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Civil Service Clerical study materials
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Civil Service Clerical practice questions

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Question 1Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word that means most nearly the same as ASSIST.

  1. Refuse
  2. Help Correct answer.
  3. Delay
  4. Ignore

Explanation

A synonym is a word with the same or nearly the same meaning. To assist someone is to give them help, so 'help' is the closest match.

Question 2Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to SCARCE.

  1. Tiny
  2. Rare
  3. Common Correct answer.
  4. Pricey

Explanation

An antonym expresses the opposite meaning. 'Scarce' means in short supply, so its opposite is 'common', meaning widely available.

Question 3Verbal Reasoning

PEN is to WRITE as KNIFE is to ______.

  1. Kitchen
  2. Sharp
  3. Cut Correct answer.
  4. Metal

Explanation

An analogy links items that share a relationship. A pen is a tool used to write, so the matching relationship is a knife used to cut.

Question 4Verbal Reasoning

Which of these words would appear FIRST in a dictionary?

  1. Candy
  2. Candle
  3. Candid Correct answer.
  4. Canvas

Explanation

Dictionary order follows the alphabet letter by letter. All four begin c-a-n; at the fourth letter, 'd' comes before 'v', and among the 'cand' words the fifth letters i, l and y fall in that order, so 'candid' comes first.

Question 5Verbal Reasoning

Which word is spelled correctly?

  1. Recive
  2. Recieve
  3. Receeve
  4. Receive Correct answer.

Explanation

The rule 'i before e except after c' applies here: because the letters follow a c, the e comes first, giving 'receive'.

Question 6Verbal Reasoning

In the sentence 'The clerk's remarks were terse, lasting only a few seconds,' the word TERSE most nearly means:

  1. Loud
  2. Rude
  3. Brief Correct answer.
  4. Confusing

Explanation

When a word is unfamiliar, the surrounding words supply the meaning. The phrase 'lasting only a few seconds' signals that 'terse' describes something short, that is, brief.

Question 7Verbal Reasoning

Which word does not belong with the others?

  1. Banana
  2. Mango
  3. Carrot Correct answer.
  4. Apple

Explanation

Classification questions ask for the item that falls outside a shared category. Three words name fruits while 'carrot' names a vegetable, so it alone does not fit.

Question 8Verbal Reasoning

Because the instructions were ______, the new clerk completed the form without error.

  1. precise Correct answer.
  2. vague
  3. lengthy
  4. hasty

Explanation

A sentence-completion item must be consistent with the cause-and-effect signalled by 'because'. Error-free completion results from clear, exact instructions, which is what 'precise' supplies.

Question 9Verbal Reasoning

In the word INCOMPLETE, the prefix IN- means:

  1. inside
  2. not Correct answer.
  3. before
  4. again

Explanation

A prefix changes the meaning of the base word. The prefix in- is a negating prefix, so 'incomplete' means 'not complete'.

Question 10Verbal Reasoning

What is the plural of ATTORNEY?

  1. Attorney's
  2. Attorneys Correct answer.
  3. Attorneyes
  4. Attornies

Explanation

Nouns ending in a vowel plus y simply add s to form the plural, so 'attorney' becomes 'attorneys'.

Question 11Verbal Reasoning

Which sentence uses the homophones correctly?

  1. There going to their office over they're.
  2. Their going to there office over they're.
  3. They're going to there office over their.
  4. They're going to their office over there. Correct answer.

Explanation

Homophones sound alike but have different jobs. 'They're' means 'they are', 'their' shows possession, and 'there' points to a place, and only one option assigns all three correctly.

Question 12Verbal Reasoning

All clerks in the office are trained. Some trained clerks in the office speak Spanish. Which conclusion follows necessarily?

  1. Some clerks speak Spanish. Correct answer.
  2. Only supervisors speak Spanish in the office.
  3. No clerk in the office speaks any Spanish.
  4. All clerks in the office speak Spanish fluently.

