Punjab National Bank (Management Trainee)

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PREVIOUS PAPER Held on: 11-01-2009 (Based on memory)

Test-I: Reasoning

Q.1. If each vowel ofthe word WEBPAGE is substituted with the next letter of the English alphabetical series, and each consonant is substituted with the letter preceding it,which of the following letters will appear thrice? 1)G 2) F 3) Q 4) V 5) None of these
Q.2.How many meaningful four-letter English words can be formed with the letters TPSI using each letter only once in each word? 1)One 2) Two 3) Three 4) Four 5) More than four
Q.3.Nitin correctly remembers that Nidhi's birthday is before Friday but after Tuesday. Derek correctly remembers that Nidhi's birthday is after Wednesday but before Saturday. On which of the following days does Nidhi's birthday definitely fall ? 1)Monday 2) Tuesday 3) Wednesday 4) Thursday 5) Cannot be determined
Q.4 How many such pairs of letters are there in the word DOCUMENTARY each of which has as many letters between them in the word as there are between them in the English alphabet? 1)None 2) One 3) two 4) Three 5) More than three
Q.5.Raman starts from point P and walks towards South and stops at point Q. He now takes a right turn followed by a left turn and stops at point R. He finally takes a left turn and stops at point S. If he walks 5 km before taking each turn towards which direction will Raman have to walk from point S to reach point Q? 1)North 2) South 3) West 4) East 5) North West
Q.6.If the digits of the number 26839514 are arranged in desscending order, the position of how many digits will remain unchanged? 1)One 2) Two 3) Three 4)Four 5) None
Q.7.In a certain code KITE is written as %2$# and STUD is . written as @$57, How is DESK written in that code? 1)8'%©# 2) ©8%# 3) #7%@ 4)7#@% 5) None of these
Q.8.The following groups of alphabets form a certain pattern with regard to their position in the English alphabetical series. Based upon the pattern, which of the following five alternatives shall replace the question mark? XDH, VGJ, TJL, RMN, ? 1) OOP 2) PPP 3) SNO 4)QLM 5) None of these
Q.9.What should come next in the following letter series? b a c b a cd b a c deb a cd e fb a c d 1)c 2)d 3)e 4)f 5) g
Q.10. Among six friends L, M, N, P, Q and S, each having a different height, N is taller than Q and P but shorter than M. P is taller than only Q while S is shorter than only L. Which of the following pairs represents the tallest and the shortest among the five friends? 1)M,P 2)L,Q 3)P,Q 4) Cannot be determined 5) None ofthese
Directions (Q. 11-15): In each of the questions below are given four statements followed by four conclusions numbered I, II, III and IV. You have to take the given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance with commonly known facts. Read all the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follows from the given statements disregarding commonly known facts.
Q.11. Statements: All snakes are eagles. Some eagles are rabbits. All rabbits are birds, Some birds arc animals . Conclusions: I Some animals are snakes. Il Some birds are snakes, III Some birds are eagles. IV. All birds are rabbits. 1) None follows 2) Only II follows 3) Only III follows 4) Both II and III follow 5) None of these
Q.12.Statements: Some cameras are calculators . Some calculators are diaries. All notebooks are diaries. All diaries are computers. Conclusions: I Some notebooks are calculators. Il, Some calculators are computers . III All notebooks are computers. IV. Some diaries are cameras . 1) None follows 2) Only II follows 3) Only III follows 4) Both II and III follow 5) None of these
Q.13.Statements: All planets are stars. All stars are asteroids. All asteroids are moons. Some moons are rocks. Conclusions: I All asteroids are planets. II All asteroids are stars. Ill, All moons are stars. IV. Some rocks are stars. 1)None follows 2)Only I follows 3)Only II follows 4)Only either I or II follows 5)None of these
Q.14.Statements: Some bats are toys. Some toys are plastics. Some plastics are mirrors. No mirror is glass. Conclusions: ]I Some toys are mirrors. Il, Some plastics are glasses. Ill, Some bats are mirrors. IV. No glass is plastic. 1)Only III follows 2)Only either II or IV follows 3)Only either I or III fo Ilows 4)Only either III or IV follows 5)None of these
Q.15.Statements: All graduates are advocates. Some advocates are judges. All judges are lawyers. Some lawyers are doctors. Conclusions: I Some doctors are advocates. II All graduates are judges. IlI Some doctors are graduates. IV. Some lawyers are advocates. 1) None follows 2) Only I follows 3) Only II follows 4) Either III or IV follows 5) None of these Directions (Q. 16-20): Study the following information carefully to answer these questions.
P, Q, R, S, T, U, V and Ware sitting around a circular table, facing the centre. P sits third to the right of W and third to the left of Q. S sits second to the right of T. V sits second to the left of R. T is not the neighbour of Q while U is neither a neighbour of T nor of W. Q.16.Who sits second to the left of V? 1)R 2)P 3)U 4)T 5) None ofthese Q.17.Who sits between U and P? 1) S 2)R 3)V 4)Q 5) None of these Q.18.Starting from P's position, ifall the eight are arranged in alphabetical order in clockwise direction, the seating position of how many members (excluding P) would not change? 1) None 2) One 3)Two 4) Three 5) Four Q.19.Which of the following pairs has only one person sitting between them, if the counting is done in the clockwise direction? 1)T, V 2)V,Q 3)W, P 4) R, P 5) None of these Q.20.Four of the following are alike in a certain way based on their positions in the seating arrangement and so form a group. Which is the one that does not belong to that group? 1)W,T 2)P,U 3)S,Q 4)R,P 5) P, Q
Directions (Q. 21-25): In each ofthese questions a group ofletters is given followed by four combinations of number! symbol numbered 1),2),3) & 4). Letters are to be coded as per the scheme and conditions given below. You have to find out the serial number of the combination which represents the letter group. The serial number of that combination is your answer. If none of the combinations is correct, your answer IS 5), ie 'None of these'.
Letters : E Q B K N P LIT C S F H W A Digit / Symbol Code :5*$2©#49@6 Conditions: (i)If the first letter is a consonant and the last a vowel, both are to be coded as the code for the vowel. (ii) If the first letter is a vowel and the last a consonant, the codes for the two arc to be interchanged. (iii) If both the first and the last letters are consonants, both are to be coded as '5'. (iv) If there are more than two vowels in the group of letters, all vowels are to be coded as '£'.
Q.21.KAWIPL 1)2379#4 2)5379#5 3)4379#2 4)2379#2 5) None of these
Q.22.IQCPWF 1)9*6#78 2)9*6#79 3)8*6#75 4)8*6#79 5) None ofthese
Q.23.TCKAPE 1)@623#@ 2)@623#5 3)5623#5 4)5623#@ 5) None of these
Q.24.IKBQFA 1)92$8*3 2)923$*8 3)92*83$ 4)£2$8*£ 5) None of these
Q.25.lBTNAE I) £$@©££ 2) $9@©35 3)$@9©35 4) £©$©££ 5) None of these

