Shortcuts in Multiplications

NOTE : These techniques are for Mental Maths. You should do calculations in your mind only. Please avoid using Pen/Pencil and Paper. 

Multiplication using multiples

Assume that we should find out the result of 12X15. 

12 x 15   (Here we can write this 15 as 5x3)

=  12 x 5 x 3 (now 12x5 becomes 60)

=  60 x 3 (For this you just calculate 3x6, that is 18 and add one Zero to it. that is 180)

=  180 (see, how simple it is?)

Multiplication by distribution 

Assume that we should find out the result of 12x17

12 x 17   (Here we can divide this 17 as 10+7. here, multiplying 12 with 17 is same as multiplying 12 with 10 and 7 separately and then adding the results)

so, we can write it as

= (12 x 10) + (12 x 7) 

= 120 + 84

= 204 

Multiplication by "giving and taking"

12 x 47  (Here its little difficult for us to calculate the multiplication of 12 and 47 mentally. so just check for the ROUNDED number nearer to 47. Yes it is 50. so.....

= 12 x (50 - 3) 

= (12 x 50) - (12 x 3)  (we have discussed this rule earlier)

= 600 - 36

= 564

Multiplication by 5

* If we have to multiply a number with 5, just divide the number with 2 and then multiply the result with 10. Confused? Its very simple step actually....

428 x 5   (Now just divide the number with 2)

= 428 x 1/2 = 214 (Now multiply it with 10. I mean just add a zero at the end :P)

= 214 x 10

= 2140 (This is our result)

Whats the logic behind this step? 

Very simple. 

* Lets say the number is X. 

* Now we are dividing the number with 2.  so here X becomes X/2. 

* And then we are multiplying it with 10.  So it will become 10x / 2  

* Now cancel it with 2. so it becomes 10x / 2 = 5X = 5 multiplied by X. Thats it ;)

Multiplication by 10  ------------  just move the decimal point one place to the right

16 x 10

= 160

5.9 = 159

169.93 = 169.3   (Need an explnation for this too??? :P)

Multiplication by 50 ------ divide with 2 and then multiply by 100

Well, this is also same process as we did for 5. Here we should add an extra zero. Thats it

18 x 50

= (18/2)  = 9

= 9 x 100

= 900

Multiplication by 100 -------- move the decimal point two places to the right

45 x 100

= 4500  

Multiplication by 500-------- divide with two and multiply with 1000 

21 x 500

= 21/2 x 1000

= 10.5 x 1000

= 10500

Multiplication by 25 ---------- use the analogy Rs 1 = 4 x 25 Paise

25 x 14 (just divide the 14 as 10+4)

= (25 x 10) + (25 x 4) 

= 250 + 100 --->  Rs2.50 + Rs1

= 350

Hey one more thing. Here you can use another technique too. Which we have used for multiplication with 5.

Multiplication by 25 -----------  Divide by 4 and multiply by 100 

36 x 25

= (36/4) x 100

= 9 x 100

= 900  

Multiplication by 11 (if sum of digits is less than 10)

72 x 11

= 7+2 =9, it is Less than 10. so,

= place this term 9 between 7 &2

= 792 (That's the answer)

Multiplication by 11 (if sum of digits is greater than 10)

87 x 11

=>  8 + 7 = 15 

because here 15 is greater than 10, first use 5 and then add 1 to the first term 8, 

which gives you the answer

= 957 

Multiplication of numbers ending in 5 with the same first terms (square of a number)

25 x 25 

first term = (2 + 1) x 2 = 6

last term = 25

answer = 625 ---> square of 25

75 x 75 

first term = (7 + 1) x 7 = 56

last term = 25

answer = 5625 ---> 75 squared

Liked this Post? Read more Shortcuts Here >>

00:11 - By Unknown 0

 Subtractions Shortcuts

PLEASE READ THE SHORTCUTS IN ADDITIONS FIRST. SO THAT IT WILL BE EASY FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND SUBTRACTION SHORTCUTS 

SUBTRACTION BY NUMBERS CLOSE TO 100, 200, 300, 400, ETC.

