Gurgaon Gramin Bank Clerk Exam, 2011 : General English Solved Paper

Gurgaon Gramin Bank Clerk Exam., 2011(Held on 5-6-2011)
General English : Solved Paper

Directions–(Q. 1–15) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

Once there was an elderly widow, Chen Ma, who lived with her only son inside a forest in the Shanxi Province. Her son was one of the tiger hunters licensed by the local magistrate. His share of the profits from the sale of tiger skins, meat and bones was sufficient to keep the small mud hut well provisioned for himself and his old mother. All was well until a particularly bitter winter. During a snowstorm, Chen Ma's son was separated from his fellow hunters and became food for a hungry tigress.

After her initial shock and grief subsided, Chen Ma took stock of her own utterly desperate situation. She went and implored the magistrate to provide her with compensation for the loss of her son, who was her only source of support. The magistrate decreed that henceforth, she would have a small share of profits from the kill of each tiger by the hunters. Needless to say, his decision was not taken well by the hunters, who had plenty of mouths of their own to feed. So, when the hunters succeeded in killing the tigress that ate Chen Ma's son, they decided not to give her a share of the profits. Instead, they brought her the tigress' newborn cub. He was a small quivery ball of golden fur with wobbly legs and toothless gums. Instantly, Chen Ma's heart went out to this helpless creature.

After the hunters left, the tiger cub wobbled to where Chen Ma sat and lay at her feet. She bent down to rub  his ears and he licked her shoes. The elderly widow looked at the tiger baby and sighed. "They told me to butcher you, to salt and smoke your flesh for my meat supply. Your skin would make warm boots for my feet; your bones are good for making balm to ease the pain in my joints. But oh, how can I bear to kill you ?" And so, Chen Ma untied the rope from the little tiger's neck and fed him a paste of cooked roots with her fingers. Her son had a good supply of grains and roots in the attached shed. When the store of the firewood was running low, Chen Ma slept curling against the baby tiger, whose soft fur was cozy and warm.

Once ever so often, women from nearby villages would bring sewing for Chen Ma to do. She was very handy with a needle. They paid her for her labour with small sacks of grain. At first they did not find the little tiger's presence alarming; he was no bigger than a piglet. However, when spring came, he had grown into the size of a calf, showing a full set of teeth and claws. The women told their hunter husbands and the men came to kill the young tiger.

Chen Ma armed herself with her son's hunting spear arid threatened to gut anyone who dared to harm her beloved pet. "I've lost both husband and son. This tiger is the only companion I have now. I shall go to the magistrate and request to adopt him as my son."

The hunters thought the old woman had become mad and jeered at her. But since she was so determined, they dared not kill her tiger without the magistrate's permission. So they followed Chen Ma and her tiger all the way to the official's judgement hall.

"Venerable Mother," said the magistrate. "Your request is most unusual. Are you not afraid that someday the tiger might revert to his wild nature and devour you ?"

"Honourable sir ," replied the old widow with tears in her eyes. "What is there to fear ? I have lived too long. The only worry I have now is being left utterly alone. Please let me adopt this young tiger, for he has become like a son in my affections."

The kind magistrate did not have the heart to refuse such an ancient woman's pleading. So he had his assistant draw up a document for the tiger's adoption. In order to protect the tiger from the hunters' arrows and spears, the magistrate ordered a large copper pendent made to hang around the beast's neck. The words 'Fu Chee' were engraved on the pendent meaning Tiger Son. To show her deep gratitude, Chen Ma knelt down in front of the magistrate. Then she led Fu Chee back to their home in the forest.

By next winter, Fu Chee had grown into his maximum size. Chen Ma's hut was in danger of collapsing whenever the tiger became playful. Reluctantly, she allowed Fu Chee to make his home inside a cave nearby.

However, the affectionate tiger came back to visit his adopted mother often. Also, he still liked to lick her shoes and to have his ears rubbed. Chen Ma's needs were being cared for just as if her natural son was still alive! After Chen Ma died at the ripe old age past one hundred, the hunters noticed Fu Chee guarded her tomb nightly. They left him undisturbed as he had never attacked any humans or domestic animals. This went on for a number of years and then one day the tiger was seen no more.

Out of deep respect and admiration for the filial tiger son, the hunters erected a small stone monument at Chen Ma's tomb with Fu Chee's story engraved on it. Henceforth, Fu Chee became a household legend in that part of Shanxi Province.

1. Why did Chen Ma not kill the tiger cub ?
(A) She found the cub helpless
(B) The cub was a gift from the hunters and she cherished it
(C) The magistrate had asked her not to kill the cub
(D) The cub immediately reminded her of her son
(E) She was too afraid of the cub to go near him
Ans : (A)

2. Why was a stone monument of Fu Chee erected at Chen Ma's tomb ?
(A) It was because Chen Ma had loved only Fu Chee her entire life and no one else
(B) It was out of fear of Fu Chee who was adopted by Ch~n Ma
(C) It was so that Fu Chee would not attack any humans or animals after Chen Ma's death
(D) It was out of reverence for Fu Chee who came to Chen Ma's tomb regularly after her death
(E) Not mentioned in the passage
Ans : (D)

3. How did Chen Ma's son die ?
(A) He had died while fighting for his province
(B) He was eaten by a tigress
(C) He was sentenced to death by the magistrate
(D) He was killed by the hunters
(E) He died of old age
Ans : (B)


4. Why did the hunters come to kill the tiger at Chen Ma's house ?
(A) The tiger had attacked the hunter's wives when they had visited Chen Ma' s house
(B) The tiger had displayed signs of aggression when the hunters had visited Chen Ma's
house
(C) The tiger had grown big and the hunters' wives were afraid of him
(D) There Were no other tigers left in the province to kill
(E) They wanted to seek revenge from Chen Ma because she had been getting free food from them
Ans : (C)

5. Which of the following characteristics can be attributed to Chen Ma from the story ?
(a) She was loving
(b) She was crazy.
(c) She was brave.
(A) Only (a)
(B) Only (a) and (c)
(C) All. (a), (b) and (c)
(D) Only (c)
(E) Only (b) and (c)
Ans : (B)

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