SSC CGL Pre + Mains 2018

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Most Important Idioms for Competitive Exams SSC / Bank PO

1. Cry for the moon:

Meaning– Ask for the impossible (अप्राप्य की आकांक्षा रखना)

Sentence- Thinking of getting an officer’s job with so ordinary a qualification is to cry for the moon.

2. Cock and bull story:

Meaning- Made up story that one should not believe; a story or explanation which is obviously nottrue (मनगढंत कहानी)

Sentence- She told me some cock-and-bull story about her car breaking down.

3. Once in a blue moon:

Meaning- Something that happens very rarely (कभी कभार)

Sentence- Once in a blue moon, the blue jay can be seen in these parts of the forest.

4. To bell the cat:

Meaning- To face the risk (कठिन कार्य में अगुआ; बडी आपतियों का सामना करना)

Sentence- Mohit has the courage to bell the cat.

5. Beating around the bush:

Meaning- Avoiding the main topic (घुमा फिराकर बात करना ;मुख्य विषय से बचना)

Sentence-The President was beating around the bush when the citizens demanded a reason for the forgery of legal documents.

6. Chip on your shoulder:

Meaning-When someone is upset about something that happened a while ago

Sentence-He has a chip on his shoulder for being abandoned by his parents in his childhood.

7. Cry over spilt milk:

Meaning-Complaining about a loss or failure from the past

Sentence-He was mad because he couldn’t clear the cut off due to a silly mistake. But, then he realized there was no use crying over spilt milk and decided to become more careful.

8. Spill the beans:

Meaning-To disclose a secret

Sentence-The little one spilled the beans about the surprise vacation we had planned.

9. Piece of cake:

Meaning-Something that is easy to understand or do

Sentence-I thought that the problem would be tough, but it turned out to be a piece of cake!

10. Blessing in disguise:

Meaning-Something good and useful that did not initially seem that way

Sentence-His accident was a blessing in disguise because it gave him a lot of time to think about his life while he was recovering, and as a result, he made some important decisions that improved his life.

11. A close shave:

Meaning- A narrow escape

Sentence- I had a close shave when a tree fell just where I had been standing.

12. Taste of your own medicine:

Meaning-When someone receives the same treatment, usually negative, that he/she gives to others

Sentence-She is always taunting others and hurting their sentiments. I just wish someone would give her a taste of her own medicine.

13. Golden handshake:

Meaning-A big sum of money given to a person when he/she leaves a company or retires

Sentence-The management of the company wanted to decrease their workforce. They offered a golden handshake to their aged employees.

14. Mean business:

Meaning-Being serious/dedicated

Sentence-The border is sealed by troops who mean business.

15. Apple of one’s eye:

Meaning-Being cherished more than others are

Sentence-Sam is adored by his teacher for his childlike nature. He is the apple of her eye.

16. The best of both worlds:

Meaning-The benefits of widely differing situations enjoyed at the same time.

Sentence-I had the best of both worlds since I worked as an ordinary member of the team but got to learn from the leaders.

17. Feeling a bit under the weather:

Meaning-Feeling slightly ill

Sentence-I may not be able to jog today, as I am feeling a bit under the weather.

18. Icing on the cake:

Meaning-Something that turns good into great

Sentence-India’s victory over England on India’s Independence Day was like icing on the cake.

19. Cost an arm and a leg:

Meaning-Be very expensive

Sentence-His laziness made him miss his flight to Chandigarh. The next ticket cost him an arm and a leg.

20. Jump the bandwagon:

Meaning-To join a popular activity or trend

Sentence-When he was detected with diabetes, he quickly jumped on the bandwagon and joined the Zumba dance class.

21. Ball is in your court:

Meaning-When it is up to you to make the next decision or step.

Sentence-Now the ball is in your court; decide whether you want to reply or not.

22. Bite off more than you can chew:

Meaning-To take up a task which you may not be able to accomplish due to lack of ability.

Sentence-I bit off more than I could chew when I decided to take up the 300-page research project.

23. Can’t judge a book by its cover:

Meaning-Cannot judge something primarily on appearance.

