Birlasoft Verbal Questions | Verbal Ability Questions For Birlasoft

DIRECTIONS for the questions 1 to 2: Given below are a few foreign language phrases that are commonly used. Choose the correct meaning for each of the phrases.

Prima facie
1. the most important
2. that which comes first
3. at first view
4. the face that is young
Answer: Option C
At first view
Sine die
1. without setting a fixed day
2. by voice vote
3. applying mathematical concepts to solve a difficult problem
4. signing legal documents before death
Answer: Option A
Without setting a fixed day.

DIRECTIONS for the questions 3 to 4: Fill in the blanks

They live on a busy road. ______________ a lot of noise from the traffic.
1. It must be
2. It must have
3. There must have
4. There must be
Answer: Option D
The right answer is (D) because the sentence refers to a place where there is noise.
The more electricity you use, ______________
1. your bill will be higher
2. will be higher your bill
3. the higher your bill will be
4. higher your bill will be
Answer: Option C
The consistency in the sentence can be maintained through option (C), as the sentence indicates the comparative degree of adjective.

DIRECTIONS for the question 5: The paragraphs given below have all had their constituent sentences jumbled. Read each jumbled passage carefully and then pick the option in which the best sequence is shown..

1. Of course, modern postal services now are much more sophisticated and faster, relying as they do on motor vehicles and planes for delivery.
2. Indeed, the ancient Egyptians had a system for sending letters from about 2000 BC, as did the Zhou dynasty in China a thousand years later,
3. Letters, were, and are, sent by some form of postal service, the history of which goes back a long way.
4. For centuries, the only form of written correspondence was the letter.
The best sequence is:
1. ii, i, iii, iv
2. iv, i, iii, ii
3. iv, iii, ii, i
4. iii, i, iv, ii
Answer: Option C
The paragraph sheds light on the significance of letters, as (D) sentence introduces the topic. Sentence (C) makes a reference to the history of letters. This is supported by an example mentioned in sentence (B). Sentence (A) is the logical conclusion of the paragraph.

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DIRECTIONS for the questions 6 to 10: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions.

Antigone was one of the daughters of Oedipus, that tragic figure of male power who had been cursed by Gods for mistakenly killing his father and subsequently marrying his mother and assuming the throne of Thebes. After the death of Oedipus civil war broke out and a battle was waged in front of the seventh gate of Thebes- his two sons led opposing factions and at the height of the battle fought and killed each other. Oedipus' brother, Creon, uncle of Antigone, was now undisputed master of the city. Creon resolved to make an example of the brother who had fought against him, Polynices, by refusing the right of honourable burial. The penalty of death was promulgated against any who should defy this order.

Antigone was distraught. Polynices had been left unburied, unwept, a feast of flesh for keen eyed carrion birds. Antigone asks her sister Ismene, for it was a challenge to her royal blood. "Now it is time-to show whether or not you are worthy of your royal blood. Is he not my brother and yours? Whether you like it or not? I shall never desert him-never!" But Ismene responds, "How could you dare- when Creon has expressly forbidden it? Antigone, we are women, it is not for us to fight against men". With a touch of bitterness, Antigone releases her sister from the obligation to help her, but argues she cannot shrug off the burden. "If I die for it what happiness! Live, if you will live, and defy the holiest of laws of heaven."

What is the main theme of the story of Antigone?
1. One must be truthful and honest
2. There is a conflict between the laws of men and heavenly laws
3. One must be true to one's kins
4. War is an evil
Answer: Option A
The central idea of the story is that one must be honest and truthful in difficult situations as well.
Why did Antigone decide to defy the orders of Creon?
1. She loved her brother
2. She was to give an honorable burial to her brother
3. She felt she was bound by her heavenly obligation
4. To teach Creon a lesson
Answer: Option B
It is clearly mentioned in the first few lines of the second paragraph.
What, in your opinion, would have been the logical end of the story?
1. Antigone might have agreed with her sister and refrained from giving a burial to Polynices
2. Antigone might have been allowed by Creon to give a decent burial to her brother
3. Antigone might have defied the order of Creon but forgiven by him
4. Antigone might have been executed for defying the order of the king
Answer: Option D
After reading the story the logical ending is mentioned in option 4. It can also inferred after reading the last line of the first paragraph.
What was the status of women in the contemporary society? They
1. were liberated
2. could have taken their own decisions
3. considered themselves inferior and subordinate to men
4. claimed equality with men
Answer: Option C
After reading the lines “How could you......... fight against men” mentioned in the second paragraph we get the right answer.
Why did a civil war break out in Thebes? The war broke out because
1. of the curse of the Gods
2. the brothers of Antigone were greedy
3. there was a fight among sons of Oedipus for the inheritance of the kingdom
4. there was a conflict between a son of Oedipus and Creon
Answer: Option C
It is mentioned in the line “After the death of Oedipus……….. killed each other.”