NABARD Grade A English Language Syllabus

English Language syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for English Language in NABARD Grade A, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Reading Comprehension

   3 topics

   • Comprehension Passages
     • Inference and central idea
     • Tone and purpose of the author
     • Fact vs opinion
   • Vocabulary in Context
     • Synonyms and antonyms
     • Word usage from passages
   • Critical Reasoning in Passages
     • Assumptions and conclusions
     • Strengthening and weakening arguments
2. 2

   Grammar and Sentence Correction

   3 topics

   • Parts of Speech and Usage
     • Nouns, pronouns and articles
     • Verbs, tenses and subject-verb agreement
     • Prepositions and conjunctions
   • Error Detection
     • Spotting grammatical errors
     • Common confusable words
   • Sentence Improvement
     • Phrase replacement
     • Sentence correction
3. 3

   Verbal Ability

   3 topics

   • Cloze Test
     • Single and double fillers
     • Contextual word selection
   • Para Jumbles
     • Sentence rearrangement
     • Logical sequencing
   • Sentence Completion and Connectors
     • Fillers with multiple blanks
     • Sentence connectors
4. 4

   Descriptive English (Phase 2 Writing)

   3 topics

   • Essay Writing
     • Structure and coherence
     • Economic, social and banking topics
   • Precis Writing
     • Summarising with word limits
     • Preserving key ideas
   • Letter and Report Writing
     • Formal and informal letters
     • Report drafting

English Language flashcards for NABARD Grade A

18 of 51 cards from the English Language deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In reading comprehension, what is the difference between the 'main idea' and a 'supporting detail' of a passage?

   The main idea is the central point or overall message the author conveys; a supporting detail is a specific fact, example, or reason that explains or reinforces that main idea.

2. What is an 'inference' question in a comprehension passage, and how does it differ from a 'directly stated' question?

   An inference question asks for a conclusion that is implied but not explicitly written, requiring reading between the lines; a directly stated question's answer can be found word-for-word in the text.

3. What does identifying the 'tone' of a passage mean, and give three common tone words.

   Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject. Common tones: critical, optimistic, sarcastic, objective, sympathetic, pessimistic.

4. In comprehension, what is the 'purpose' of a passage and what are the four broad purposes?

   The purpose is the author's reason for writing. The four broad purposes are to inform, to persuade, to describe, and to entertain (narrate).

5. What strategy helps answer detail-based comprehension questions quickly without re-reading the whole passage?

   Scanning—locating keywords from the question in the passage to jump directly to the relevant sentence.

6. What is the difference between 'skimming' and 'scanning' a passage?

   Skimming is reading quickly to grasp the general gist or main idea; scanning is searching for specific information or keywords.

7. In vocabulary-in-context questions, how should you determine a word's meaning?

   Use surrounding context clues (definition, example, contrast, or tone in nearby sentences) rather than the dictionary meaning, since the word may be used in a specific or unusual sense.

8. What are the four main types of context clues used to infer word meaning?

   Definition/restatement clues, synonym clues, antonym/contrast clues, and inference/example clues.

9. Define 'synonym' and 'antonym' with one example each.

   A synonym is a word with the same or similar meaning (happy/joyful); an antonym is a word with the opposite meaning (happy/sad).

10. What is a 'homonym', and give an example.

    Homonyms are words that sound alike or are spelled alike but have different meanings, e.g., 'bank' (riverbank vs. financial bank) or 'bear' (animal vs. to carry).

11. What does the word 'ubiquitous' mean?

    Present, appearing, or found everywhere; omnipresent.

12. What does the idiom 'to bury the hatchet' mean?

    To make peace or end a quarrel/conflict.

13. In critical reasoning, what is an 'assumption'?

    An unstated premise that must be true for the argument's conclusion to logically follow; it bridges the gap between the stated premises and the conclusion.

14. In critical reasoning, what is the difference between 'strengthening' and 'weakening' an argument?

    Strengthening adds evidence or support that makes the conclusion more likely true; weakening introduces information that makes the conclusion less likely or attacks the assumption.

15. What is a 'conclusion' in an argument, and how can you identify it?

    The conclusion is the main claim the argument tries to prove; it is often signalled by words like 'therefore', 'thus', 'hence', or 'so'.

16. What is an 'inference' in critical reasoning?

    A statement that must be true (or is logically supported) based on the given information, without adding outside assumptions.

17. What are the eight parts of speech in English?

    Noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

18. What is the function of a preposition, and give three examples?

    A preposition shows the relationship (place, time, direction) between a noun/pronoun and another word; examples: in, on, at, by, with, under.

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