Sentence-The house looked impressive in the advertisement. Still I made a trip to the house to check everything. It is wise not to judge a book by its cover.

24. Hear it on grapevine:

Meaning-To hear rumors about something or someone

Sentence-I heard it on grapevine that he had stiffed an old man asking for his pension.

25. Last straw:

Meaning-The final problem in a series of problems

Sentence-My body was already in bad shape. The accident was the last straw. I am now on complete bed rest.

26. To be in the doldrums:

Meaning-To be in low spirits

Sentence-Sam was in the doldrums after he was insulted by the boss in front of his colleagues.

27. To sit on the fence:

Meaning-To remain neutral

Sentence-Since I wasn’t aware of the details, I decided to sit on the fence during the argument between my cousins.

More notes of English by Ajay Sir

28. Break the ice:

Meaning-To initiate a social conversation or interaction

Sentence-At the start of the lecture, the new professor tried to break the ice by telling a joke.

29. A bird’s eye view:

Meaning-A view from a very high place that allows you to see a very large area

Sentence-The Singapore Big Wheel offers a bird’s eye view of the city.

30. A litmus test:

Meaning-A method that helps to know if something is correct

Sentence-Taking up the job served as a litmus test for me to know how good I was at applying my knowledge.

31. At the drop of a hat:

Meaning-Willingness to do something instantly

Sentence-She expects me to make dinner at the drop of a hat even if I am very busy with office work.

32. Afraid of one’s own shadow:

Meaning-To become easily frightened

Sentence-Her creepy encounter with the supernatural had a devastating effect on her. She is now afraid of her own shadow.

33. A house of cards:

Meaning-A poor plan

Sentence-The State’s new scheme was initially welcomed but later turned out to be a house of cards when it was discovered how easy it was to perpetrate a scam.

34. Black and blue:

Meaning-Full of bruises

Sentence-The young lad was all black and blue after a tiff with a raging senior.

35. Be on cloud nine:

Meaning-Be very happy

Sentence-I will be on cloud nine when my first article gets published.

36. Bone of contention:

Meaning-A subject or issue over which there is continuing disagreement

Sentence-The examination system has long been a serious bone of contention in the HRD Ministry.

37. Eat humble pie:

Meaning-To apologize humbly

Sentence-He will have to eat humble pie for the disrespect shown to the Captain.

38. Fool’s paradise:

Meaning-False sense of happiness or success

Sentence-They were living in a fool’s paradise, refusing to accept that they were facing poverty.

39. Give cold shoulder:

Meaning-To ignore

Sentence-I sent her a message to apologize for my misbehavior, but she gave me the cold shoulder.

40. Get a raw deal:

Meaning-To not be treated as well as other people

Sentence-The fact is that students in government schools get a raw deal.

41. Hit the nail on the head:

Meaning-To do the correct thing

Sentence-She hit the nail on the head when she laid out a list of justifiable grievances she had with the company.

42. Hand to mouth:

Meaning-live on only basic necessities

Sentence-The severe drought led the farmers to live hand to mouth.

43. Hit the bull’s eye:

Meaning-To be exactly right about something or achieve the best result possible.

Sentence-The detective hit the bull’s eye when he figured out that nobody but the doctor could have had access to the poison.

44. Let the cat out of the bag:

Meaning-To reveal the secret carelessly or by mistake

Sentence-Now that she had let the cat out of the bag, she had no option but to confess.

45. Make a face:

Meaning-To show dislike or disappointment through facial expressions

Sentence-Little Stella made a face at the sight of bitter gourd in her food.

46. Open Pandora’s Box:

Meaning-To find a source of great troubles and problems

Sentence-Finding the wallet on the road opened up a Pandora’s box. I was arrested for stealing when I went to report it at the police station.

47. It’s Greek to me

Meaning-Something that is not understandable

Sentence-I failed my commerce test; it was all Greek to me!

48. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket:

Meaning-Do not put all your resources in one basket.

Sentence-The boy put all his money into his dream startup that eventually failed. I had told him not to put all his eggs in one basket.