Moral policing on the rise

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The manner in which some activists of the Hindu hardliner group called the Sri Rama Sene barged into a pub in Mangalore recently and thrashed revellers, including girls, is highly reprehensible. The self-appointed moral police chased many girls in the pub, and mercilessly beat and molested them. Strangely, the activists have justified their criminal anion, claiming that they had received complaints from the people that the pub users had been violating traditional Indian norms.
Clearly, the Sene activists have no right to interfere into the freedom and independence of young boys and girls. The B J P government headed by BS Yeddyurappa has responded to the outrage belatedly. About 27 activists were arrested after two days of the inciden t. Worse, Ram Sene chiefPramod Muthalik has been arrested not for the pub attack but for a different offence - creating communal disharmony in Davanagere on January 11.
How will these hooligans be punished if the government tries to protect them? The law and order in Karnataka has been vitiated ever since the BJP came to power. The saffron outfits appear to have no fear of the law. The government's delayed response to the Mangalore outrage is a shocking repeat of its earlier inaction when the Hindurva extremists torched Karnataka's churches and prayer halls a few months ago. Such incidents have been occurring with sickening regularity. Recently, the activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike stormed a private party on Bangalore's outskirts. Earlier, Karnataka Yuva Vedike activists went on the rampage at a leading hotel's pub in Bangalore.
Unfortunately, though pseudo­vigilante outfits are proliferating and acting with impunity in the BJP-ruled state, the government has been found reluctant to tackle them. The BJP can restore law and order only if it gets rid of the lumpen elements in the party and checks its outfits from taking the law into their own hands. It needs no new laws to deal with hooligans. The existing laws are enough to deal with them. What is needed is the will to crack down on some of the Parivar's elements who are out to disturb peace in the country on one pretext or another. The rule of law in Karnataka is under serious threat and the BJP government would do well to remember that it cannot afford to be seen on the side of the hoodlums even if they are motivated by the ideology of its liking.