Explanation

A valid deduction must be guaranteed by the premises. The trained clerks who speak Spanish are themselves clerks in the office, so at least some clerks speak Spanish.

Question 13Verbal Reasoning

Notice: The copy room is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Staff who need copies after 4:30 p.m. must use the machine on the second floor. According to the notice, what should a staff member do at 5:00 p.m.?

  1. Ask a supervisor for a key
  2. Use the copy room anyway
  3. Wait for the next morning
  4. Use the upstairs copier Correct answer.

Explanation

The question asks only what the notice states. Since 5:00 p.m. falls after 4:30 p.m., the notice directs staff to the second-floor machine.

Question 14Verbal Reasoning

Arrange the parts into a clear sentence: P. so the clerk checked every entry Q. The application arrived late R. before sending it upstairs S. and the deadline was near

  1. S - Q - P - R
  2. Q - S - P - R Correct answer.
  3. P - Q - R - S
  4. Q - P - S - R

Explanation

A sentence needs a main clause first and connectives in a logical order. The cause (late arrival plus a near deadline) comes first, then the result introduced by 'so', then the closing time phrase.

Question 15Verbal Reasoning

In a certain code, CAT is written as DBU. How is DOG written in the same code?

  1. DPH
  2. EOG
  3. FQI
  4. EPH Correct answer.

Explanation

Each letter of CAT moves forward one place in the alphabet (C to D, A to B, T to U). Applying the same rule to DOG gives E, P and H.

Question 16Verbal Reasoning

Sunita is the daughter of Ramesh's brother. How is Sunita related to Ramesh?

  1. Daughter
  2. Niece Correct answer.
  3. Cousin
  4. Sister

Explanation

A brother's daughter is one generation below and is the child of a sibling. That makes Sunita Ramesh's niece.

Question 17Verbal Reasoning

A clerk walks 3 blocks north, turns right and walks 4 blocks east, then turns right and walks 3 blocks south. Where is the clerk now relative to the starting point?

  1. 4 blocks west
  2. 4 blocks east Correct answer.
  3. 3 blocks north
  4. At the starting point

Explanation

The northward and southward legs are equal in length, so they cancel out. The only remaining displacement is the 4-block leg to the east.

Question 18Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to CANDID.

  1. Honest
  2. Evasive Correct answer.
  3. Cheerful
  4. Frank

Explanation

An antonym must reverse the meaning of the target word. 'Candid' means open and direct, so its opposite is 'evasive', meaning deliberately unclear.

Question 19Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word that means most nearly the same as OBSTINATE.

  1. Hasty
  2. Rigid Correct answer.
  3. Cautious
  4. Indifferent

Explanation

A synonym must match the core meaning of the target word. Someone obstinate refuses to change position, which matches 'rigid' in the sense of being inflexible.

Question 20Verbal Reasoning

FILE is to CLERK as NEEDLE is to ______.

  1. Sewing
  2. Tailor Correct answer.
  3. Thread
  4. Cloth

Explanation

The first pair names a tool and the worker who uses it. A file is used by a clerk, so the matching pair is a needle used by a tailor.

Question 21Verbal Reasoning

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

  1. Each of the clerks has a badge. Correct answer.
  2. Each of the clerks have a badge.
  3. Each of the clerks are having a badge.
  4. Each of the clerk has a badge.

Explanation

The subject of the sentence is 'each', which is singular, so it takes the singular verb 'has'. The phrase 'of the clerks' does not change the number of the subject.

Question 22Verbal Reasoning

Only one supervisor uses this office. Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

  1. The supervisors' office is on the third floor's.
  2. The supervisors office is on the third floor.
  3. The supervisor's office is on the third floor. Correct answer.
  4. The supervisor's office is on the third floors.

Explanation

An apostrophe before the s marks possession by a single owner. Because there is one supervisor, the correct form is 'supervisor's office'.