49. To call a spade a spade:

Meaning-To be brutally frank, outspoken, blunt in speech.

Sentence- Let’s call a spade a spade – popular he may be, but that man is a liar.

50. To be a Good Samaritan:

Meaning-To be kind and compassionate to someone in distress

Sentence-I was sure I would be stuck on the highway till the morning, but a Good Samaritan offered me a ride home.

51. To put in a nutshell:

Meaning-To say in a few words or to make something concise

Sentence-The Textbook Development Committee decided to put the 30-page chapter, in a nutshell, to help save time for students during revision.

52. To pour oil on troubled waters:

Meaning-To make peace

Sentence- I am always stuck pouring oil on troubled waters when my mother and wife start their bickering.

53. An apple of discord:

Meaning-A cause of quarrel

Sentence- The right to host the Olympic Games is an apple of discord between the two countries.

54. To move heaven and earth:

Meaning-To exert all efforts

Sentence-He moved heaven and earth to ensure that his family was taken care of in the foreign land in his absence.

55. To build castles in the air:

Meaning- Make imaginary schemes

Sentence- Ramesh always builds castles in the air and does nothing in reality.

NOUN EXERCISE with Solution

NOUN EXERCISE : Questions

1. We have been under (1) / a lot of pressure to (2) / to open fifty new stores (3) / by the ending of the year. (4) / No error (5).

2. One of the oldest car (1) / seen in India was a Serpollet (2) / a French car named (3) / after its inventor. (4) / No error (5).

3. We informed customers (1) / that there will be (2) / no interrupting in (3) / Our bank services tomorrow. (4) / No error (5).

4. Some of the world (1) / largest water bodies are (2) / drying up thus threatening (3) / the livelihood of millions. (4) / No error (5).

5. Psychologists have been documenting (1) / the emotional and physical (2) / effect of (3) / negative political advertisements. (4) / No error (5).

6. We are yet starting (1) / offering this facility to (2) / our customers as we are (3) / awaiting approval from the Board. (4) / No error (5).

7. The Chairmen of all large (1) / public sector banks met with (2) / senior RBI officials to give its (3) / suggestions about implementing the new policy. (4) / No error (5).

8. They have not fully considered (1) / the impact that relaxing (2) / these guidelines is likely (3)/ to have with the economy (4) / No error (5)

9. Had this notification (1) / been amended earlier, (2) / we could have stopped (3) / the transfer of funds. (4) / No error (5)

10. There are many insurance (1) / disputes nowadays because of (2) / most people do not fully (3) / understand the terms and conditions of their policies (4) / No error (5)

11. India demonstrates its supremacy (1) / in space when it successfully (2) / launched its third satellite (3) / into orbit yesterday. (4) / No error (5)

12. India needs a value education system (1) / who will inculcate values (2) / among the students and (3) / enrich their personalities. (4) / No error (5)

13. Driven by the desire to save trees (1) / residents of locality (2) / has started using solar appliances (3) / for their everyday needs. (4) / No error (5)

14. A large number of unmanned aircrafts (1) / being used by the military (2) / are suspected of having (3) / unsafe radio links. (4) / no error (5)

15. Recent survey shows that (1) / 35 million children in the age group of (2) / 6 to 10 years have never (3) / attended no primary school. (4) / No error (5)

16. Coal mines constitute (1) / a major percentage of the (2) / sources which cause damage (3) / on the environment. (4) / No error (5)

17. A man who has been (1) / accused of fraud in (2) / an earlier job he will never be (3)/ welcome in any other organization. (4) / No error (5)

18. Worried about the continuing violence in the city (1)/ much students are set to migrate (2) / to other cities (3) / for higher education (4)/ No error (5)

19. Many organizations have been offering (1) / attractive incentives to (2)/ their employees in an attempt (3)/ to boosting employee retention. (4) / No error (5)

20. Some genuine issues exist (1) / with the newly adopted (2) / system and needs to (3) / be examined seriously. (4) / No error (5)

NOUN EXERCISE : ANSWERS:

1. Error is in (4). Replace ending by end.

2. Error is in (1). Replace car by cars.

3. Error is in (3). Replace interrupting by interruption.

4. Error is in (1). Replace world by world’s.

5. Error is in (3). Replace effect by effects.

6. Error is in (1). Replace we are yet starting by we are yet to start.

7. Error is in (3). Replace its by their.

8. Error is in (4). Replace to have with the economy by to have on the economy.

9. No error

10. Error is in (2). Replace disputes now a days because of by disputes now a days because. It is superfluous to use preposition of as subordinate clause follows.