250 - 96 

= 250 - (100 - 4) (here, instead of subtracting 96 from 250, we are just subtracting 100 from 250 and then adding 4) 
= 250 - 100 + 4 (Why adding? because the actual amount we have to subtract from 250 is 96. but we are subtracting 100. That means, we are subtracting 4 numbers more than we actually deserve. so our 250 will feel bad. so we should add that 4 to it:)

= 150 + 4

= 154

250 - 196

= 250 - (200 - 4) 

= 250 - 200 + 4 (here also same. In order to subtract 196, we subtract 200 and adding 4)

= 50 + 4

= 54

Note : We can use this logic for any number. According to our convenience.

Lets see, 

216 - 61 (Here i found it difficult to subtract 61 from 216)

= 216 - (100 - 39)  (So i just decided to subtract 100 to it and later will subtract the extra 39)

= 216 - 100 + 39 (Hey, see here. How about writing this 39 as 40 -1 ?)

= 116 + (40 - 1) (dont be confused. just practice this method and you will come to know how easy and efficient method it is :)

= 156 - 1

= 155

Subtraction of decimals

47 - 9.9 (How about dividing this 9.9 as 9 + 0.9 ??)

= 47 - (9 + 0.9)  we can write this as...

= 47 - 9 - 0.9  

= 38 - 0.9

= 37.1

18.3 - 0.8

= 18 + 0.3 - 0.8

= (18 - 0.8) + 0.3 

= 17.2 + 0.3 

= 17.5

00:10 - By Unknown 0

 Additions Shortcuts

Addition of numbers close to multiples of ten (e.g. 19, 29, 38, 59 etc.)

This technique is useful for Mental calculations


116 + 39 (Here we can write this 39 as 40-1)

= 116 + (40 - 1)

= 116 + 40 - 1

= 156 - 1 (Instead of adding 39 to 116, we just add 40 to 116 (because we can do this without using pen and paper) and later we subtract one from it)

= 155

Try this.. This is very useful tip while doing calculations.


Now lets try another example. 

116 + 97

= 116 + (100 - 3)

= 116 + 100 - 3  (Here, instead of adding 97 to 116, we are just adding a 100 to 116 and then subtracting 3 from it :)

= 216 - 3

= 213

Addition of decimals
12.5 + 6.25
= (12 + 0.5) + (6 + 0.25) 
= 12 + 6 + 0.5 + 0.25 (Here we just added the rounded numbers first and later we added the decimal numbers :)
= 18 + 0.5 + 0.25
= 18.75

00:08 - By Unknown 0

 Cubes

Here are the Cubes of 1 to 15 numbers. By heart them.....




1 X 1 X 1 is : 1
2 X 2 X 2 is : 8
3 X 3 X 3 is : 27
4 X 4 X 4 is : 64
5 X 5 X 5 is : 125


6 X 6 X 6 is : 216
7 X 7 X 7 is : 343
8 X 8 X 8 is : 512

9 X 9 X 9 is : 729
10 X 10 X 10 is : 1000


11 X 11 X 11 is : 1331
12 X 12 X 12 is : 1728
13 X 13 X 13 is : 2197
14 X 14 X 14 is : 2744
15 X 15 X 15 is : 3375

00:06 - By Unknown 0

 Squares

Here are the Squares of 1 to 30 numbers. Byheart them....




1 x 1 = 1
2 x 2 = 4
3 x 3 = 9
4 x 4 = 16
5 x 5 = 25



6 x 6 = 36
7 x 7 = 49
8 x 8 = 64
9 x 9 = 81
10 x 10 = 100


11 x 11 = 121
12 x 12 = 144
13 x 13 = 169
14 x 14 = 196
15 x 15 = 225


16 x 16 = 256
17 x 17 = 289
18 x 18 = 324
19 x 19 = 361
20 x 20 = 400


21 x 21 = 441
22 x 22 = 484
23 x 23 = 529
24 x 24 = 576
25 x 25 = 625


26 x 26 = 676
27 x 27 = 729
28 x 28 = 784
29 x 29 = 841
30 x 30 = 900

00:05 - By Unknown 0

 How to improve Calculation Speed

Calculation Speed plays a very very very important role in Bank Exams. Some people think that, people should have the natural ability to do calculations fast, of course that is true at some extent. But that doesn't mean the other ordinary people like you and me need not feel bad.