Question 23Verbal Reasoning

Every form received after the deadline is stamped 'Late'. Form 214 was not stamped 'Late'. Which statement must be true?

  1. Form 214 did not arrive late. Correct answer.
  2. Form 214 arrived after the deadline.
  3. Every form is stamped when it arrives.
  4. Form 214 was lost before delivery.

Explanation

If late arrival always produces a 'Late' stamp, then the absence of the stamp rules out late arrival. This is the valid contrapositive form of the rule.

Question 24Verbal Reasoning

In which sentence is SANCTION used to mean 'a penalty'?

  1. A sanction was imposed on the firm. Correct answer.
  2. The director moved to sanction the merger.
  3. The board voted to sanction the new policy.
  4. The committee will sanction the plan next week.

Explanation

Some words carry opposite senses depending on context. Used as a noun with 'imposed', 'sanction' names a punishment, whereas as a verb it usually means to approve.

Question 25Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word that means most nearly the same as ABUNDANT.

  1. Plentiful Correct answer.
  2. Insufficient
  3. Distant
  4. Fragile

Explanation

ABUNDANT describes something that exists in large quantity or ample supply. Plentiful carries exactly that sense of a generous amount being available.

Question 26Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to EXPAND.

  1. Enlarge
  2. Extend
  3. Stretch
  4. Shrink Correct answer.

Explanation

To expand is to grow larger in size, volume, or scope, so its opposite must describe becoming smaller. Shrink expresses that reduction directly.

Question 27Verbal Reasoning

What is the plural of CRITERION?

  1. Criterium
  2. Criterions
  3. Criterias
  4. Criteria Correct answer.

Explanation

Criterion comes from Greek and ends in -on; nouns of this type form the plural by changing -on to -a. Criteria is the accepted plural in formal and technical writing.

Question 28Verbal Reasoning

Which of these words would appear first in alphabetical order?

  1. Banner
  2. Balance
  3. Band
  4. Bake Correct answer.

Explanation

Alphabetical order compares words letter by letter from the left. All four begin with the letters b-a, so the third letter decides, and k comes before l and n.

Question 29Verbal Reasoning

______ the office was short-staffed, all the mail was sorted before noon.

  1. Although Correct answer.
  2. Because
  3. Unless
  4. Therefore

Explanation

The two clauses are in contrast: short staffing would normally slow the work, yet the mail was finished early. Although signals that kind of concession.

Question 30Verbal Reasoning

Choose the sentence in which the verb agrees with its subject.

  1. The list of approved vendors are posted on the board.
  2. The list of approved vendors is posted on the board. Correct answer.
  3. The lists of approved vendors is posted on the board.
  4. The list of approved vendors were posted on the board.

Explanation

The subject is list, which is singular; the phrase of approved vendors is only a prepositional phrase and does not change the number of the subject. A singular subject takes the singular verb is.

Question 31Verbal Reasoning

In the word HOPELESS, the suffix -LESS means:

  1. again
  2. before
  3. in a certain way
  4. without Correct answer.

Explanation

The suffix -less removes the quality named by the base word, so hopeless means lacking or without hope.

Question 32Verbal Reasoning

In the sentence 'The supervisor's rebuke was brief but firm,' the word REBUKE most nearly means:

  1. A scolding Correct answer.
  2. A short delay
  3. A question
  4. An apology

Explanation

The words brief but firm describe a correction delivered with disapproval, which is what a rebuke is. A scolding carries that same meaning of a sharp telling-off.

Question 33Verbal Reasoning

No visitor may enter the records room without a badge. Ms. Lin entered the records room this morning. Which statement must be true?

  1. Ms. Lin works in the records room.
  2. Ms. Lin entered through the rear door.
  3. Ms. Lin is a supervisor.
  4. Ms. Lin had a badge. Correct answer.

Explanation

The rule makes a badge a necessary condition for entering the records room. Since Ms. Lin did enter, she must have had a badge, and nothing more about her can be concluded.

