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SBI Clerk · Previous Year Question Set
Practice this full paper style set with passages and questions, designed to mirror SBI Clerk online tests and mains exams.
Questions
100
Mix of comprehension, MCQs & subjective
Company
SBI Clerk
Previous year pattern
Directions (1-5): Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical or idiomatic error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The number of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is (e). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any.)
Correct answer: A
‘Despite of’ is incorrect usage. The correct expression is ‘despite’ without ‘of’.
Correct answer: A
‘Recently’ is an adverb. We need an adjective here: ‘recent discovery’, not ‘recently discovery’.
Correct answer: C
‘Accept’ is incorrect here. The correct word is ‘except’ meaning ‘apart from’.
Correct answer: C
‘Safety’ is a noun. We need an adjective for the noun ‘place’: ‘safe place’.
Correct answer: B
Plural subject ‘accidents’ requires plural verb ‘happen’, not ‘happens’.
Directions (6-10): In each of the questions given below a sentence is given with three words in bold. Choose the option which gives the correct sequence of these words to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct.
Correct answer: ACB
Correct order is ACB: ‘fairly obvious … was detrimental’.
Correct answer: CBA
Correct order is CBA: ‘evidence gathered … planted remotely by malware’.
Correct answer: ACB
Correct order is ACB: ‘conditions … are associated with disadvantages’.
Correct answer: BCA
Correct order is BCA: ‘websites are abuzz … rapid upgradation of aviation infrastructure’.
Directions (11-18): Given below is a paragraph that has blank spaces. Corresponding to each blank, five options are given, out of which only one is appropriate. Choose the option that fits most suitably in the given blank making sentence grammatically and contextually correct. Getting a good night’s sleep is just as essential as a healthy diet and ________(11)______ exercise. Unfortunately, according to the National Sleep Foundation, 62% of the American adult population ________(12)______ from sleep issues every couple of nights per week. Sleep deprivation negatively ________(13)______ the quality of your life, as well as your overall health. In fact, multiple studies show that lack of ________(14)______ sleep can negatively impact your hormones, exercise performance, brain functioning, and energy levels. In addition, it can ________(15)______ to moodiness, memory issues, and trouble thinking properly and focusing. Worse of all, ________(16)______ sleep can cause high blood pressure, weight gain, and a weak immune system. In-depth studies also reveal that chronic poor sleepers are at a higher risk of developing cancer and dying from it. If you’re planning to ________(17)______ your health, ________(18)______ the quality of your sleep, and lose weight, you must get a good night’s sleep.
Correct answer: suffers
‘Suffers from sleep issues’ is the correct grammatical and contextual usage.
Correct answer: impacts
‘Impacts’ correctly expresses negative influence in this context.
Correct answer: adequate
‘Adequate sleep’ is the correct collocation meaning sufficient quality or amount.
Correct answer: lead
Modal verb ‘can’ requires a base verb; ‘lead’ fits grammatically and contextually.
Correct answer: chronic
‘Chronic sleep deprivation’ refers to long-term, recurring sleep issues. Fits the sentence.
Correct answer: optimize
‘Optimize your health’ means improve or make more effective; fits the context.
Correct answer: improve
‘Improve the quality of your sleep’ is the correct and natural collocation.
Directions (19-23): In the following question, sentences are given with a part in bold. The given phrase in the bold may or may not contain an error. The options following can replace the incorrect phrase. The correct phrase that is to be replaced will be your answer. If the sentences are correct then select ‘No improvement required’ as your answer.
Correct answer: had issued a notice to the police
Sentence is in simple past. 'Was issued' changes meaning. 'Had issued' correctly expresses the action by DCW.
Correct answer: have now spent more than three years
'Spend' must be in V3 form 'spent'. Also 'than' is correct, not 'then'. Hence option (d) is correct.
Correct answer: No improvement required
The original phrase is grammatically correct. 'With technology becoming smarter' is the correct construction.
Correct answer: has the skills
The sentence is in present tense; the subject 'coach' is singular. Therefore, 'has the skills' is correct.
