SBI Clerk 27 July 2014

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.

Akbar was the son of humble parents. His father was a school master. There was never very much money in the house so he didn’t enjoy any luxuries. All he wanted was to learn more and more. Books were not easily available then as they were handwritten and very expensive. Akbar read all the books he could lay his hands on. In due course, he mastered Arabic, Persian, Philosophy and Astronomy and dreamt of getting a position at court. But for this one had to really excel in some field. Also one needed a patron close enough to the Emperor to recommend a newcomer. It was a few months before he could find a patron and a few more months before he could find a suitable opportunity to recommed him to the Emperor who asked what he had learnt and what work he could do. On hearing the same, he said, “We are pleased to give the young man a chance. Let him take charge of the royal poultry house!” When he heard the news Akbar was heartbroken. He, a scholar, capable of debating with the most learned men was asked to look after chicking hens! All the same he got down to work with great determination . His only concern was hens. He saw to it that they were well fed and had clean water, that their living quarters were clean and if a fowl took ill that it was separated from the others and given proper treatment. Meanwhile, the Emperor had forgotten about the scholar he had packed off to mind the hens. But one day while his Finance Minister was reading out the palace accounts to tell the Emperor how much money had been spent on the raoyal house hold, he mentioned such a low figure that the Emperor sat up. “Have most of the hens died ?” he asked No your Majesty’ was the reply- “The hens are not only alive but are plump and fit.” Send for the scholar!” the Emperor demanded. When Akbar came to the palace, the Emperor demanded “Aren’t you feeding them properly ?” “I am sire, only the food is different-I’m feeding them what cannot be used in the royal kitchen, vegetable peels and dough used to seal the vessels while cooking for your Majesty. The hens not only enjoy it but it is also very good for them. “Good work, we hereby promote you to the rank of royal librarian.” Akbar was bitterly disappointed. He had spent the first thirty years of his life gaining knowledge. How he wished to gain that knowledge and help people. Instead as head of the royal library he would be seeing only books and no people. But he buckled down to organissing the library. A year later the Emperor came to visit the library. He was surprised to find each book coverd with a packet of silk, velvet or brocade. There were hundreds of books and not one without a cover. “you have used expensive material to cover the books but have not charged us. Surely you are not spending your own money ?” Akbar bowed low, “Your Majesty these covers did not cost anything. Everyday dozens of people come to the court with humble grievances on sheets of paper which are folded and placed inside a bag of the most expensive material that they can afford. I have used them. The emperor was very pleased and gave him a bigger responsibility.

Rearrange the following six sentences/ group of sentences (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) and (F) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph: then answer the questions given below them.

A. He did whatever work was assigned to him and soon the lion became so fond of him that he promised to give him a cart full of almonds as pension when he (the squirrel) retired.
B. Once a squirrel joined the service of the king of the forest, the lion.
C. The squirrel had waited so long for this day but when he saw the almonds, he was seized with sadness as he realised that they were of no use to him now when he had lost all his teeth.
D. However, he envied other squirrels in the forest because of their carefree life which he could not enjoy as he had to be by the king’s side all the time.
E. He consoled himself with the thought that at the end of his career, he would receive a cart full of almonds, a food that only a few squirrels got to taste in their lifetime.
F. Finally, the day came when it was time for him to retire and as promised the king gave a grand banquet in his honour and presented him with a cart full of almonds.