IBPS PO 2017- INTERVIEW CALL LETTERS ISSUED

IBPS PO 2017- INTERVIEW CALL LETTERS ISSUED

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Current Affairs December 14-15, 2017

Dear SH Aspirants,
Study Daily Current Affairs and stay updated as well as prepare for General Awareness section of bank exams. It's time to gear up your preparations for IBPS/RBI/SBI/SSC and with the daily dose of current affairs, you can easily prepare G.A and score well.

Rajasthan becomes first in country to offer e-mail IDs in Hindi

Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to offer free e-mail address in Hindi to its residents.

• This facility will lead to millions of new users who are not comfortable with English e-mail ids.
• The project has been implemented by the state IT department with the partnership in form of in-sourcing with private IT companies.

Submarine Kalvari to be commissioned by PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commission India's first Scorpene class submarine, Kalvari, into the Indian Navy in Mumbai on 14 December.

• The Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders delivered Kalvari on September 21to the Navy after successfully completing all trials.
• Scorpene submarines can undertake varied missions such as anti-surface and antisubmarine warfare, intelligence gathering and mine laying.

New Pattern for English: Quiz

Dear Readers,

Direction: In the passage given below words are given in bold, each followed by a number given in the brackets. Every word in bold has five alternatives. Find the word which best suits the place. If the given word suits the blank, mark 'no correction/change required' as the answer:

In the 1980s, ‘pseudo-secularism’ and ‘minority-ism’ were the two principal issues of Indian politics. These expressions, used by the BJP, denote grievances (1) of Muslims by the ruling Congress, and in subsequent decades, by regional forces.
A section of the Hindu majority also always felt secure (2) about it. This grief was shared by many Congress leaders as well. The Muslim leadership, too, in the name of marginalization from the structures of power and economy, pursued their politics almost exclusively for emotive identity-related issues of personal law, Urdu, Muslim universities, etc. Cultural identities were not defined in terms of regional, ethnic and linguistic diversities of the religious communities. At least on this particular issue, ‘secular’ politics, their Muslim leadership and the majoritarian communal politics were all on the same board. Playing the majoritarian communal card became easier for a Hindu team (3). The Muslim leadership asked for their conservatism to be preserved and safeguarded (4).Whatever they asked for was granted, all in the name of ‘secularism’. Muslim politics did not go beyond this, even though their uninterupted (5) under-representation in every sphere of education, economy and power continued.

1) Find out the appropriate word 1. 
a) irritation
b) enragement
c) placation
d) baleful
e) No correction required

Reasoning: Quiz for RBI Assistant/ IBPS SO/

Dear Readers,

Directions (1-5): Study the following information and answer the questions given below: 

There are ten people i.e. A, B, C, D, E, P, Q, R, S and T who has seated on two parallel row, each row consist of six chairs. A, B, C, D, and E sit at 1st row which facing South direction and P,Q,R,S and T sits at row 2 which is facing north direction. They all like different professions i.e. Scientist, Chemist, Lawyers, Architect, Dentist, Engineers, Geologist, Physicians, Notaries and Pharmacists.

The one who likes Dentist sits opposite to P. The one who likes Scientist sits 3rd left of T. C does not sits at any extreme end. One seat is vacant exactly between P and Q. The one who likes Chemist sits 2nd from right end of the row 2. A faces vacant seat and D faces Q. There are 3 seat between S and Q who does not face the one who likes Lawyers. T sits opposite to the one who likes Engineers who sits at extreme end. E sits just right of one vacant seat. R faces the vacant seat that is 2nd right of A. The one who likes Lawyers faces the one who sits 4th to left of the one who likes Chemist. There is only one seat between the one who likes Dentist and Lawyers. The one who likes Notaries sits immediate right of the one who likes Physicians. The one who likes Physicians sits near to B. The one who likes Geologist faces the one who sits beside to vacant seat. The one who likes Architect, sits beside the one who faces the one who likes Dentist.

Q1. Who among the following likes Engineering profession?

(a) C

(b) E

(c) R

(d) S

(e) B

New pattern English: Quiz

Dear Readers,

Directions (1-10): In the following questions, choose the grammatically correct sentence from among the five options given for each question. 