Directions (24-30): Read the following passage and answer the given questions below it with the help of the information provided in it. Screaming is a unique noise. Research suggests when we scream in fear, the noise serves the dual purpose of sharpening our own focus in the face of a threat as well as of warning others. In fact, our brains process screams in a unique way. Most noises we hear are delivered from our ear to an area of the brain devoted to analyzing a sound and breaking it into its component parts, such as gender, age, and tone; high or low; a brass, stringed or electric instrument — or several combined; a ribbit or a coo, and what animal makes that sound. This indicates that we differentiate all the noises we hear everyday, even subconsciously. A scream is different though, according to David Poepple, PhD, a professor of psychology and neural science at New York University. Poepple is the lead author of a 2015 study that looked into what happens in the body when people scream in fear. A scream goes straight from the ear to the amygdala, the part of the brain that processes fear and kickstarts the body’s fight-or-flight response. The sound jolts our brains into increased alertness and analysis. This is especially true for screams when we’re scared. These have a unique sound signature encompassed by the term “roughness.” This roughness is what serves to alert others to danger. Humans and other animals scream for many reasons — in joy, in surprise, in fear. But we’ve evolved to be able to produce different shrieks and to be able to discern the difference when we hear them. (Incidentally, roughness is also why we find the sound of a baby crying and fingernails on chalkboards disturbing; both sounds have high roughness.) If we focus on the sounds that gain our attention, we will be able to tell which one is rough and which is not. But what about people who have the opposite reaction when they’re scared? What about the people who don’t scream in fear, but become speechless in the face of a threat? This has been less studied, but it’s likely a part of the third, overlooked response to terror: paralysis. Contrary to pop medicine, fight and flight aren’t the only two reactions to something scary. Humans, like other animals, also evolved the option to freeze, or “play dead” in the face of a threat. This happens involuntarily, when the cerebellum, the part of the brain that regulates muscle activity, overpowers other terrified brain responses and basically shuts down all movement. Since screaming takes quite a few muscles (probably a little less than the 100 used for speaking), a person frozen in fear is rendered mute as well as immobile.
Correct answer: The scream one lets out contains 'roughness' which alerts others of danger.
The passage states that roughness in screams is the feature that alerts others to danger.
Correct answer: Both II and III
II is false (speaking uses fewer than 100 muscles). III is false (screams alert others and increase alertness, not vent emotions).
Correct answer: The cerebellum shuts down movement, causing paralysis and muteness.
The passage explains that paralysis occurs when the cerebellum overpowers other brain responses and shuts down movement, including speech.
Correct answer: All of the above
The passage states a scream alerts us internally (fight-or-flight), alerts others, and has a biological function related to its roughness.
Correct answer: signals
'Indicates' is closest in meaning to 'signals'.
Correct answer: concentrate on
'Focus on' is synonymous with 'concentrate on'.
Directions (31-35): Read the data given below and answer the following questions. The bar graph shows the total number of flats and number of vacant flats in five buildings. 
Correct answer: 23 : 20
(240 + 220) / (180 + 220) = 460 / 400 = 23 : 20
Correct answer: 50%
Average vacant (A,E) = (160 + 200)/2 = 180; Percentage = 180/360 × 100 = 50%
Correct answer: 120
(460 + 600) − (400 + 540) = 1060 − 940 = 120
Correct answer: 1400
Building A = 3 × 240 = 720; Building B = 2 × 340 = 680; Total = 1400
Directions (36-40): What will come in the place of the question mark (?) in the following number series?
Correct answer: 25.2
Pattern: +2.5×1, +2.5×2, +2.5×3, +2.5×4, +2.5×5 → Missing term = 15.2 + 10 = 25.2
Correct answer: 3150
Pattern: ×4, ×3.5, ×3, ×2.5, ×2 → Missing term = 1575 × 2 = 3150
Correct answer: 137
Pattern: +2², −3², +5², −7², +11² → Missing term = 16 + 121 = 137
Correct answer: 113
Pattern: ×2+1, ×3+1, ×4+1, ×5+1, ×6+1 → Missing term = 28 × 4 + 1 = 113
Correct answer: 76
Pattern: +8, +11, +15, +20, +? → Next jump = 20; Missing term = 56 + 20 = 76
Directions (41-45): The data given below shows the information of total students in class A, B and C which are divided in three groups X, Y and Z. Class A: Total 90 students. Group X = 30. Ratio Y : Z = 1 : 2. Class B: Total 80 students. Ratio X : Y : Z = 8 : 5 : 3. Class C: Students in group Y = half of group X. Group X = 20 more than class A's X. Group Z = 20% less than group X of class C.
Correct answer: 160%
X of B = 40; Y of C = 25 → (40/25)×100 = 160%.
Correct answer: 38
Girls in Y+Z = 34 − 12 = 22. Students in Y+Z = 60. Boys = 60 − 22 = 38.
Correct answer: 25
Total X = 120; Total Z = 95 → Difference = 25.
Correct answer: 7:23
Avg X (A,B) = (30+40)/2 = 35; Class C total = 115 → Ratio 35:115 = 7:23.
Correct answer: 350 m
Let lengths be 3x and 5x. Speeds: A = 20 m/s, B = 15 m/s. Crossing time = (3x + 5x)/35 = 16 → x = 70. Length of B = 5×70 = 350 m.
Correct answer: 1296
Circle perimeter = 176. Square perimeter = 176 – 32 = 144 → side = 36 → area = 1296.