11. Error is in (1). The sentence shows past event. So simple past should be used.India demonstrated its supremacy is correct.

12. Error is in (2). Replace relative pronoun who by which because non-living thing has been used.

13. Error is in (1). Replace Driven by the desire to save trees by Being driven by the desire to save trees.

14. No error

15. Error is in (4). Here never is in negative. So, attended any primary school is correct.

16. Error is in (4). Damage takes preposition to. So, replace on the environment by to environment.

17. Error is in (3). Here he (pronoun) is superfluous. So remove he. 18. Error is in (2). The word students is a countable noun. So much students are set by many students are set.

19. Error is in (4). Replace to boosting employee retention by to boost employee retention.

20. Error is in (3). Plural subject takes plural verb. So system and need to should be used.

Sunday, February 26, 2017

6 mobile apps launched by the Indian Government

In this tech-savvy world internet services are backbone of academia, corporate and even the Government bodies. Many academic institutions and e-commerce business houses rely on internet for their business. Slowly and steadily, Government bodies are marching towards mobile apps. Let’s go through 6 mobile apps by the Indian Government and their usefulness to the public.

IRCTC Connect

IRCTC Connect is an android mobile app launched by the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) for ticket booking.
This apps aims to make us familiar with the anytime, anywhere access to the IRCTC portal. Smartphone users can now book, cancel or modify their tickets at fingertips.
Key features of the app are as follows:

Simple one step login to IRCTC users
User friendly interface for registration and account creation
Search trains and stations
Book, cancel or modify tickets
Handy for booking tatkal tickets
To facilitate easy booking, autofill data option
Upcoming journey alerts

MyGov App

MyGov is Government of India’s initiative to promote citizen participation in governance by channelizing their ideas, comments and suggestions to Central Ministries and associated organizations.
Through this app, citizens can participate in policy formulation and program implementation.
The app was launched on July 15, 2016 by the Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad.
This is a user-friendly portal which provides information in the form of info-graphics, e-books, videos, daily news updates, etc. corner, etc.
This app enables two-way communication between the government and citizens.

mPassport Seva

This app aims at providing all the Passport-related services to all the Indian citizens in a convenient and transparent manner.
This is one of the largest projects under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP).
‘mPassport Seva’ app offers a wide array of services such as passport application status tracking, locating the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) and other information related to a Passport.

RTI INDIA

This is one of the fine initiatives wherein you can access RTI portal from your Android devices.
As per a report, RTI INDIA app has more than 4,00,000 members.
Key features include:
- Comments and reply to RTI query
- Upload images relating to Right to Information directly from your android device
- Send and receive messages to RTI activists
- Read and post to RTI blogs and articles
- View RTI activist profiles
- Information regarding the state and central government rules
RTI activist CJ Karira believes that this app allows members of the website to access all the information, forums and questions.

URJA (Urban Jyoti Abhiyan) App

URJA- Urban Jyoti Abhiyan Mobile app was launched by the Union Minister of State for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy Mr. Piyush Goyal.
The app is developed to enhance connectivity of consumers with the urban power distribution sector by providing information to consumers on power outage, addressing complaints, power reliability etc.
The app focuses on Prime Minister’s principle of good governance.

DND Services App

Do Not Disturb Services app helps smartphone users to register their mobile numbers to avoid Unsolicited Commercial Communication, Telemarketing Calls and related SMS.
The user friendly interface does not require much of the user intervention. Users can also check the Status of Complaints (Call/SMS).
The DND services app developed by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is an alternative for filing pesky calls and SMS complaints.