Fillers, Connectors, Completion and Passage Tasks at Bank Register
Double and Multiple Fillers: Test the Pair
In a double filler each option gives two words, and the two blanks are linked by a clue word. First find the relation between the blanks (same direction, or opposite) and the logic word that sets it: although, yet, but and however signal contrast; because, so and therefore signal cause and effect; and and moreover signal agreement. Then eliminate any option whose pair breaks that relation, before looking at meaning. The pair must work as a pair: a pair with one right word is a wrong option.
Example: Although the new scheme was ______ with great fanfare, its uptake remained ______ in the first year. Although sets contrast: a loud start and a weak result. So the pair is launched / sluggish. Launched / impressive has no contrast, and shelved cannot go with fanfare. Example: The central bank decided to ______ the rate of interest to ______ rising prices. The purpose clause needs an action that helps: raise / curb. Lowering rates would encourage borrowing and would not curb prices.
| Logic word | Relation between blanks | Pair that fits |
|---|---|---|
| although, yet, despite | opposite | mild / firm, launched / sluggish |
| because, so, hence | cause then effect | careless / losses |
| and, moreover, also | same direction | prompt / efficient |
Connectors and What They Promise
A connector tells the reader how the next idea relates to the last one. Choose by the relation, not by the word that looks familiar. Ask: does the second idea add, contrast, give a cause, give a result, give an example or set a time order? Sentence-level connectors (however, moreover, therefore) take a full clause after them and are set off by a semicolon or full stop; clause-level connectors (although, because, so that, whereas) join two clauses in one sentence.
| Relation | Connectors | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast | however, nevertheless, whereas, although | Deposits grew. Nevertheless, profit fell. |
| Addition | moreover, furthermore, in addition | The loan is cheap; moreover, it is quick. |
| Result | therefore, consequently, as a result | Rates fell; as a result, borrowing rose. |
| Purpose | so that, in order that | It stayed open so that customers could deposit cheques. |
| Example | for instance, namely | Costs rose; for instance, rent doubled. |
Example: Deposits grew strongly this year. ______, the bank's profit fell because of higher provisioning. Growth and a falling profit pull in opposite directions, so the answer is Nevertheless; consequently would claim that growth caused the fall. For a two-blank connector sentence, such as ______ the economy slowed, lending grew; ______, bad loans stayed low, the answer is Although / moreover, because the second blank adds a further good fact.
Sentence and Paragraph Completion
In sentence completion the opening fixes the grammar and the logic of the ending. Look at the verb pattern first. A Had + subject + past participle opening is a third conditional and needs would have + past participle in the ending: Had the lender verified the borrower's income before sanctioning the loan, the loan would probably not have turned bad so soon. Then check the logic: a since clause needs a reason, an although clause a contrast.
In paragraph completion the last sentence is missing. Read the paragraph for its direction: it usually sets up a tension and the missing sentence resolves it. Example: A bank that lends only to borrowers with perfect records will rarely suffer a default. Yet it will turn away many honest small businesses that lack a long credit history. The bank must therefore balance ______. The word therefore signals a conclusion from the two earlier points, so the ending must name both sides: caution against the cost of turning away good borrowers.
Word Swap and Column Matching
In word swap a sentence is printed with two marked words out of place, and you choose the pair whose exchange makes it correct. Read the sentence once, then ask which marked word cannot belong where it stands. Example: Lenders ask for (P) default because it lowers the risk of (Q) loss if the (R) borrower (S) collateral. "Ask for default" is nonsense and "the borrower collateral" has no verb. Exchanging P and S gives: Lenders ask for collateral because it lowers the risk of loss if the borrower default. Swapping any other pair leaves a nonsense phrase.
In column matching you pair words with meanings, or connectors with their functions. Do not match in order. Start with the item whose meaning you know for certain, remove it, and the rest narrow down. Example: frugal = spending sparingly; lucrative = producing much profit; defunct = no longer existing or functioning; insolvent = unable to pay debts. In a function match, however contrasts, moreover adds, therefore gives a result, for instance gives an example.
Inference on Banking Passages
Passages in banking papers are about how banks work: deposits, lending, interest and risk. The question types are stated (the text says it), inferred (the text forces it) and not supported (the text does not say it). A statement is an inference only if the passage makes it true, not if the real world makes it true. Prefer the option that restates a fact in the passage over one that is true but not mentioned.