According to Aerodynamics Laws based on Weight and the Size of the wings, some species only do have the ability to fly. If we strictly apply their laws, a Bee cant fly. Because its weight is More and Wing's length is very less when compared to its Weight. But still it is flying very comfortably and enjoying the Honey in almost every flower. 

Sometimes Old rules and blind beliefs remain worthless. Forecasters' predictions become wrong. Only The Belief in You and Hard work will create wonders. Trust me, it is very easy to develop good calculation speed in a relatively short period of

time. All you need is Hardwork, Little Amount of time and Good Material to Prepare... You give us the first TWO, we will provide you with the Third one... 

30 x 30 : Just spend 30 minutes a day for 30 days. You will definitely find the difference in your calculation speed. Your practice involves basic Additions, Subtractions, Multiplications, Percentage Calculations, Comparing Fractions and Calculating Squares. 

How can this blog help me? We post some examples on calculations. Solutions for these
examples indicating the short-cuts that you need to learn and implement. Which will help you to solve problems mentally in less time .

How to use this blog? Before you start involving with our posts, make sure that you are thorough with the following (Mandatory) :

• Multiplication Tables (Up to 20 x 10)
• Squares (Up to 30)
• Cubes (Up to (15)
• Powers of 2 (Up to 12)
• Powers of 3 (Up to 6)
• Reciprocals of numbers (Up to 12)
• Complements of 100 
• (I mean, the difference between 100 and the given 2 digit number).

Some Useful Shortcuts of Basic Maths :

• Addition Shortcuts
• Subtraction Shortcuts
• Multiplication Shortcuts
• Division Shortcuts
• Decimals

What should I do for this : Nothing, just open this page daily when ever you free. You can find a post containing 20 questions on calculations (Additions, Subtractions, Multiplications etc) . Just try to solve them mentally in the recommended time. Just put away your Calculators, Pens, Pencils and Papers. 

While taking these tests, please follow the below instructions.

• Take One test every day.
• Check the starting time and keep in mind the time that has been allotted for the particular exercise.
• Don't use calculator.
• Write as little as possible on paper. You should try doing as much of the calculation as possible mentally.
• Some questions require precise calculations whereas some other questions require only approximate calculations. Please remember that the level of accuracy to which you should work out the calculations will depend on the answer choices given in the post itself. So, do not spend more time than is necessary on each question. 
• Stop the test as soon as the Prescribed time is Over.
• After you Complete each exercise, spend time working out the questions that you could not complete in the given time. Then, check for the correctness of your answers. Rework all the questions in the test to see whether the method that you adopted was the best/shortest.
• Check the answers to see whether you have approached the calculations correctly. Use the learning that you gain in one Exercise in working out the next Exercise.
• Even after you use up all the tests given in this Blog, you should continue similar calculation practice on a regular basis to ensure that your calculation speed does not drop.  

Have a look at some basic techniques which will help you to improve your speed of Mental Maths....

☞ Mental Maths (Additions)

☞ Mental Maths (Subtractions)

☞ Mental Maths (Comparison of Fractions)

Click Here to take our Daily Speed Improvement Test Series

Liked this Post??? Check more HERE ☞

00:04 - By Unknown 0

 Quantitative Aptitude Shortcut Tricks

• Speed Math Guide  (Calculation Speed Improvement Techniques)

• Beginner's Guide   (Shortcuts for Basic Maths  Problems)

• Competitive Exam Math Guide (Shortcuts for Competitive Exams’ Aptitude Topics )

• Data Interpretation Techniques

Shortcuts for Aptitude, Shortcuts Maths, Aptitude in Pdf

00:03 - By Unknown 0

 Important Topics for SBI PO Descriptive Paper - Essay on Corruption

Chanakya in ArthaSastra described about 22 forms of corruption. He also stated that, “As it’s impossible not to drink a drop of honey or poison on the tip of the tongue, it’s also impossible restrain a person in power from misusing it.”

