IBPS PO Mains 2026: Important English Questions to Practice Before Exam

The English Language section in IBPS PO Mains requires candidates to have reading skills, grammar knowledge, and accuracy. Candidates who will be appearing for the IBPS PO Mains Exam 2026 should focus on understanding question patterns instead of only memorising the answers. Reading comprehension, sentence rearrangement, fillers, and error detection are useful areas for revision before the exam. The 2026 exam pattern should be checked with the official handout, which has been released on the official website.

As per the official exam pattern of the IBPS PO Mains 2026 exam, the total number of questions asked will be 40, the total marks for this section are 20, and it will have to be completed within 35 minutes. There will also be a descriptive paper in which only 2 questions will be asked on Essay and Comprehension; it will carry 25 marks and will have to be completed within 30 minutes.

Important English Questions for IBPS PO Mains

The English section of the IBPS PO Mains Exam 2026 will test the candidate’s understanding of grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, and verbal ability. It will also play an important role in becoming the deciding factor in the overall performance of the candidate. This section can easily give the candidate 20 marks if practised and answered correctly. Practising some important questions will not only help them improve their overall score but will also boost their speed and confidence. Given below are some important questions of the English section to practice before the exam:-

Para Jumbles:-

In this, the candidates have to arrange the sentences in the correct order using logical connections. Given below is a question with its answers:-

1. Rearrange the following five sentences (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E), and choose the correct sequence from the options given below:-

1. Consequently, central banks are pressed to redesign their operational frameworks to prevent commercial bank disintermediation.
2. The introduction of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) represents a profound shift in the architecture of modern monetary systems.
3. However, this digital transformation is full of systemic risks, chief among them being privacy concerns and potential runs on commercial banks during panics.
4. By offering a risk-free digital alternative to commercial bank deposits, CBDCs can change the credit creation dynamics fundamentally.
5. Therefore, strong regulatory safeguards and programmable transaction limits are indispensable prerequisites before the full-scale deployment.

Choose the correct option from below:-

1. BADCE

2. BDACE

3. BDAEC

4. DBACE

5. ABCDE

Answer:- (b) BDACE

Filler and Cloze Test:-

In this, the candidates will have to select suitable words using grammar and context. Given below are some questions and answers:-

1. Choose the most appropriate pair of words to fill in the blanks:-

“ The Central Bank’s _________ intervention in the foreign excghange market has managed to _________ the falling local currency temporarily.”

1. Fortuitous and exacerbate
2. Judicious and stabilize
3. Reckless and aggravate
4. Sluggish and fortify
5. None of the above

Answer: (b) Judicious and stabilize

2.  Despite facing severe criticism from public, the minister remained ______ in his stance and refused to ______ the controversial policy.

1. Resolute and withdraw
2. Hesitant and revoke
3. Flexible and implement
4. Enforce and adamant
5. Passive and alter

Answer:- (a) Resolute and withdraw

Error Detection:-

In this, the candidates will have to identify the grammar mistakes involving subject-verb agreement, tenses, articles, and prepositions. Given below are some questions and answers:-

Read the sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical mistake in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence:-

1. Neither the manager (A)/ nor the team members (B)/were aware of the (C)/ sudden changes made to the project plan. (D)/ No error (E)

1. (A)
2. (B)
3. (C)
4. (D)
5. (E)

Answer:- (C) was aware of the

2. Scarcely had the speaker (A)/ finished his address (B)/ than the audience stood up (C)/ to give him a standing ovation. (D)/ No error (E)

1. (A)
2. (B)
3. (C)
4. (D)
5. (E)

Answer:- (C) than the audience stood up

Antonym and Synonym:-

In this the candidates will have to choose the closest meaning or the opposite of the word that will be marked in bold. Given below are some questions and answers:-

Choose the word that is the opposite in meaning to the word marked in bold:-

1. The government has implemented several new relief policies to mitigate the impact of inflation on lower-income families.

1. Reduce
2. Intensify
3. Alleviate
4. Soften
5. Control

Answer:- (b) intensify

Choose the word that is closest in meaning to the word marked in bold:-

 2. The board appreciated the CEO’s prudent handling of the company’s investments during the economic downturn.

1. Careless
2. Cautious
3. Aggressive
4. Reckless
5. Generous

Answer: (b) Cautious

Important note:- Candidates should remember that rather than attempting every difficult question, practice different formats and understand why an option is correct.

How to Revise English in the Last Few Days?

A practical study plan can help the candidates improve their accuracy without spending the entire day on one section. Given below are some tips to revise their English in the last few days:-

• Practise 15 to 20 grammar-based questions
• Solve one reading comprehension passage daily to improve reading speed and accuracy.
• Revise common vocabulary from previously attempted mocks.
• Review the errors in para jumbles and sentence rearrangement.
• Read short editorials or banking-related articles to improve comprehension.
• Practise descriptive English according to the latest exam instructions.

Candidates should also practise with a sectional timer. The objective English section will have 40 questions and 20 marks in the new exam pattern of the IBPS PO Mains 2026 and will have to be completed within 35 minutes. 

A few Expert Tips for English Accuracy for IBPS PO Mains 2026

A common mistake that candidates make is choosing an answer because it sounds familiar without checking the complete sentence. Candidates should read the sentence carefully and also eliminate the incorrect options. Given below are a few expert tips that candidates can follow to improve their English accuracy:-

• Do not guess an unfamiliar word or vocabulary blindly.
• Check the full passage before answering the following questions.
• Look for subject-verb agreement in the error detection questions
• Avoid spending too much time on one long para jumble question.

Also check, 7 ChatGPT Prompts to Create a Weekly Current Affairs Revision Plan