Q1. A. It looks like it is going to rain this afternoon.

B. It looks as if it is going to rain this afternoon.

C. It looks as if it is going to rain today afternoon.

D. It looks like it is going to rain today afternoon.

(a) A

(b) B

(c) C

(d) D 

(e) None of these 

Q2. A. A belief that he is humble and being really humble is what makes him so likeable.

B. A belief that he is humble and being really humble are what makes him so likable.

C. Believing that he is humble and really being humble is what makes him so likeable.

D. Believing that he is humble and really being humble are what makes him so likable.

(a) A

(b) B

(c) C

(d) D 

(e) None of these 

Q3. A. This book left by who knows whom? has been lying here for days.

B. This book - left by who knows whom - has been lying here for days.

C. This book left by - who knows who? - has been lying here for days.

D. This book left by - who knows who - has been lying here for days.

(a) A

(b) B

(c) C

(d) D 

(e) None of these 

Q4. A. I can understand my sister better than my mother.

B. I can understand my sister more than my mother.

C. I can better understand my sister than my mother.

D. I can understand my sister better than I can understand my mother.

(a) A

(b) B

(c) C

(d) D 

(e) None of these 

Current Affairs November 27, 2017

Dear Readers,

INDIAN AFFAIRS

Maneka Gandhi launches training program for Elected Women Representatives of Panchayats
On November 26, 2017, Union Minister of Women and Child Development (WCD), Maneka Gandhi launched an intensive training program for Capacity Building of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) of Panchayati Raj Institutions in New Delhi.

More Information about Capacity building of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) Programme:
i. This program is being organized by National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) under Ministry of WCD.
ii. Under this programme, approximately twenty thousand EWRs covering nearly 50 EWRs from each district will be trained by March, 2018.
iii. The training programme will focus on women’s issues and will provide information on education and financial matters.
iv. Objective of this training programme is not only to create model villages but also to prepare women as political leaders of the future.

Current Affairs Update 13 -17th November, 2017

Dear SH Aspirants,
Study Daily Current Affairs and stay updated as well as prepare for General Awareness section of bank exams. It's time to gear up your preparations for IBPS PO/ RRB PO Mains and with the daily dose of current affairs, you can easily prepare G.A and score well.

CurrentAffairs November 13, 2017

CurrentAffairs November 14, 2017

New Pattern English: Error Detection

Directions (1-15): In the following questions, two sentences are given, spot the error in the sentence:

Q1. I. Yesterday I have written a letter to my friend.

II. My letter ought to have reached him this morning.

(a) if there is an error only in the first sentence;

(b) if there is an error only in the second sentence;

(c) if there are errors in both sentences; and

(d) if there is no error in either of the sentences.

(e) None of the above

Q2. I. He was so stammering that he stopped his speech between each word.

II. I shall give you sweets when you will pass the examination.

(a) if there is an error only in the first sentence;

(b) if there is an error only in the second sentence;

(c) if there are errors in both sentences; and

(d) if there is no error in either of the sentences.

(e) None of the above

Q3. I. I came to borrow a small sum of money from you.

II. Do you object to my sitting in your room for a while?

(a) if there is an error only in the first sentence;

(b) if there is an error only in the second sentence;

(c) if there are errors in both sentences; and

(d) if there is no error in either of the sentences.

(e) None of the above

RC THE HINDU for IBPS PO MAINS 2017

Practice Reading Comprehension from "The Hindu" Editorial (Nov 2nd Week) Set-1: The Hindu Editorial (07.11.2016): 