Question 34Verbal Reasoning

In a certain code, MOUSE is written as OQWUG. How is CAT written in the same code?

  1. DBU
  2. FCW
  3. ECU
  4. ECV Correct answer.

Explanation

Each letter of MOUSE moves two places forward in the alphabet (M to O, O to Q, and so on) to give OQWUG. Applying the same two-place forward shift to CAT gives E, C, V.

Question 35Verbal Reasoning

Pointing to a photograph, Ravi said, 'She is the daughter of my grandfather's only son.' How is the girl related to Ravi?

  1. Niece
  2. Sister Correct answer.
  3. Aunt
  4. Cousin

Explanation

Ravi's grandfather has only one son, who must therefore be Ravi's father. The daughter of Ravi's father is Ravi's sister.

Question 36Verbal Reasoning

Anil scored higher than Bina but lower than Chetan. Deepa scored lower than Bina. Who scored the highest?

  1. Anil
  2. Deepa
  3. Bina
  4. Chetan Correct answer.

Explanation

Arranging the comparisons gives Chetan above Anil, Anil above Bina, and Bina above Deepa. The top of that order is Chetan.

Question 37Verbal Reasoning

The supervisor told the clerk to take the anonymous complaint with a grain of salt. This means the clerk should:

  1. Rewrite the complaint in formal language.
  2. Forward the complaint to a manager at once.
  3. Treat the complaint with some skepticism. Correct answer.
  4. File the complaint without reading it.

Explanation

To take something with a grain of salt is to receive it with reservations rather than accepting it at face value. The idiom concerns how much credence to give the information.

Question 38Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word that best completes the sentence: 'The new filing procedure will ______ how quickly requests are handled.'

  1. affect Correct answer.
  2. effect
  3. affective
  4. effects

Explanation

Affect is a verb meaning to influence something, while effect is usually a noun meaning a result. The blank needs an infinitive-style verb after will, so affect is correct.

Question 39Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to VERBOSE.

  1. Wordy
  2. Lengthy
  3. Concise Correct answer.
  4. Fluent

Explanation

Verbose describes speech or writing that uses more words than necessary. Its opposite is a word meaning brief and to the point, which is concise.

Question 40Verbal Reasoning

THERMOMETER is to TEMPERATURE as SCALE is to ______.

  1. Weight Correct answer.
  2. Height
  3. Length
  4. Depth

Explanation

A thermometer is an instrument that measures temperature. Following the same instrument-to-measured-quantity relationship, a scale measures weight.

Question 41Verbal Reasoning

Some clerks in the building are trained in first aid. Everyone trained in first aid carries a first-aid kit. Which conclusion must be true?

  1. Some clerks trained in first aid do not carry a first-aid kit.
  2. Every clerk in the building carries a first-aid kit.
  3. Some clerks in the building carry a first-aid kit. Correct answer.
  4. Only clerks trained in first aid carry a first-aid kit.

Explanation

The trained clerks form part of the clerk group, and the second statement says every trained clerk carries a kit. Since at least one trained clerk exists, at least one clerk in the building carries a kit.

Question 42Verbal Reasoning

Notice: Leave requests must be submitted at least five working days before the first day of leave. Working days are Monday to Friday; weekends are not counted. A clerk wants leave to begin on Monday, the 15th. What is the latest date the request may be submitted?

  1. Tuesday, the 9th
  2. Friday, the 12th
  3. Monday, the 8th Correct answer.
  4. Wednesday, the 10th

Explanation

Counting back five working days from Monday the 15th skips the weekend: Friday the 12th is one, Thursday the 11th two, Wednesday the 10th three, Tuesday the 9th four, and Monday the 8th five. The request must therefore be in by Monday the 8th.

Question 43Verbal Reasoning

Which sentence best combines these two sentences? 'The form was incomplete. The clerk returned it to the applicant.'

