Civil Service Verbal Test cheat sheet

The main idea is the central point the passage is mostly about; it is broader than any single supporting detail.

Supporting details answer who, what, when, where, why, or how and must be directly traceable to the text.

Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject, revealed through word choice, sentence structure, and emphasis.

A fact can be verified by evidence; an opinion expresses judgment, belief, or value, and passages often mix both.

Chronological order is signaled by words such as before, after, then, meanwhile, and finally.

Cause-and-effect relationships are signaled by because, therefore, as a result, due to, and consequently.

To resolve a pronoun, choose the nearest preceding noun that agrees in number and gender and makes sense in context.

A correct answer must be supported by the passage as a whole, not by one isolated phrase taken out of context.

An inference is a conclusion based on stated evidence plus reasoning; it is not written explicitly in the passage.

A valid inference must follow necessarily or with high probability from the text, not merely be possible.

Overreach occurs when a conclusion adds assumptions, certainty, or scope that the passage does not provide.

Author's purpose is the reason for writing, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, or instruct, and is inferred from structure and language.

An implication is suggested indirectly; an assumption is an unstated premise that must be true for a conclusion to follow.

A prediction must follow the trend or evidence in the passage and remain within the constraints the passage states.

For 'most likely' questions, select the best-supported option rather than demanding absolute certainty.

Distinguish what the passage proves from what it merely suggests, implies, or leaves open.

Context clue types include definition, example, contrast, cause-effect, synonym, and antonym clues.

Use the surrounding sentence and the paragraph's topic to fix which sense of a multiple-meaning word is intended.

Denotation is a word's literal dictionary meaning; connotation is its emotional or cultural association.

Common prefixes include un- and non- meaning not, re- meaning again, pre- meaning before, and post- meaning after.

Common suffixes include -able meaning capable of, -less meaning without, -ous meaning full of, and -ify meaning make.

Homonyms share spelling or pronunciation but differ in meaning; synonyms are similar; antonyms are opposite.

Substitute a candidate synonym into the sentence and check whether meaning, grammar, and tone remain unchanged.

Figurative language includes simile using like or as, metaphor stating one thing is another, and idiom with nonliteral meaning.

Subject-verb agreement requires a verb to match its subject in number and person; intervening phrases do not change the subject's number.

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number, gender, and person.

A modifier should sit next to the word it describes; a dangling modifier lacks a clear logical subject.

Items in a list, series, or comparison must share the same grammatical form, which is parallel structure.

A comma plus a coordinating conjunction can join two independent clauses; a semicolon can join related independent clauses without one.

A colon introduces a list, explanation, or quotation after a complete independent clause.

Maintain tense consistency unless a time shift is clearly signaled by the sentence or passage.

Active voice has the subject performing the action; passive voice has the subject receiving the action.

A fragment lacks a subject, a verb, or a complete thought; a run-on joins independent clauses without correct punctuation or conjunction.

An argument consists of premises offered as evidence and a conclusion they are meant to support; identify the conclusion first.

A deductive argument is valid when its structure guarantees that true premises force a true conclusion.

A sound argument is valid and has all premises true; validity concerns form, while soundness also requires factual accuracy.

To strengthen an argument, add evidence that supports the link between its premises and conclusion.

To weaken an argument, show an alternative cause, a counterexample, or a flawed assumption.

A necessary condition must hold for an outcome; a sufficient condition guarantees the outcome.

Correlation does not establish causation because confounds, coincidence, or reverse causation may explain the relationship.

Ad hominem attacks the person, straw man misrepresents the opponent, and false dilemma limits options to two when more exist.

A generalization requires a representative sample of sufficient size before it can support a broad conclusion.

A summary states the main idea and key supporting points and excludes examples, repetition, and minor detail.

Comparing identifies similarities; contrasting identifies differences, and both require consistent criteria.

When comparing passages, check topic, purpose, scope, tone, and evidence because passages may share a topic but differ in emphasis.

A paraphrase restates meaning in the writer's own words and sentence structure while preserving the original sense.

Accuracy comes first: a summary must not add claims, certainty, or examples absent from the source.

Compress a summary by combining related points, deleting repetition, and subordinating minor details.

For conflicting sources, identify whether the disagreement concerns fact, interpretation, emphasis, or scope.

A point of agreement is a claim both passages support; it helps separate shared ground from genuine disagreement.