Looking for a humane solution The agreement between India and Sri Lanka on establishing a Joint Working Group on fisheries is a small step forward in resolving the dispute between fishermen of both countries. In fact, such a mechanism had been in place until a few years ago to address problems that arose whenever fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested by Sri Lanka. The points agreed on are important: a hotline between the Coast Guards of both countries, a meeting of the JWG once in three months, and a meeting of the fisheries ministers every six months. Welcome too is the commitment that there would be no violence or loss of life of fishermen. These measures are useful in getting Indian fishermen or their boats released from custody, but they are unlikely to have any immediate impact on the livelihood crisis facing the fishermen of northern Sri Lanka. Such a crisis may grip Tamil Nadu fishermen too one day, after the fishery resources in the Palk Bay are exhausted. The real issue is how long trawlers from Tamil Nadu will continue to fish in Sri Lankan territorial waters, and how soon bottom trawling is ended. The official statement after the talks between the foreign ministers refers to ―expediting the transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling at the earliest‖. An agreement on this is crucial, but in the absence of a time frame there remains a question mark over a solution emerging. Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen are firm on an immediate end to all incursions and are against seized Indian boats being released without legal process, even though they agree that the arrested fishermen should be released. In talks between representatives of fishermen held a few days earlier, Tamil Nadu fishermen had asked for a threeyear phase-out period for their trawlers, and a deal under which they would fish for 85 days a year until then. This was rejected outright by the Sri Lankan side, which holds that the Indian vessels cause serious economic and ecological damage. One way of preventing boundary transgression is to find a livelihood alternative for Tamil Nadu fishermen. Equipping them for deep sea fishing is an option. For now, Tamil Nadu should show greater understanding of the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen, who are economically weaker and yet to fully recover from a devastating war, and agree to a more reasonable phase-out period. Sri Lanka, then, can look at a licensing system under which fishermen from both sides can fish on specified days using sustainable methods and permissible equipment. It is important that all sides recognise that there is a humanitarian dimension to the issue. 

Critical Reasoning - What Lies in CAT/GMAT Level for IBPS PO MAINS 2017

What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking, in general, refers to higher-order thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false.

Courtsey-Wikipedia

Critical Thinking: The Process

Critical thinking is a process. A more detailed definition offered by Wikipedia goes something like this: Critical thinking has been described as “reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do.”It has also been described as “thinking about thinking.” It has been described in more detail as “the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action” More recently, critical thinking has been described as “the process of purposeful, self-regulatory judgment, which uses reasoned consideration to evidence, context, conceptualizations, methods, and criteria.” Within the critical social theory philosophical frame, critical thinking is commonly understood to involve commitment to the social and political practice of participatory democracy, willingness to imagine or remain open to considering alternative perspectives, willingness to integrate new or revised perspectives into our ways of thinking and acting, and willingness to foster criticality in others.

Critical thinking, when made part of educational syllabi, becomes critical reasoning, a method of reaching to conclusions of our own. In simple terms, it is art of finding holes in someone else’s argument? But what is an argument?

What is an argument?

An argument is a simple set of three things:

A. FACTS, which are also referred to as premise in logic.

I am 5 feet 7 inches tall is a fact.

B. CONCLUSIONS, which is the result that an argument arrives at.

In the statement, ‘I can reach the top shelf with my hands because I am 5 feet 7 inches tall’, the part ‘I can reach the top shelf’ is the conclusion or result.

C. ASSUMPTION, the third and the most critical part of our argument. Let’s look at the above statement once again: ‘I can reach the top shelf with my hands because I am 5 feet 7 inches tall’. We know the fact and we know the conclusion. What is the assumption? Simple, just answer the question why can I reach the top shelf? Because I am 5 feet 7 inches tall. That means that if one is 5 feet 7 inches tall, one can reach the shelf. That is the assumption. If X is 5 feet 7 inches tall or more, he will be able to reach the top shelf irrespective of anything. What happens if he is 5 feet 6 inches tall? Well, in that case we cannot say anything. That is outside the scope of our argument.

In simple laymen terms, this is what an argument would consist of always. The key points for a student include:

1. Ability to discern facts from conclusions.

2. Ability to spot the leap that any author makes while moving from facts to conclusions or vice-versa. It is this leap that contains the assumption.

CR questions can be broadly divided into certain categories:

• Identify the assumption
• Strengthen the argument
• Weaken the argument
• Miscellaneous question types

We will have a look at these questions types one at a time and try to cover the basics for each.

Identify the assumption

Let’s take the simple argument:

Jack:    I can’t believe I saw Reet drinking a Coke.

John:   Why?

Jack:    Because Reet works for Pepsi.

What is the assumption made by Jack?