R Venkataraman passes away

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Whichever way one looks at it, Ramaswami Venkataraman rates among the better presidents that the country has had. His death recently at the age of 98 marks a break with the past. The values that he imbibed during the Gandhi-Nehru era remained with him all his life and he was acknowledged as a stickler for rules. He had been associated in various capacities with ail the country's prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh. But by the time he became the country's eighth president in 1987, there had been considerable erosion in values in public life. The coalition era had also dawned, which he personally disproved of. But it goes to his credit that he gave sage advice to all the prime ministers - Rajiv Gandhi, VP Singh, Chandra Shekhar and PV Narasimha Rao. To that extent he was a copybook President.
During his stint from 1987 to 1992 that coincided with period of political instability that saw him work with four prime ministers, Venkataraman drew upon his deep knowledge of the Constitution and parliamentary procedures and precedents. Not given to presidential overreach, he was a stickler for rules, avoided needless controversies, and gave the presidency a quiet dignity and stateliness. At no time did he stretch the limits of presidential discretion, always taking care not to entertain appeals over the head of the political government.
Indeed, Venkataraman, who saw the British monarch as the model for the Indian president, argued that it was safer to go by the British precedent of accepting the recommendation of the prime minister on dissolution of the House rather than rely on erudite and eminent textbook writers. In 1989, when the general election threw up a hung Lok Sabha, Venkataraman decided to give the first opportunity to form a government to the leader of the single largest party, rather than take up the exercise of assessing the strength of any post­election combination of parties. Again, a rule that would minimise the role of presidential discretion applied.
But the pulls and pressures of coalition politics were taking their toll on the country, and as a remedy he floated the idea of a national government. Since it did not suit the conflicting ambitions of some politicians, it could never get off the ground. During his presidential years, which he later recounted in a book of that name, he had to bring all his administrative acumen and sense offair play into operation while deciding on a tricky situation created by the Sri Lankan crisis, the Bofors gun deal, the assassination ofRajiv Gandhi, the stocks scam, and the Defamation Bill.
He had left his mark on the national scene earlier also, be it in his capacity as the vice-president or while holding important portfolios such as industry, finance and defence. He also had a major role to play in the industrialisation of Tamil Nadu. It is this efficiency which brought him to Delhi and he made his mark as Planning Commission member and president of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal. A lawyer by profession, he was an excellent speaker and impressed everyone during his three Lok Sabha terms. Even after demitting office he remained actively associated with various music associations and the institutions of Shankaracharyas. The regulated life that he led helped him remain active right till the ripe age of 98.