  1. Because the form was incomplete, the clerk returned it to the applicant. Correct answer.
  2. Returning the form to the applicant, it was incomplete.
  3. The form was incomplete, the clerk returned it to the applicant.
  4. The form was incomplete, and the clerk returned it to the applicant, and it was incomplete.

Explanation

A cause-and-effect link exists between the two facts, and because expresses that relationship in a single clear sentence. The other versions either repeat information, dangle a modifier, or join clauses incorrectly.

Question 44Verbal Reasoning

If the archive door is locked, the duty clerk uses the side entrance. This morning the duty clerk did not use the side entrance. Which conclusion follows?

  1. The archive door was not locked. Correct answer.
  2. Someone else opened the archive door.
  3. The archive door was locked.
  4. The duty clerk did not enter the building.

Explanation

The first statement makes using the side entrance a necessary consequence of the door being locked. Since the clerk did not use the side entrance, the door cannot have been locked.

Question 45Verbal Reasoning

Complete the series: AZ, BY, CX, ___

  1. DX
  2. DV
  3. EW
  4. DW Correct answer.

Explanation

The first letter moves one place forward each term (A, B, C, D) while the second letter moves one place backward (Z, Y, X, W). Applying both patterns together gives DW.

Question 46Verbal Reasoning

In the sentence 'The report was ostensibly complete, yet several figures were missing,' OSTENSIBLY means:

  1. Plainly
  2. Openly
  3. Apparently Correct answer.
  4. Reluctantly

Explanation

Ostensibly means as something appears on the surface, whether or not that appearance is accurate. The word yet signals that the appearance of completeness was misleading, so apparently fits.

Question 47Verbal Reasoning

No unsigned forms are processed. All processed forms are archived. Which statement must be true?

  1. Some of the archived forms are unsigned.
  2. No unsigned forms are archived. Correct answer.
  3. Some unsigned forms are processed.
  4. All archived forms are signed.

Explanation

An unsigned form cannot be processed, and only processed forms reach the archive, so an unsigned form can never be archived. The conclusion that follows is that no unsigned forms are archived.

Question 48Verbal Reasoning

Passage: 'Clerks are reminded that the counter closes at 4:00 p.m., although the building remains open until 6:00 p.m. Customers who arrive after the counter closes may deposit documents in the drop box, which is emptied each morning.' Which statement is best supported by the passage?

  1. Drop-box items are collected the following morning. Correct answer.
  2. Late customers cannot submit documents at all.
  3. The counter and the building close at the same time.
  4. The drop box is emptied more than once a day.

Explanation

The passage states that the drop box is emptied each morning, so anything deposited after the counter closes waits until the next morning to be collected. The other statements contradict details given in the passage.

Question 49Verbal Reasoning

Which version of the sentence is clearest and most concise?

  1. The clerk worked in a quick manner because of the fact that the deadline was approaching.
  2. The deadline was approaching, and the clerk, being in a hurry, worked in a quick manner.
  3. Because the deadline was approaching, the clerk worked quickly. Correct answer.
  4. Due to the fact that the deadline was approaching, the clerk, who was in a hurry, worked quickly.

Explanation

Good writing states the cause-and-effect relationship directly and removes empty padding such as 'due to the fact that' and 'in a quick manner.' The concise version conveys the same information with fewer, cleaner words.

Question 50Verbal Reasoning

Which sentence uses the semicolon correctly?

  1. The clerk filed the forms; the cabinet was locked afterward. Correct answer.
  2. The clerk filed the forms; and then she locked the cabinet.
  3. The clerk filed the forms; because the cabinet was locked.
  4. The clerk filed; the forms in the locked cabinet.

Explanation

A semicolon may join two independent clauses that are closely related and not already connected by a coordinating conjunction. In the correct sentence, both 'The clerk filed the forms' and 'the cabinet was locked afterward' can stand alone as complete clauses.