Is it any of the following:

Reet prefers Coca Cola.

Reet hates his job.

Reet is a spy for Pepsi.

Obviously, it is not. It is something far simpler. According to Mac, anyone who works for Pepsi cannot drink Coca-cola. Assume anything else and you will not be able to reach the conclusion. When we say reach the conclusion, adopt this process. Add the assumption to the facts given in the argument. If you reach the same conclusion as stated in the argument, then you have made the right one else it is the incorrect one.

Supplement this example with the one given in the slide.

Weaken an argument

Have a look at the argument:

On Thursday I wore a blue shirt.

On Friday I had a headache.

Therefore, my blue shirt gives me a headache.

This is a very simple version of a CR argument. But would you say to challenge it and weaken it (that is cast doubt on the conclusion reached)?

Simple answers: Perhaps I was out all night last Thursday.

Maybe I live next door to the national highway.

In each case, we have an alternate reason for the same set of facts. Or in a way, we are challenging the assumption of the argument: the cause of the headache was the shirt and nothing else.

In reasoning terminology, label the argument as the type where a casual relationship has been turned into a cause and affect one.

Strengthen an argument

In case one has to strengthen the same argument as given in the ‘weaken the argument’ section, what would one say?

Simply say: My health is affected by the clothes I wear.

This makes the argument water tight, by working again on the assumption of the argument.

So simple thumb rules:

Weaken the argument: challenge the assumption

Strengthen the argument: add weight to the assumption.

Miscellaneous Question types **

Other than the three types, there are a number of different question types that you would encounter in CR. These include:

1. Must be true questions, framed along these lines:

“If the statements above are true, which one of the following must also be true?”

“If the information above is correct, which one of the following conclusions can be properly drawn on the basis of it?”

“The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?”

“Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the passage?”

“Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?”

Learning through an example of the question type:

Flavonoids are a common component of almost all plants, but a specific variety of flavonoid in apples has been found to be an antioxidant. Antioxidants are known to be a factor in the prevention of heart disease.

Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the passage?

(A) A diet composed largely of fruits and vegetables will help to prevent heart disease.

(B) Flavonoids are essential to preventing heart disease.

(C) Eating at least one apple each day will prevent heart disease.

(D) At least one type of flavonoid helps to prevent heart disease.

The first step: identify your task. We need to provide a conclusion. What is our conclusion in laymen terms? That one could get help in heart disease from a certain type of flavonoid. Not all types would help but a certain type would for sure. Which option highlights this option of a one of the types helping us? Option D. the other options are too specific to be the answer, are they not?

1. Main point of the argument questions
   The question is phrased as:
   “Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the argument?”
   “Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the journalist’s argument?”
   “Which one of the following most accurately restates the main point of the passage?”
   “The main point of the argument is that”

Learning through an example of the question type:

I agree that Hogan’s actions resulted in grievous injury to Winters. And I do not deny that Hogan fully realized the nature of his actions and the effects that they would have. Indeed, I would not disagree if you pointed out that intentionally causing such effects is reprehensible, other things being equal. But in asking you to concur with me that Hogan’s actions not be wholly condemned I emphasize again that Hogan mistakenly believed Winters to be the robber who had been terrorizing west-side apartment buildings for the past several months.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the argument?

(A) Hogan should not be considered responsible for the injuries sustained by Winters.

(B) The robber who had been terrorizing west-side apartment buildings should be considered to be as responsible for Winters’s injuries as Hogan.

(C) The actions of Hogan that seriously injured Winters are not completely blameworthy.

(D) Hogan thought that Winters was the person who had been terrorizing west-side apartment buildings for the last few months.

The main point of the argument is essentially the summary of the paragraph that we need to work out. Let’s keep our approach simple: all we do is first identify the summary in our words and then we match it with the options. The argument simply states that we cannot totally blame Hogan as was mistaken and his actions were not done intentionally. Which option goes by this logic? I guess option C is screaming at us, isn’t is?

1. Resolve the paradox questions:
   A resolve the paradox question is framed something like this:
   “Which one of the following, if true, would most effectively resolve the apparent paradox above?”
   “Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the passage above?”
   “Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the puzzling fact cited above?”
   “Which one of the following, if true, most helps to reconcile the discrepancy indicated above?”
   “Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent conflict described above?”