Example passage: Interest on a deposit is the price the bank pays for using the depositor's money, while interest on a loan is the price the borrower pays for using the bank's. The gap between the two is the bank's margin, out of which it meets its costs and earns its profit. From this you can conclude that if a bank pays more on deposits without raising its loan rate, its margin narrows, because the margin is the gap between the two rates. You cannot conclude that a bank earns profit only from interest, because the passage does not say "only".
Key takeaways
- Filler method: grammar, then meaning and tone, then collocation. Cross out as soon as one test fails.
- Double fillers: find the logic word first (contrast, cause, agreement), then test both blanks of every pair.
- Choose connectors by relation: however and nevertheless contrast, moreover adds, therefore and as a result give a result.
- Sentence completion: match the tense pattern of the opening. Paragraph completion: resolve the tension the paragraph sets up.
- Word swap: find the marked word that cannot stand where it is. Column matching: start from the item you are sure of.
- Inference means the passage makes it true. Reject extreme words and facts that are true in life but not in the text.
Practice questions (18)
Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.
The central bank decided to ______ the rate of interest in order to ______ rising prices.
Show answer
Answer: C — raise, curb
The purpose is to stop rising prices, and a higher interest rate makes borrowing costlier and cools demand, so 'raise, curb' is right. 'Lower, curb' is the tempting pair because 'curb' fits the second blank, but lowering the rate encourages borrowing and would not curb prices.Bank officers must ______ every loan application carefully, because a hasty decision can ______ the bank to avoidable losses.
Show answer
Answer: A — scrutinise, expose
'Scrutinise' fits 'carefully' and 'expose' fits 'avoidable losses', so the pair is 'scrutinise, expose'. 'Scrutinise, insulate' keeps the first blank right but 'insulate' (protect) contradicts the idea of loss from a hasty decision, so the pair fails on the second blank.Although the new scheme was ______ with great fanfare, its uptake remained ______ in the first year.
Show answer
Answer: D — launched, sluggish
'Although' signals contrast between a loud start and a weak result, so 'launched, sluggish' fits. 'Launched, impressive' loses the contrast, and 'shelved' cannot be done 'with great fanfare'. The pair 'shelved, sluggish' is tempting because the second blank is right, but the first blank fails.The auditor's language was ______, yet the report did not ______ the lapses it had found.
Show answer
Answer: B — mild, conceal
'Yet' needs a contrast: mild wording, but a report that still did not hide the lapses, so 'mild, conceal' is right. 'Stern, conceal' has no contrast between stern wording and not concealing, and the pairs with 'applaud' do not fit 'yet' either, because neither mild nor stern wording sets up a contrast with not applauding lapses.The borrower has been ______ in repaying instalments, so the bank has issued a notice.
Show answer
Answer: A — remiss
The notice signals a fault, so the missing word must be negative: 'remiss' means careless about a duty. 'Punctual' is the tempting word because it relates to repayment on time, but it describes good behaviour and contradicts the notice, as 'diligent' and 'thorough' do.The government has ______ a committee to examine the causes of the delay.
Show answer
Answer: D — set up
'Set up' means to establish, and it is the natural collocation with 'committee'. 'Set off' means to start a journey or trigger something, so 'set off a committee' is wrong; 'set in' (begin, as weather does) and 'set out' (begin a journey or present a plan) do not take a committee as their object.Deposits grew strongly this year. ______, the bank's profit fell because of higher provisioning.
Show answer
Answer: B — Nevertheless
Strong deposit growth and a falling profit pull in opposite directions, so a contrast word, 'Nevertheless', is needed. 'Consequently' is the tempting word because it links two events, but it would claim that growth caused the fall; 'similarly' and 'moreover' add agreement, which the sentence lacks.The branch remained open until late evening ______ customers could deposit cheques before the clearing deadline.
Show answer
Answer: A — so that
The clause gives the purpose of staying open, so 'so that' is correct. 'Even though' and 'whereas' mark contrast, which the sentence does not have, and 'as though' introduces an imagined comparison; none of them states the purpose that the sentence needs.______ the economy slowed down, the bank's lending grew; ______, its bad loans remained low.
Show answer
Answer: C — Although, moreover
'Although' sets the contrast between a slowing economy and growing lending, and 'moreover' adds a further good fact about low bad loans, so 'Although, moreover' is right. 'Because, however' fails the first blank: a slowdown does not cause growing lending, and 'however' wrongly turns the final good fact into a contrast.Which of the following sentences uses the connector incorrectly?
