 1 Q (Yellow).

22. Which box is placed immediately above the Yellow box?

    1. R
    2. S
    3. U
    4. P
    5. T
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: E (T)

    R is at 3, so the Green box is at 5 and the White box at 6. Three boxes between T and White puts T at 2; Q, below T, is at 1, and the Blue box is at 2 (T). P is immediately above Red. P at 6 would make 5 Red, but 5 is Green; P at 4 makes R Red, then Black must be at 1 (2 is Blue) and Yellow would be at 4, next to Red, which is not allowed. So P is at 5 (Green) and Red is at 4. U is below S, so U is at 4 (Red) and S at 6 (White). Yellow cannot be at 3 (next to Red), so Yellow is at 1 (Q) and Black at 3 (R). Final stack from top: 6 S (White); 5 P (Green); 4 U (Red); 3 R (Black); 2 T (Blue); 1 Q (Yellow). Yellow is at 1, and the box immediately above it is T.

Syllogism

23. Statements: All riders are partners. Some partners are drivers. All drivers are workers. Conclusions: I. Some partners are workers. II. All riders being drivers is a possibility. 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: E (Both conclusions I and II follow)

    Some partners are drivers and all drivers are workers, so those partners are workers: I follows. Riders and drivers are linked only through 'some partners', so every rider could also be a driver; II, stated as a possibility, follows. Answer: Both conclusions I and II follow.

24. Statements: No riders are drivers. Some drivers are workers. All workers are partners. Conclusions: I. Some workers are not riders. II. Some riders are workers. 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 drivers are workers, and no driver is a rider, so those workers are not riders: 'Some workers are not riders' follows. Nothing forces any rider to be a worker, so II does not follow. Answer: Only conclusion I follows.

Inequality

25. Statements: G ≤ H < J, J = K ≥ L, M > K. Conclusions: I. M > G II. L > H. 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: A (Only conclusion I is true)

    G ≤ H < J = K < M gives M > G, so I is true. L ≤ K and H < K give no relation between L and H, so II is not definite. Answer: Only conclusion I is true.

26. Statements: W > X ≥ Y, Y ≥ Z, V ≤ Z. Conclusions: I. X > V II. W ≥ Z. 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: B (Only conclusion II is true)

    X ≥ Y ≥ Z ≥ V allows X = V, so 'X > V' is not definite. W > X ≥ Y ≥ Z gives W > Z, so 'W ≥ Z' is true. Answer: Only conclusion II is true.

Alphanumeric and coding

27. How many pairs of letters in the word 'SECURITY' have as many letters between them in the word as in the English alphabet (counting in either direction)?

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 1
    4. 3
    5. 2
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: D (3)

    Checking every pair, the qualifying pairs are: E-I, U-Y, R-T. Count = 3.

28. In a certain code language 'SAVING' is written as 'UCXGLE'. How is 'CREDIT' written in that code?

    1. ETGBGR
    2. ETGBKR
    3. ATCBGR
    4. ETCBGR
    5. ETGFKV
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (ETGBGR)

    Each letter in the first half moves two steps forward and each letter in the second half moves two steps back: S→U, A→C, V→X, I→G, N→L, G→E. So C→E, R→T, E→G, D→B, I→G, T→R = ETGBGR.