Learning through an example of the question type:

Provinces and states with stringent car safety requirements, including required use of seat belts and annual safety inspections, have on average higher rates of accidents per kilometer driven than do provinces and states with less stringent requirements. Nevertheless, most highway safety experts agree that more stringent requirements do reduce accident rates.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to reconcile the safety experts’ belief with the apparently contrary evidence described above?

(A) Annual safety inspections ensure that car tires are replaced before they grow old.

(B) Drivers often become overconfident after their cars have passed a thorough safety inspection.

(C) The roads in provinces and states with stringent car safety programs are far more congested and therefore dangerous than in other provinces and states.

(D) Psychological studies show that drivers who regularly wear seat belts often come to think of themselves as serious drivers, which for a few people discourages reckless driving.

Explanation: The conclusion reached above is confusing for sure. States with stringent law would obviously have lower accident rates, but alas, that does not happen here. What went wrong? That is what we have to identify. Let’s break down the information given to us: the accident rates per kilometre are higher in these states. How do we define these rates? Obviously on the basis of traffic. If the street is crowded with cars and another is empty, the one with a greater number of cars will have a higher rate of accidents. This gives us the explanation we need. The more the congestion, the more the accidents per kilometre, and thus our requirement for stringent laws. This even explains why we have stringent laws in the first place: to counter the traffic challenge. This is what we do in a paradox question: break down the question into smaller bits, find the problem part and rectify that. It is only one part of the argument that is weak and needs some additional support. Identify that part.

1. Method of reasoning questions:
   The ‘method of reasoning’ questions are structured like the following examples:
   “The method of the argument is to”
   “The argument proceeds by”
   “The argument derives its conclusion by”
   “Which one of the following describes the technique of reasoning used above?”
   “Which one of the following is an argumentative strategy employed in the argument?”
   “The argument employs which one of the following reasoning techniques?”

Learning through an example of the question type:

Garbage in this neighborhood probably will not be collected until Thursday this week. Garbage is usually collected here on Wednesdays, and the garbage collectors in this city are extremely reliable. However, Monday was a public holiday, and after a public holiday that falls on a Monday, garbage throughout the city is supposed to be collected one day later than usual.

The argument proceeds by

(A) treating several pieces of irrelevant evidence as though they provide support for the conclusion

(B) indirectly establishing that one thing is likely to occur by directly ruling out all of the alternative possibilities

(C) providing information that allows application of a general rule to a specific case

(D) generalizing about all actions of a certain kind on the basis of a description of one such action

If you have a close look at the answer options above, you would realize that all of them use generic terms. They basically take facts and information provided to us in the argument and convert into various possible general options. Now the choice in front of us is to make the best fit. Let’s eliminate options. That way is the easiest to solve this question type:

Option 1 is rejected as there is no irrelevant evidence.

Option 2 is ruled out as no alternative possibilities are discussed. Only one type of information is given, that is when is garbage collected.

Option 4 is rejected as these is no generalization. In fact, the reverse is true. A general rule is being applied to a specific case. This leads us to the correct answer.

1. Flaw in reasoning question:
   The ‘flaw of reasoning’ questions are structured like the following examples:
   “Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the argument’s reasoning?”
   “The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the ground that the argument”
   “The reasoning above is flawed because it fails to recognize that”
   “A questionable aspect of the reasoning above is that it”
   “The reasoning in the argument is fallacious because the argument”

Learning through an example of the question type:

“Some people claim that the values that this country was built on are now being ignored by modern-day corporations. But this is incorrect. Corporations are purely profit-driven enterprises, beholden only to their shareholders, and as such they can only assess objects based on their value.”

Identify the flaw in the argument above.

The term “value” is used in the example above in two different senses: first in a moral or ethical sense and then in a monetary sense. This shift in meaning undermines the author’s position.

Flaw in reasoning questions demand a quick perception on part of the student. You need to be able to identify the faulty assumptions made by the author, the introduction of ambiguous terms & the subtle changes in meaning. In a way, it is about picking up the subtle nuances in reading.