Recent agitations led by Anna Hazare and his team against corruption in all forms attracted masses and gave birth to LokPal bill, which is in dormancy for the past 2 decades.

Points to be elaborated

• Corruption refers to any form of misuse of power by government authorities for the well being of a few individuals expecting some favor in return.
• Facts about scams in India: 2G spectrum scam – 1,76,000crore which is equal to amount needed to implement Right To Education (RTE) throughout the country.
• Coal gate scam, where Prime Minister himself is accused of misusing powers.
• Not only these many scams involving union ministers, chief ministers of states like Fodder scam of Bihar, Taj heritage corridor scam of UP etc. made people to lose confidence on the elected governments.

• Mechanism to check this : Prevention of corruption act

•  Establishment of CBI in 1963 on the recommendations of Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption and CVC in 1964 to deal with cases of corruption.

• Right to Information Act passed in 2005 gave the citizens right to know, which provided transparency in governing.

• Lokayuktas established at state level to deal with corruption cases.

• Recent LoKPal bill that is intended to provide ombudsman system for redress of public grievances etc.

• Lacunae : Lack of political spirit to implement the laws

• People unaware of their rights and laws made for their purpose
• Illiteracy among Indian masses
• Increase in money and muscle power in elections made mockery of democracy

• Conclusion :  Saakshara Vipareetatve Rakshasa Bhavathi Druvam – SarvepalliRadhakrishnan

• There’s a chance for people with too much knowledge becoming monsters.
• It can be controlled only by vibrant civil society and educated masses.

10:54 - By Unknown 0

 Important Topics for SBI PO Descriptive Paper - Set 1

Role of Youth in Nation Building

If the youth of the nation decide to take up the task to nation building for three years. Give three possible consequences if such a thing happens

Youth is the future builder of the nation. They should be well equipped morally to discharge their duty to their motherland. If the youth of India decide to take up the nation building for three years, the following consequences will be there.

1. Youth can undergo any type of sacrifice. They have the vigor vitality and stamina to face the greatest hardship. They can fight for national integration. They can improve the hygienic
   
   conditions in villages by adult education.
2. Youth are generally idealistic in nature. They would fight against the false politicians. They expose the problems of youth and they demand the constitutional right to work, and try to eradicate poverty and unemployment in the country.
3. When youth want to decide to take part three years in the main stream of the people. They know the hard ships of the villagers. They would undertake vocational and technical education to the villagers. They provocateur the people to take part in modern agriculture.

There are the main points friends. You can add some more stuff to make it more readable. You can use those standard facebook quotes like "Youth are not useless, they are used less" etc to bring more weight to your essay. But the point you should keep in mind is, Quality is important than quantity. So don't try to fill the paper with useless stuff. All the best. 

Read more tips and tricks of SBI PO Descriptive paper here

10:53 - By Unknown 0

 How to Score Maximum Marks in Essay Writing ?

One of our friends, M.Sai Amrut, an NIT Graduate from Warangal has shared some valuable tips for Essay writing section of upcoming SBI PO Exam. We are very thankful to him on behalf of our readers and team members for his contribution. We hope these tips will helpful to you in your last time preparation. Read on....

Friends, There is just one day left for the exam, so I just want to share some tips on Essay Writing. There are 4 points you should keep in mind to score maximum marks in an essay type questions of SBI PO Exams. Those are :

1) Choosing the topic:

In SBI PO you will be given 3 topics and you have to chose one among them. 

• One of them will be related to Economy / Financial issues or something very close to it which we can attempt only if we have proper idea / knowledge on it.
• One among the remaining two will be related to social causes like Dowry,Unemployment,Women empowerment e.t.c.
• And the third one will be very very general topic like reading books,role of newspaper,television impacts e.t.c.

Well choosing first type of the topic that I mentioned above is not at all very good idea unless one has COMPLETE knowledge on it.

2) Introduction and Conclusion:

These are the very important parts of any essay. Your introduction should be awe-inspiring and it should be not more than three lines. Starting with a related quote is always a plus point.

And conclusion must be very clear, precise and it must be related to what you have stated in the whole essay.