Release of Abdul Qadeer Khan in Pakistan

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The release of Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan from house arrest has triggered concern in the international community. Hailed in Pakistan as the father of its nuclear programme, Khan was the kingpin in an international nuclear proliferation racket that saw nuclear weapon technology being transferred to Libya, Iran and North Korea. Khan was put under house arrest in 2004. But with a secret agreement reached between Khan and the Pakistani government, the Islamabad High Court declared Khan a tree citizen in Feb. Details of the agreement remain under wraps. His release has evoked concern abroad that he will misuse his freedom to resume his nuclear proliferation activities and reactivate the old proliferation network.
The court order has led to interesting comments by the media, unlike what the government in Islamabad might have expected. Some of the English language dailies have expressed the view that the Pakistan government has only added to its problems by reaching a secret agreement with the irresponsible nuclear scientist. But the government is believed to have taken the step as part of a political gameplan. A~ Daily Times points out, "One can say that today two deposed personalities, Dr Khan and Chief Justice Ifrikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, ride the crest of public acclaim; and the government may have 'freed' Dr Khan to reduce the pressure Justice Chaudhry may bring on it with his Long March."
By releasing Khan, Pakistan has indicated yet again its contempt for the international community's concerns over global security. But this is not an isolated act of defiance by the Pakistani government. Despite international concern over religious extremism and terrorist activity emanating in Pakistan, its government is allowing them to operate openly again. It is likely that the release of Khan, is a fallout of the ongoing power struggle between Pakistan's civilian governmem and the military. Khan was no doubt a key player in the nuclear proliferation network but he carried out his activities with the full knowledge of the military.
Besides, there were hundreds of individuals and entities in Pakistan and abroad who knew of the trade and participated in it. Khan and a few others took the rap while the others got away. Is Khan's release a move by the civilian government to embarrass the military and score points with the Pakistani public, even as it seeks to put pressure on the US and others?
Successive administrations in Washington did look the other way while Pakistan proliferated nuclear technology. The US' concern with Khan's release could have more to do with the possibilityof the scientist revealing its role in his proliferation activities rather than with the threat his release poses to global security, Pakistan could be using the release of Khan to pressure the US at a time when Pakistan-US relations have nosedived. But things might not work according to Islamabad's gameplan. Khan could reveal the role of successive civilian governments in the proliferation racket, including that of former prime minster Benazir Bhutto. And that could sting the civilian government badly.

Pakistan admits its complicity in 26/11

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Pakistan has taken a step forward by accepting the role of some of its citizens and organisations based in that country in planning and execution of the Mumbai terrorist attack in Nov. It has also claimed to have a taken a follow-up action by registering cases against eight suspects. Six of them have been taken into custody. If the indications are right, the country's legal process will be set in motion against them to bring them to justice. In the background of a series of denials, flip-flops, evasive postures and demands for clarifications and more evidence, the steps taken by Islamabad are welcome. They will go some way in meeting India's call for taking action against those involved in the attack.
India's sustained efforts and the pressure of the international community have helped to take matters this far. The govt deserves credit for the systematic collection and presentation of evidence and the diplomatic offensive of the last several weeks. Whether US president Barack Obama's recent phone calls to Zardari had anything to do with Pakistan's sudden uolte foee is not immediately known. But it is clear that sustained pressure by the US administration has worked. This is because there is hardly a precedent in India-Pakistan relations wherein Pakistan has made such a concession to an Indian demand. It must have been embarrassing to it and is not likely to be acceptable to the entire Pakistani establishment.
That said, the Pakistani response falls short offul! co-operation. It still bristles with ifs and buts and demands for clarifications and more information. It has accepted that the conspiracy was only 'partly of Pakisrani origin' and wants to poin t fingers at a presumed Indian connection and the global jihadi network. It is shy of exploring any possible links for the action in Pakistan's establishment and would admit to the involvemen t of only non-state actors.
While cases have been registered against eight people, all of them have not been arrested. At least two are in the protective custody of the ISI, whose stand on the civilian govt's action is anybody's guess. It is not even clear that the entire civilian establishment has endorsed the decision, which is considered to have been made by President Zardari's office. Action in the Mumbai case does not also mean that Pakistan is ready to dismantle its terrorist infrastructure. The argument that it is also a victim of terrorism does not wash, because the terrorists, whose victim it is, are not the same as those who plot and act against India with official patronage. India has welcomed Pakistan's announcement as positive and has expressed its readiness to share more information it wants for investigation. The efforts to make Pakistan go the full hog in acting on India's demands should continue. Terrorism emanating from Pakistan is a serious threat to peace and progress not only in South Asia but also the rest of the world. India, being the biggest sufferer of Pakistan emerging as the epicentre of terrorism, cannot keep quiet until the problem is banished from the region.