Correct answer: 520 km
Upstream speed = 5 km / 0.5 hr = 10 km/h → boat speed = 11.5 km/h. Let distance = D. D/13 + D/10 = 46 → D = 260. Total = 520 km.
Correct answer: Rs. 4800
Difference = x(30/100 − 21/100) = 432 → x = 4800.
Correct answer: 9600
Let Q = 100x, P = 50x. For tie Q−200 = P → 100x−75x = 200 → x=8. Total votes=150×8=1200. Required=1200×8=9600.
Correct answer: 500 Rs.
Let CP = 100x. MP = 150x. SP = 150x – 100. Profit = SP – 100x = 100 → 50x = 200 → x = 4. SP = 150×4 – 100 = 500 Rs.
Correct answer: 82%
Milk:water = 100:20 = 5:1. Water left = 20 − 36×(1/6) = 14. Milk = 100 − 36×(5/6) + 6 = 76. Percent less = (76−14)/76 ×100 = 81.67% ≈ 82%.
Correct answer: 45000 Rs.
C worked 6 months. (X×6) / (35000×12 + 40000×12 + X×6) = 9000/39000 → X = 45000.
Correct answer: 12
A+B fill full tank in 14 hrs. C empties full tank in (x × 100/40) = 5x/2 hrs. 1/14 – 2/(5x) = 4/105 → x=12.
Correct answer: 95 years
A+B = 60. Let 4 yrs ago A=3x, C=4x. Difference =4→x=4. Present C = 20. Sum after 5 yrs = 60 + 20 + 15 = 95.
Correct answer: 16
512 × 6 / 192 = 16.
Correct answer: 400
48% of 625 = 300. Then 300 ÷ 0.75 = 400.
Correct answer: 137
65% of 480 = 312. Equation: 312 - ? + 175 = 350 → ? = 137.
Correct answer: 350
460/4 =115 → 45 + ?/5 =115 → ? =350.
Correct answer: 3
(16)² / √16 × 4 = 256/4 × 4 = 64 → 4^? × 2 = 64 → 4^? = 32 → 4³ = 64 → ? = 3.
Correct answer: 8
(8)³ = 512 → 4(?+120)=512 → ?+120=128 → ?=8.
Correct answer: 7
(8)³=512. 13% of 4000 = 520 → 56/? + 512 =520 → 56/? =8 → ? =7.
Correct answer: 2
(4/3×12 = 16) and (1/3×4 = 4/3 ≈ 1.33). RHS = √64×3 = 8×3 =24. So: 16 + 1.33 – ? = 24 → ? ≈ 17.33 - 24 = 2.
Correct answer: 181
756/14 = 54. 54×5 = 270. √7921 = 89. 270 – 89 = 181.
Correct answer: 376
462 ÷ 5.25 = 88. 24 × 12 = 288. Total = 88 + 288 = 376.
Directions (66-70): Study the following information to answer the given questions: Eight persons sit around a circular table. All of them face inside. F sits third to the right of E. Only one person sits between H and F. A sits opposite to D. C sits third to the left of G. C is not an immediate neighbor of B. D is not an immediate neighbor of H. G is an immediate neighbour of E.
Correct answer: A
After placing all persons, the required position corresponds to A.
Correct answer: Second to the right
In the final seating arrangement, C is second to the right of D.
Correct answer: F
From the arrangement, F is third to the left of A.
Correct answer: Both (b) and (d)
H faces B and E is not an immediate neighbour of H; both statements are correct.
Directions (71-73): In each of the questions below are given some statements followed by some conclusions. You have to take the given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance with commonly known facts. Read all the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follows from the given statements, disregarding commonly known facts.
Correct answer: Either I or II follows
From 'Some Mango is Guava' + 'Only a few Apple is Mango', Guava can be fully inside Apple or partially outside Apple → Either I or II follows.
Correct answer: Both I and II follow
Green ⟶ Blue and Blue ⟶ Yellow; No Blue is Pink → Green also cannot be Pink (I follows). Blue is Yellow, and Blue is not Pink → some Yellow is not Pink (II follows).
Directions (71-75): Count the number of alphabetical pairs in a given word that maintain the same number of letters between them in the word as well as in the English alphabetical order.
Directions (75-79): Study the following arrangement carefully and answer the questions given below. @ E K & Y R © C A M ® U L $ V Q # P % S I W * O T ɸ G
Correct answer: More than Four
By checking the entire sequence, more than four symbols satisfy the condition.
Correct answer: PW%
PW% does not follow the same positional/structural relationship as the other groups.
Directions (75-79): Study the following information to answer the questions. @ E K & Y R © C A M ® U L $ V Q # P % S I W * O T ɸ G
Correct answer: S
The element 18th from the right is identified first. Moving 10 positions to the right from it gives 'S'.