3) How to start :

Pick any general topic (Because we can cover a lots of matter when we pick up a general topic). Think about the topic for few minutes. Make few questions on your topic like HISTORY / PRESENT USAGE / CAUSES / REASONS / ADVANTAGES / DIS ADVANTAGES / SOCIETY POINT OF VIEW e.t.c and finally your perception on it.

• These keywords that I've given can be any depending on the topic.

• Your body of essay should be minimum 2 paragraphs, 3 is preferable.

4) Be creative:

One thing what you have to understand is, the evaluator evaluates many papers and all what he come across are very common thoughts and views from maximum papers on any particular topic.You should be ahead of them, so be creative, state your view from a different perception and in a organized and coherent way. This will surely fetch you good marks.All the best :)

10:50 - By Unknown 0

 Essay Writing Tips for Competitive Exams - Drafting

In our last posts we have discussed the basic concepts of essay writing. So it is advisable to read those posts before reading this last post.

Read

Lesson I here

Lesson II here

Lesson III here and
Lesson IV here

In our previous posts, we have discussed about Preparation and Planning our Essay Writing.. In this post we shall discuss about the final stage of letter writing.

Drafting :

Having outlined your ideas as mentioned in above posts, you are now well equipped for writing the essay. You have to execute your plan through paragraphs. Each paragraph normally deals with one key point and the supporting information or ideas as pointed out earlier. As long as you observe this principle, your sentences will be automatically linked to each other. A few paragraphs and an appropriate introduction and conclusion make a good essay.

a. Paragraph Writing : Each paragraph will have a beginning, a middle and an end. Generally you should begin a paragraph with a topic sentence. Supporting information or ideas can be given in the succeeding sentences either in a parallel manner or linked to each other in a chained manner. 

Read the following Paragraphs

1. 'Road accidents are common in India. Recently, 50 people were killed in an accident on Pune - Bangalore highway. Last year a bus collided into a truck taking the life of 30 passengers. In 1996 a bus carrying 60 passengers plunged into a river leaving nobody alive. Thus, road accidents are fatal'. Look at the arrangement of sentences. The main idea or key point is stated in the first sentence. The remaining sentences give an example each illustrating the topic. Though the examples are not related to each other, they are linked in a parallel manner to the topic sentence.
2. Road accidents are common in India. Indian Roads are mostly responsible for accidents. Accidents take place due to bad roads and reckless driving. Drivers are normally less paid and some have bad habits. Drinking is one of the major causes of accidents. Whatever the reasons, road accidents are fatal.

 Look at the last and the first words of each sentence in this paragraph. The repetition of words helps establish a link between the sentences. It also indicates that the same idea is continued or extended in the succeeding sentence. This kind of linkage is called chaining. 

b. Introduction and Conclusion : Introduction is one of the most challenging sections to write. It has to catch the attention of the reader, establish a relationship with him / her, introduce the topic, set the tone and, by doing that, control the reader's expectations. Let us consider a few examples.

1. The essay entitled 'An Ascendancy of Man' written by Paul R. Ehrlich begins with the following sentence :    "The most starting terrestrial event in the two-billion year history of life on the earth has been the rise of the species 'homo sapiens' to its present position of global pre-eminence...'
2. Jane Austen begins her books Pride and Prejudice with the following sentence : "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in a possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife".

Both the introductions not only catch the attention of readers, but also state the topic. Apart from being statements of irrefutable facts, they are put in carefully selected words Each one of these beginnings very effectively indicates what is going to follow.

Concluding an essay is equally challenging. It has to appropriately summarize the essay or highlight the main points.  At the same time it is advisable to make the conclusion interesting. An essay can also be concluded with a moral or a striking contrast with something that has gone before in the essay. Look at some examples given below. 

1. The essay 'All About a Dog' by A. G. Gardiner portrays the character of an ill-mannered bus conductor, Being a witness to his rude behavior, the author gives him a piece of advice, and the essay is concluded as follows " "He took it very well, and when I got off the bus he said 'Good night' quite amiably".
2. Violet Markham in ' Women in Our Changing Society' writes about the emancipation of women and mentions, in this connection, different milestones / landmarks in history. She sums up this essay as follows : 'One after another the barriers about her had fallen. Today she is a free agent as never before'.

