English/Hindi Language for IBPS RRB Clerk: Grammar, Cloze and Comprehension
What the Language Section Tests
The English Language/Hindi Language section checks grammar control, vocabulary in context and comprehension. In IBPS RRB Clerk, expect reading comprehension, cloze test, error detection, sentence improvement, fillers and para jumbles; the Hindi version follows the same question types.
Core Rules
- Reading comprehension: Separate stated facts from inference. For tone questions, look at adjectives and the concluding sentence, not just the topic.
- Error detection: Check subject-verb agreement, tense sequence, preposition collocation, articles and parallelism. A singular subject such as “the number of” takes a singular verb.
- Cloze test: Read the whole passage first; choose the word that fits both meaning and grammar. Connectors such as “although”, “therefore” and “moreover” signal contrast, result or addition.
- Para jumbles: Find the opening sentence (often a general statement with no pronoun reference), then follow pronouns (“this”, “they”) and chronological or causal links.
Worked Example
Sentence: “The number of candidates appearing for the examination have increased significantly this year.” The subject is “the number”, singular, so the verb must be “has”. Correct: “The number of candidates appearing for the examination has increased significantly this year.”
Traps
Choosing an option because it “sounds right”; in RC, importing outside knowledge; in cloze, selecting a synonym that breaks collocation; and in para jumbles, forcing a sentence with “however” to open the paragraph.