Show answer
Answer: D — She saved regularly; moreover, she could not buy the house.
'Moreover' adds a point in the same direction, but saving regularly and failing to buy the house are in contrast, so 'however' was needed. The other three are correct: 'therefore' and 'as a result' link cause to result, and 'however' links a cheap loan to a contrasting fee.Had the lender verified the borrower's income before sanctioning the loan, ______.
Show answer
Answer: B — the loan would probably not have turned bad so soon
An opening of the form 'Had + subject + past participle' is a third conditional, which needs 'would have + past participle' in the ending, so 'would probably not have turned bad' is right. 'Had probably not turned' is tempting because it repeats the past perfect, but that pattern is the condition and not the result.Digital payments have grown rapidly, but cash has not disappeared, since ______.
Show answer
Answer: C — many small traders in remote areas still prefer cash
'Since' needs a reason for cash surviving alongside digital payments, and traders who prefer cash is a moderate reason that fits. The other endings are extreme (impossible, stopped, everywhere) and two of them contradict the statement that cash has not disappeared.A bank that lends only to borrowers with perfect records will rarely suffer a default. Yet it will turn away many honest small businesses that lack a long credit history. The bank must therefore balance ______.
Show answer
Answer: B — caution against the cost of turning away good borrowers
'Therefore' draws a conclusion from the two points: safety from careful lending, and the loss of honest borrowers. So the bank balances caution against the cost of turning away good borrowers. The other endings bring in depositors, passbooks or branches, which the paragraph never discusses.Lenders ask for (P) default because it lowers the risk of (Q) loss if the (R) borrower (S) collateral. Which two marked words should be exchanged to make the sentence correct?
Show answer
Answer: A — P and S
'Ask for collateral' and 'if the borrower default' are the meaningful phrases, so P and S must be exchanged. Exchanging R and S gives 'if the collateral borrower', which makes no sense, and exchanging P and Q gives 'ask for loss', which fails because a lender does not ask for loss.Match the words with their meanings. Words: P frugal, Q lucrative, R defunct, S insolvent. Meanings:
(i) no longer existing or functioning,
(ii) unable to pay debts,
(iii) spending sparingly,
(iv) producing much profit.Show answer
Answer: D — P-iii, Q-iv, R-i, S-ii
Frugal means spending sparingly (iii), lucrative means producing much profit (iv), defunct means no longer functioning (i) and insolvent means unable to pay debts (ii). The tempting pair is R and S, which both relate to failure; defunct refers to a thing that has stopped, insolvent to a debtor.Match each connector with its function. Connectors: P however, Q moreover, R therefore, S for instance. Functions:
(i) adds a point,
(ii) gives a result,
(iii) gives an example,
(iv) shows contrast.Show answer
Answer: B — P-iv, Q-i, R-ii, S-iii
However shows contrast (iv), moreover adds a point (i), therefore gives a result (ii) and for instance gives an example (iii). Swapping R and S is the tempting error, because both can follow a statement, but only 'therefore' states what follows from it.Passage: A bank lends out a part of the deposits it receives and keeps the rest as reserves. The amount lent is spent and often deposited again, in the same or another bank, which can then lend a part of it. The same arrangement makes banks vulnerable: if many depositors ask for cash at once, the reserves cannot meet all the demands immediately. Which statements are supported by the passage? P: Money lent out can come back into the banking system as a fresh deposit. Q: Banks keep the entire deposit as reserve. R: Heavy simultaneous withdrawals can strain a bank's reserves. S: Banks lend only after the depositor withdraws the money.
Show answer
Answer: D — P and R only
The passage says lent money is redeposited and lent again, so P is supported, and it says that many simultaneous withdrawals cannot all be met from reserves, so R is supported. Q contradicts 'keeps the rest as reserves' (only a part is lent), and S is not stated anywhere in the passage.Passage: Interest on a deposit is the price the bank pays for using the depositor's money, while interest on a loan is the price the borrower pays for using the bank's. The gap between the two is the bank's margin, out of which it meets its costs and earns its profit. Which of the following can be concluded from the passage?
Show answer
Answer: A — If a bank pays more on deposits without raising its loan rate, its margin narrows.
The margin is the gap between the loan rate and the deposit rate, so a higher deposit rate with an unchanged loan rate narrows it. The 'only from interest' option is tempting but the passage never says 'only', and the other two options reverse or deny the stated relation.