Both these conclusions adequately summarize the essays. In almost a scientific manner, a cause and effect relationship  is established. We seen the conclusion as a natural outcome of whatever happened before.

That's all for now friends. From our next post, we shall discuss some example essays for SBI Bank PO Exams. All the best :)

10:48 - By Unknown 0

 Essay Writing Tips for Bank Exams Descriptive Paper - Planning

This is the Lesson IV of our Bank Exams Descriptive Paper Writing (Essays) Lesson Series. Before reading this article, it is advisable to read previous lessons first. 

Read Lesson I here

Lesson II here

Lesson III here

In our previous post we have discussed about Preparation of Essay. In this post we shall discuss about Planning.

Planning

The ideas thus generated need to be logically arranged. Main ideas and supporting (subordinate) ideas need to be properly grouped together. Identify main ideas and group the relevant ideas around each of them. Develop each main idea into an independent paragraph. This exercise will help you decide on how many paragraphs your essay will have. While planning you can use tree diagrams, a table / column or note-form as follows.

• Topic : English in the 21st Century
• Introduction :
• English as the world language
• Spread of English - an overview
• Facts about English :
• Users of English
• English as a window to the world
• Literature
• Culture
• Ideas
• Use in business, trade and industry
• Information Technology :
• Dominance of Information Technology
• Role of English in IT
• Conclusion

Check the Lesson V (Last lesson of Essay Writing )Drafting Here

10:45 - By Unknown 0

 Essay Writing Tips for Bank Exams Descriptive Paper - Preparation

Friends, this is the Lesson III of our Essay Writing for Competitive Exams' Descriptive Papers series.

you can read Lesson I here and Lesson II here.

Preparation :

Any piece of composition has a topic, a purpose, a point of view, and an intended reader. When we write an essay we have a definite purpose like narrating, persuading, or writing an exposition. Our reading, experiences and imagination help us develop an approach which decides the treatment given to a topic of the essay. By keeping the reader in mind we decide the appropriate organization and style. The following are the major activities performed at this stage of essay writing.

• Defining the Topic : Asking different questions about the topic helps define the topic and understand its different aspects. Look at the following questions that we may ask ourselves about the topic 'Empowerment of Women'.

1. What is meant by 'empowerment?'
2. What are the weaknesses and strengths of the female sex ?
3. Do women need generous help from men?

         Here Question 1 demands definition, question 2 expects a list of characteristics and question 3  introduces an argument.

•  Generating Ideas : Answers to these questions provide us ideas. The more questions we ask ourselves the more ideas are generated. List all these ideas as they occur to you. For jotting down, you can use tree diagrams, tables or columns. Look at the following example relevant to the topic "Pollution".

Read Lesson IV Planning Here

Read Lesson V Drafting Here 

10:44 - By Unknown 0

 How to Write Essays for Bank and Other Competitive Exams

Before reading this post, read Introduction of Essay Writing Here. 

To write a good essay, you must first plan it properly. In descriptive and narrative essays, you can describe or narrate things in a chronological manner. If it is an exhibition you are describing, after a short introduction, start with the entrance and proceed as you would go along; different stalls, decor and display, any eye catching or exciting thing, people,k your feelings of happiness or boredom etc. If it is a train journey follow the chronology, how it started, what you felt, how you enjoyed and how it ended.

While writing expository essay, you must link logically all the different aspects of the process or phenomena that you choose to describe. In the reflective essay, adopt a balanced approach. If you are writing an essay on "Should India make an atom bomb" take a stand for or against. Put your explanation in a logical manner, show awareness of the opinion of the opposing side (as in a debate); counter the opposing arguments "to justify your stand and come to conclusion that supports the stand you have taken.

In an imaginative essay, let your imagination take over, because you have no experience of the situation or position you have taken. Be consistent in your explanation and logical in your arguments.

As we have already discussed, writing an essay is not merely adding one sentence to another. You may write very good sentences, but the problem is how to arrange them logically. The best solution to this problem is to look at sentences as parts of the overall plan of an essay. In other words, instead of beginning with sentences, we should think of the entire essay and then break it down into paragraphs and then into sentences. Thus essay writing is a systematic process involving the following steps.