Correct answer: Y
The letters N, S, T, E form multiple meaningful words like SENT, TENS, NEST, NETS; hence answer is Y.
Directions (81-85): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below. Eight persons A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H sit in a row facing to the north direction but not necessarily in the same order. B sits 3rd from the right end. Three persons sit between H and B. D is the only neighbour of F. E sits immediate left of G, who sits 2nd to the right of A.
Correct answer: Both (a) and (c)
From the final arrangement, two persons sit between E and D, and C is at one of the extreme ends.
Correct answer: C
C does not share the positional pattern common among the other persons in the sequence.
Correct answer: Both (c) and (d)
G is flanked by B on one side and E on the other.
Correct answer: 2nd to the right
From the arrangement, D is exactly second to the right of G.
Correct answer: Immediate right
After arranging A, B, C, D, and E based on all conditions, A sits immediately to the right of E.
Directions (87-89): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions. Point A is 8m north of point B. Point C is 4m east of point B. Point D is 5m south of point C. Point F is 5m north of point E, which is 8m east of point D. Point F is 4m west of point G. Point H is 8m north of Point G.
Correct answer: North-east
From D, move 8m east to reach G’s x-position, then 8m up to H; hence H is in the north-east direction from D.
Correct answer: 8m
Point C is at (4, 0) and F is at (8, 5). Distance = √[(8−4)² + (5−0)²] = √(16 + 25) = √41 ≈ 8m.
Directions (90-93): Eight boxes are stacked vertically. Not more than two boxes are above Q. Three boxes are between Q and T. Two boxes are between U and S, with S below T. U is not immediately above T. P is immediately above V. R is above W but not above V.
Correct answer: Two
In the arrangement P, V, Q, R, U, W, T, S — There are exactly 2 boxes (V and Q) between P and R.
Correct answer: V, U
Q and W have 2 boxes between them. Similarly, V and U also have exactly 2 boxes between them.
Correct answer: None
S is at the bottom of the arrangement (P, V, Q, R, U, W, T, S). Nothing is below S.
Directions (94-96): In each question, statements are followed by two conclusions. Treat the statements as true and decide which conclusions logically follow.
Correct answer: Either I or II follows
Relationship between C and F is uncertain; both C ≥ F and F > C are possible. Hence either follows.
Correct answer: Only conclusion I follows
From S > U ≥ V = W, S > W is true. U ≥ Y is not definite.
Directions (97-100): Ten persons sit in two parallel rows of five each. Row 1 (P, Q, R, S, T) faces south. Row 2 (A, B, C, D, E) faces north. Two persons sit between E and D, who is diagonally opposite S. E faces Q, who sits 3rd to the right of R. C faces P but is not adjacent to D. B sits to the left of A.
Correct answer: A
A sits directly opposite to T in the arrangement.
Correct answer: B
B is the only one who does not fit the positional pattern followed by the others.
Correct answer: One
There is exactly one person sitting between Q and T.
Correct answer: BAC
Correct order is BAC: ‘pleasant manners and varied culture’.
Correct answer: regular
‘Regular’ fits the context of healthy habits. The sentence compares sleep to diet and regular exercise.
Correct answer: were operating in violation of
The sentence is in past continuous tense; 'were operates' is incorrect. The correct form is 'were operating'.
Correct answer: Both II and III
Statement I is false. The passage states humans scream for many reasons, not only danger. II and III are correct.
Correct answer: 67%
(180 + 220) / (380 + 220) × 100 = 66.67% ≈ 67%
Correct answer: 70
Group Y totals: A = 20, B = 25, C = 25 → Total = 70.
Correct answer: F
From the circular arrangement, the one opposite to G is F.
Correct answer: Only I follows
All Cloud are Rain and some Cloud are Water → intersection exists, so 'Some Water is Rain' follows. 'All Rain is Water' does NOT follow.
Correct answer: Three
The word ‘CONDITION’ contains three such alphabetical pairs that maintain the same spacing in forward or backward directions.
After replacing every consonant with its next alphabet, only one alphabet gets repeated.
Only one alphabet is found to be sandwiched between two symbols.
Correct answer: B
Based on the seating arrangement, B sits second to the left of F.
Correct answer: 16m
After plotting all points on the coordinate plane, the distance between A and H forms a right-angled triangle with sides 8m and 14m. Using Pythagoras: √(8² + 14²) = √260 ≈ 16m.
From the final arrangement (top to bottom): P, V, Q, R, U, W, T, S — U is immediately above W.
Correct answer: Only conclusion II follows
M = O is false. N < S is true.
Correct answer: Immediate right
Based on the arrangement, D sits immediately to the right of A.