Civil Service Clerical flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Contrapositive
- The logically equivalent form of "If P then Q", namely "If not Q then not P". It is always valid, unlike the converse "If Q then P".
- Converse error
- Treating "If P then Q" as proof of "If Q then P". The converse is not logically valid and cannot be inferred from the original conditional statement.
- Some in logic
- In formal logic "some" means "at least one" and does not exclude "all". It never means "some but not all" unless the passage says so.
- Cannot say
- Answer option used when the passage neither confirms nor contradicts the statement, so the information supplied is insufficient to reach a verdict either way.
- Main idea option
- Answer choice that covers the central point of the whole passage, rather than one supporting detail, a single example, or only the closing sentence.
- Antonym analogy
- Analogy whose two words have opposite meanings. The correct answer must also be a pair of opposites, and the direction of the relationship must match.
- Part-to-whole analogy
- Relationship where one word names a component and the other names the whole containing it, such as wheel to bicycle. Direction as well as type must match.
- Outside knowledge
- Information not stated in the passage. Verbal reasoning answers must be supported by the text alone, even when general knowledge suggests a different conclusion.
- Percentage change
- Divide the size of the change by the original value, then multiply by 100: (new − old) ÷ old × 100. The divisor is always the starting figure.
- Reverse percentage
- Method for undoing a percentage change by dividing by the multiplier. A price of 96 after a 20% increase came from 96 ÷ 1.20 = 80.
- Ratio sharing
- Add the ratio parts to obtain the total number of shares, divide the amount by that total, then multiply by each individual part.
- Mean and total
- Total equals mean multiplied by count. To find a new mean, rebuild each total, add or remove values, then divide by the new count.
- Profit percent base
- Profit or loss percentage is calculated on the cost price, not on the selling price, unless the question explicitly states a different base.
- Simple interest
- Interest equals principal × rate × time ÷ 100, where the rate is an annual percentage and the time is measured in years.
- Speed conversion
- To convert kilometres per hour into metres per second multiply by 5/18; to convert metres per second into kilometres per hour multiply by 18/5.
- Unit check
- Confirm which unit the question requests before answering, then convert the computed value, for example minutes to hours or grams to kilograms.
- Character-by-character comparison
- Compare two strings from left to right one character at a time, stopping at the first mismatch to locate the exact position of the error.
- Transposition error
- Two adjacent characters swapped, such as 45 written as 54 or "ie" written as "ei". The same characters remain but the value changes.
- Look-alike characters
- Easily confused printed pairs including O and 0, I and l and 1, S and 5, B and 8, Z and 2. These positions need checking twice.
- Nothing before something
- Alphabetical filing rule: a shorter name comes before the same name with added letters, so "Brown" files before "Browne" and before "Brown, A".
- Numeric filing order
- File numbers by their full value as whole numbers, so 9 precedes 10 and 100 precedes 101, rather than sorting digit by digit.
- Cross-field consistency
- Check that related entries agree: listed amounts should sum to the stated total, and a start date must not fall after the end date.
- Date format risk
- Day/month and month/day orders can both be written 03/04, so determine the convention from surrounding entries before flagging a discrepancy.
- Proofreading backwards
- Reading a text from the last word to the first defeats normal expectation, so spelling slips, omissions, and duplicated words become visible.
- Priority hierarchy
- When duties conflict, safety and legality rank first, then confidentiality, then customer or stakeholder needs, then efficiency, with personal convenience last.
- Escalation trigger
- Refer a matter upward when it exceeds your authority, carries risk of harm, or breaks policy; inform the supervisor before acting, not afterwards.
- Written procedure prevails
- Follow the documented process even if a customer requests a shortcut; only someone with delegated authority can approve a recorded exception.
- Confidentiality boundary
- Disclose case details only to people with a legitimate need to know. A colleague's curiosity or friendliness does not create that right.
- Reporting own error
- State a mistake as soon as it is noticed, with its likely impact and a proposed fix; concealment turns a small error into a serious breach.
- Deadline conflict
- When two tasks clash, complete the manager-assigned deadline first and tell the other requester early rather than silently dropping their work.
- Responding to rudeness
- Answer calmly and address the specific behaviour or problem instead of matching the tone; repeated abuse is escalated through the formal channel.
- Answer consistency
- Situational tests repeat similar scenarios, so inconsistent replies suggest guessing. Apply the same principles to every item rather than optimizing separately.