Preparation ---------> Planning ------------->  Drafting

In our next post we shall discuss about them in detail.. All the best and happy reading :)

10:41 - By Unknown 0

 SBI PO Descriptive Paper Essay Writing - Introduction

In real life situations we express our feelings, ideas and thoughts largely through the spoken medium where as in academic situations expressing and thinking is done mainly through writing. The ability to collect, select, arrange and use information is developed through essay writing. While writing an essay aspirants are constantly judging, analyzing, self examining and self correcting. Thus writing an essay can be looked at as an exercise in thinking and self understanding. This is the main reason why they ask you to write essays in bank exams' descriptive paper.

The word "essay: means to try, to attempt. When you write an essay, you attempt to explain the topic to the best of your knowledge and ability. It is the similar to the exercise of expansion of the topic (simply we can say that this is just the opposite of precis writing).

Essays can be classified as Narrative, Descriptive, Expository, Reflective and Imaginative.

Narrative Essay :

A narrative essay is a narration of some event or incident. The narrative can cover historical events (the 1857 mutiny); social events (a marriage or festival); incidents like  an accident or earthquake; a journey or a story.

Descriptive Essay

A descriptive essay deals with the description of a place or a thing. It can describe a historical building (Lal Quila or Charminar); a city or town (Hyderabad or Delhi); a botanical garden or a Zoo etc

Expository Essay

An Expository essay consists of an explanation or exposition of a subject it can be an exposition of a scientific process (how computers work)l a biological phenomena (how our respiratory system works); or a literary topic (all that glitters is not gold).

Reflective Essay

A reflective essay, as the name suggests, is a reflection or thoughts on some subject. It can contain arguments, debate and discussion which could also be abstract in nature. It may deal with philosophy or theology (science and religion), social or political problem (is democracy suitable for india); abstractions (does God exist) or general thought provoking subjects.

Imaginative Essay

In imaginative essay you have to imagine a position or situation such as 'if I were the prime minister; or if all the motor cars are banned, autobiography of a washing machine etc.

Read  
Lesson 2 : How to Write Essays for Bank and Other Competitive Exams Here
Lesson 3 : Preparation of Essay Here
Lesson 4 : Writing Plan of Essays Here 
Lesson 5 : Drafting and writing Conclusion Here
Lesson 6 : How to score Maximum Marks in Essay Writing ?

Example Essays :

1. Model Essay - 1 
2. Model Essay - 2

Read More English Lessons for SBI Probationary Officers Exam Here

10:39 - By Unknown 0

 Business Letter Writing Tips

Before reading this post, please read our basics of letter writing here

Business letters are formal letters. In business or formal letters, one has to be quite particular about both format and the body. A business letter may contain some or all of the following elements.

Letter Head

Usually  printed on the top center portion of the page containing the address of the Business house. In the absence of the letter head, write your address on top of the date line.

Address

1. Your Address : The return address should be written in the top right-hand corner of the letter.
2. The Address of the person you are writing to : The inside address should be written on the left, starting below your address.

Date .............

Different people put the date on different sides of the page. You can write this on the right or the left on the line after the address you are writing to. Write the month as a word.

Subject.....................

To indicate the 'sujbect' of the letter, write 'subject' between the inside address and salutation, or in the middle of the page. Subject line is useful in business letters as it indicates the main purpose of the letter.

Reference...............

Used when referring to an earlier communication; should be placed below the subject

 Salutation or Greeting

1.  Dear Sir or Madam :  If you don't know the name of the person you are writing to, use this. It is always advisable to try to find out a name.
2. Dear Miss Sharma : If you know the name, use the title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, Dr etc.) and the surname only. If you are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs. or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for married and single women.

Leave one or two spaces between the inside address and salutation.

Body 

Indent all paragraphs. A business letter should be simple direct to the point (no need to enquire about the person's health and  the weather conditions in his home town :P), precise and yet complete in all the respects. It should contain all the necessary informatin that the recieving party needs, so that the necessity of any further clarification should not arise. No slangs or short forms should be (hi dude, how r u bro etc). The language should be formal, but avoid all hackneyed phrases.

