HSBC Verbal English Questions and Answers

1. DIRECTIONS for question 1-4 : Read the given passage and answer the questions
More than a century later, the Earth seeps to be literally falling to pieces - recent environmental setbacks include billions of tonnes of ice shelves breaking off in the Antarctic and unusually warm temperatures in different parts of the world, Panic reactions range from predictions of sinking islands to lamenting the ill-effects of global warming induced by release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The trouble is that we are too obsessed with the climate change problem to even acknowledge the fact that the state of the planet hinges on much more. Climate change is at best a symptom of a far more complex malaise, just as a fever is most often only an indicator of something that's gone awry in our body. It's time for a complete and comprehensive planetary health check, that will examine the impacts of change in land use, loss of biodiversity, use of fertilizers and pesticides and consistent pollution of water bodies. This would overcome the limitations of evaluating how ecosystems work by reacting to just one major environmental concern as is happening in the case of global warming. These considerations have been responsible for the setting up of an international panel, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Financed by four major international bodies, including the UN and the World Bank, the eco-panel was set up without much fuss last June, and is expected to determine, over a period of four years and at a cost of $21 million, the state of the Earth's ecosystems. The eco-panel will source inputs from more than 2,000 natural and social scientists the world over. Put simply, the Earth will go through the equivalent of a thorough physical, so that biological, economic and social information can be collated to help scientists arrive at a final diagnosis. The newly-constituted eco-panel will have to ensure that data collection is more representative of the regions of the world. Today, we have the advantage of sourcing data from remote sensing satellites as well. The information thus gathered would have to be sorted out and analyzed by specialists and also by generalists.

1.)What is the comparison made between fever in our body and climate changes?

2.  Read the given passage and answer the questions
More than a century later, the Earth seeps to be literally falling to pieces - recent environmental setbacks include billions of tonnes of ice shelves breaking off in the Antarctic and unusually warm temperatures in different parts of the world, Panic reactions range from predictions of sinking islands to lamenting the ill-effects of global warming induced by release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The trouble is that we are too obsessed with the climate change problem to even acknowledge the fact that the state of the planet hinges on much more. Climate change is at best a symptom of a far more complex malaise, just as a fever is most often only an indicator of something that's gone awry in our body. It's time for a complete and comprehensive planetary health check, that will examine the impacts of change in land use, loss of biodiversity, use of fertilizers and pesticides and consistent pollution of water bodies. This would overcome the limitations of evaluating how ecosystems work by reacting to just one major environmental concern as is happening in the case of global warming. These considerations have been responsible for the setting up of an international panel, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Financed by four major international bodies, including the UN and the World Bank, the eco-panel was set up without much fuss last June, and is expected to determine, over a period of four years and at a cost of $21 million, the state of the Earth's ecosystems. The eco-panel will source inputs from more than 2,000 natural and social scientists the world over. Put simply, the Earth will go through the equivalent of a thorough physical, so that biological, economic and social information can be collated to help scientists arrive at a final diagnosis. The newly-constituted eco-panel will have to ensure that data collection is more representative of the regions of the world. Today, we have the advantage of sourcing data from remote sensing satellites as well. The information thus gathered would have to be sorted out and analyzed by specialists and also by generalists.

What will be the task of the newly constituted eco-panel?

3. Read the given passage and answer the questions
More than a century later, the Earth seeps to be literally falling to pieces - recent environmental setbacks include billions of tonnes of ice shelves breaking off in the Antarctic and unusually warm temperatures in different parts of the world, Panic reactions range from predictions of sinking islands to lamenting the ill-effects of global warming induced by release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The trouble is that we are too obsessed with the climate change problem to even acknowledge the fact that the state of the planet hinges on much more. Climate change is at best a symptom of a far more complex malaise, just as a fever is most often only an indicator of something that's gone awry in our body. It's time for a complete and comprehensive planetary health check, that will examine the impacts of change in land use, loss of biodiversity, use of fertilizers and pesticides and consistent pollution of water bodies. This would overcome the limitations of evaluating how ecosystems work by reacting to just one major environmental concern as is happening in the case of global warming. These considerations have been responsible for the setting up of an international panel, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Financed by four major international bodies, including the UN and the World Bank, the eco-panel was set up without much fuss last June, and is expected to determine, over a period of four years and at a cost of $21 million, the state of the Earth's ecosystems. The eco-panel will source inputs from more than 2,000 natural and social scientists the world over. Put simply, the Earth will go through the equivalent of a thorough physical, so that biological, economic and social information can be collated to help scientists arrive at a final diagnosis. The newly-constituted eco-panel will have to ensure that data collection is more representative of the regions of the world. Today, we have the advantage of sourcing data from remote sensing satellites as well. The information thus gathered would have to be sorted out and analyzed by specialists and also by generalists.

What is the primary concern of the passage?

4. Read the given passage and answer the questions
More than a century later, the Earth seeps to be literally falling to pieces - recent environmental setbacks include billions of tonnes of ice shelves breaking off in the Antarctic and unusually warm temperatures in different parts of the world, Panic reactions range from predictions of sinking islands to lamenting the ill-effects of global warming induced by release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The trouble is that we are too obsessed with the climate change problem to even acknowledge the fact that the state of the planet hinges on much more. Climate change is at best a symptom of a far more complex malaise, just as a fever is most often only an indicator of something that's gone awry in our body. It's time for a complete and comprehensive planetary health check, that will examine the impacts of change in land use, loss of biodiversity, use of fertilizers and pesticides and consistent pollution of water bodies. This would overcome the limitations of evaluating how ecosystems work by reacting to just one major environmental concern as is happening in the case of global warming. These considerations have been responsible for the setting up of an international panel, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Financed by four major international bodies, including the UN and the World Bank, the eco-panel was set up without much fuss last June, and is expected to determine, over a period of four years and at a cost of $21 million, the state of the Earth's ecosystems. The eco-panel will source inputs from more than 2,000 natural and social scientists the world over. Put simply, the Earth will go through the equivalent of a thorough physical, so that biological, economic and social information can be collated to help scientists arrive at a final diagnosis. The newly-constituted eco-panel will have to ensure that data collection is more representative of the regions of the world. Today, we have the advantage of sourcing data from remote sensing satellites as well. The information thus gathered would have to be sorted out and analyzed by specialists and also by generalists.

The tone of the passage can best be described as

5. Assertion (A): As we go higher up in the mountains, the atmospheric pressure decreases.
Reason (R): The air at higher altitudes is comparatively pure.

6. Statement: There has been an unprecedented increase in the prices of essential commodities like vegetables, pulses, fruits, sugar, milk, wheat, etc., and increase in the prices of diesel and petrol has further aggravated the situation this year.
Conclusions:
I. The supply and demand must match and government must arrest the hoarders and middlemen who are creating an artificial scarcity of these essential items.
II. The items in short supply can be imported and their indigenous production be increased.

7. The easiest way for prevent stress caused by work or home pressures is to indulge in high levels of physical activity

8.

For all of sadness, poverty and diseases (1)/ in this world(2) / every one of us(3) / possesses unlimited ways of making a positive difference(4) / No Error(5) ?

9. We _______________ to inform you that we cannot include your thesis in our library, on the ________________ of not receiving permission from your supervisor.

10. A sentence has been broken into four parts with an error in one of the parts. Identify the part that has an error.