First Paragraphs

The first paragraph shoudl be short and state the purpose of the letter - to make an enquiry, complain, requrest something etc.

The paragraph or paragraphs in the middle of the letter should contain the relevant information behind the writing of the letter. Most letters in English are not very long. So keep the information to the essentials and concentrate on organizing it in a clear and logical manner rather than expanding too much.

Last Paragraph

The last paragraph of a formal letter should state what action you expect the recipient to take - to refund, send you information etc.

Closing

Closing should be one line below the text followed by signatures and then the name written below, along with designation, if necessary.

1. Yours faithfully : If you do not know the name of the person, end the letter this way
2. Yours sincerely : If you know the name of the person, end the letter this way
• Note : Your's Faithfully and Your's Sincerely are wrong expressions. 
3. Your Signature : Its not advisable to write your name and details in competitive exams. In the letter itself they clearly mention NOT TO USE YOUR NAME and OTHER DETAILS. Even if they don't ask, its better not to use your details. Just put xxxxxxxxxxx instead of your details.

Thats all for now friends. In our next post we shall discuss some examples of business letters. 

20:59 - By Unknown 0

 Personal / Informal Letter Writing Examples for SBI PO Exam

Friends, Here are some examples of formal letters. At the end of the letter we've included some important tips to follow. Hope this post will be useful for you.. All the best :)

Note : Please read Letter Writing basics here... before reading this post 

1. 

2 December, 2013

Dear Dad,

Greetings. I am quite comfortable in my new hostel. My roommate is also a vegetarian and non-smoker. So no problems. The place is very hot, so I am planning to buy a cooler. A good cooler costs about Rs. 4000. I know you have spent quite a lot on my education, but this is also a necessary expenditure. I hope you will be able to send me the money by the weekend. Sorry for the trouble. Say hi to mom and didi.

Love

.............

Note : Dont laugh at above letter. SBI asked this letter in one of its PO Exam's descriptive section :) And try to avoid closings like your loving son, your caring brother etc.. because these may sound artificial...

Now lets have a look at another letter...

2 December, 2013

Hi Raj,

Long time no see and no talk, and no mails too. What's up man? Very busy in studies or movies? The news is that I am coming to Bombay on the 11th, for three days and will be staying at the Taj. Keep your evenings free and we will paint the town red. Hope you have saved enough money to take me for outings. Worried? Just joking! At least keep yourself free.

Take Care

Krishna

Note : You can use the starting of the above letter (bold) for any informal letter which you are writing to your friend. And you can start any thing (which was asked in the exam to convey) by using The News is that. These simple points will help you getting good marks in the exam.. In our next post we shall discuss about formal letter writing techniques. All the best.

20:56 - By Unknown 0

 Letter Writing Techniques for SBI PO Exams - Personal Letters / Informal Letters

 Read Basics of Letter Writing Here

Personal Letters (or) Informal Letters : These are letters that do not have many rules. Since you are writing to your friends and family, you are free to choose your tone and content. Write your full name and address even if it is an informal letter.

Divide your letter in small paragraphs. Keep your writing simple. Make a good choice of words especially if you are writing an apology letter to express your condolences in case of a death.

Date : The Date is placed in the top right end of the page.

Salutation : On the extreme left side of the page, a few spaces below the date. It can be 'Dear Ram' or 'My Dear Mummy/Ma' (but not mother). You always address your mother, father, brother by a name, not by relationship.

Body : Start a space or two below the salutation. Indent all the paragraphs.

Closing : Most people close the letter with phrases like 'Yours affectionately / With love / All the best / Take care' etc. These words should be a few spaces below the last line of the text, on the right side. (Now a days left side closing has also become popular). 

This is the basic structure of a letter. you can modify it according to the purpose for which it is written and the person to whom it is addressed. 

Note : If you are writing a letter for job application (formal letter), then you may need to attach your resume along  with the letter and also mention the same in it. Furthermore, you try to write as simply and as clearly as possible, and not to make the letter longer than necessary. Remember not to use informal langaute like contractions.

Now lets have a look at some Examples of Informal Letters here

Format of the Letter

20:55 - By Unknown 0