Mixed Deck — All Civil Service Exam Topics Flashcards
100 cards from real Civil Service Exam practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 20 Mixed Deck — All Civil Service Exam Topics flashcards as text
Which sentence contains a split infinitive?
Answer: The officer decided to carefully examine the evidence.
'To carefully examine' is a split infinitive — 'carefully' is between 'to' and 'examine.' In formal writing: 'to examine the evidence carefully.'
Which box below should include this information: "Administration Dept."
Answer: Box 12
Box 12 on an FOIA response form is typically where the agency or department handling the request is identified. 'Administration Dept.' fits this description, indicating the specific organizational unit responsible for processing the FOIA request.
A government agency is drafting a public notice about a new water conservation policy. The goal is to be clear, direct, and encourage compliance. Which of the following sentences is the MOST effective for this purpose?
Answer: Due to severe drought conditions, mandatory water restrictions will be in effect starting June 1st for all residents.
This sentence is the most effective because it is direct, provides a clear reason ('severe drought conditions'), states the specific action ('mandatory water restrictions'), gives a clear start date ('June 1st'), and defines the audience ('all residents'). It avoids jargon, passive voice, and vague language.
Under the Civil Service Reform Act, which body is responsible for protecting federal employees from prohibited personnel practices?
Answer: Office of Special Counsel (OSC)
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) investigates and prosecutes prohibited personnel practices, including whistleblower retaliation and violations of the Hatch Act.
In alphabetizing these names, which should come FIRST?
Answer: Scott Cardwell
To determine which name comes first alphabetically, we compare the last names: Cardwell, Johns, Leger, and Mccreary. Among these, 'Cardwell' begins with the earliest letter in the alphabet (C). Therefore, Scott Cardwell would be the first name in the alphabetized list.
Which sentence demonstrates correct apostrophe use?
Answer: The children's play area was recently expanded.
'Children's' correctly forms the possessive for an irregular plural. Since 'children' doesn't end in 's,' add apostrophe + s.
The doctrine of separation of powers means that the U.S. government is divided into which three branches?
Answer: Legislative, executive, and judicial
The Constitution establishes three co-equal branches: the legislative branch (Congress), the executive branch (President), and the judicial branch (courts).
The cafe had served 325 customers last week. This week, that number of customers increased to 622. What is the value of this increase in percentage?
Answer: 91.38%
To calculate the percentage increase, first find the absolute increase in customers: 622 - 325 = 297. Then, divide this increase by the original number of customers (325) and multiply by 100 to express it as a percentage. So, (297 / 325) * 100% = 0.9138 * 100% = 91.38%.
Which of the following actions by a civil service employee would be considered a violation of the Hatch Act?
Answer: Soliciting political contributions from subordinates at work
The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from soliciting, accepting, or receiving political contributions in the workplace, especially from subordinates where coercion may be implied.
Which of the following groups of index cards is arranged in CORRECT alphabetical order?
Answer: MacArthur, MacDonald, McBride, McDonald
In standard filing, 'Mac' and 'Mc' prefixes are filed exactly as spelled. Letter by letter: MacArthur (M-A-C-A), MacDonald (M-A-C-D), McBride (M-C-B), McDonald (M-C-D).
The runner gets a total of minutes of 32, 44, 56, 43. What minute should the runner reach to have an overall average of at least 40 minutes?
Answer: 25
To achieve an overall average of at least 40 minutes over five runs, the total sum of minutes must be at least 40 * 5 = 200 minutes. The sum of the current four runs is 32 + 44 + 56 + 43 = 175 minutes. Therefore, the runner needs to reach 200 - 175 = 25 minutes in the fifth run to meet the target average.
A policy states: 'Municipal employees are entitled to 12 days of sick leave per year, accruing at one day per month. Unused leave carries over up to 90 days maximum. Employees who exhaust sick leave may request FMLA unpaid leave.' An employee who worked 3 years and never used sick leave would have how many accrued days?
Answer: 36 days
12 days/year x 3 years = 36 days. Since 36 is below the 90-day cap, all days are retained.
Which branch of government has the constitutional power to declare war?
Answer: The Legislative Branch (Congress)
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war, although the President serves as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
Identify the sentence containing a dangling modifier.
Answer: Walking through the office, the new furniture caught my eye.
'Walking through the office' is a dangling modifier because it implies the furniture was walking. It should modify a person, not furniture.
A clerk receives a document dated March 15, 2024, but it was supposed to be filed by subject rather than date. The document concerns 'Employee Benefits - Health Insurance.' Under which primary heading should it be filed?
Answer: Employee Benefits
When filing by subject, the primary heading is the broadest topic category. 'Employee Benefits' is the main subject, with 'Health Insurance' as a subheading.
When comparing the following address pairs for accuracy, which pair is IDENTICAL? A. 1247 Elm Street, Apt 3B / 1247 Elm Street, Apt 3D B. 892 W. Washington Blvd / 892 W. Washington Blvd C. 3561 N. Lakeshore Dr. / 3561 N. Lakshore Dr. D. 14209 SE 42nd Avenue / 14209 SE 24th Avenue
Answer: Pair B
Only Pair B is identical. Pair A differs in apartment letter (3B vs 3D), Pair C has a spelling difference (Lakeshore vs Lakshore), and Pair D has transposed street numbers (42nd vs 24th).
In a series of numbers: 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, ___. What number comes next?
Answer: 127
Each number is doubled and then 1 is added: 3x2+1=7, 7x2+1=15, 15x2+1=31, 31x2+1=63, 63x2+1=127.
Choose the correct word that completes the thought of the last sentence of the given paragraph.
Answer: Interest
'Interest' refers to a feeling of curiosity or fascination about something, or a desire to know or learn more. Depending on the context of the paragraph, completing a thought often involves engaging the reader or a subject with a topic. 'Interest' would logically fit a sentence that aims to describe engagement, curiosity, or a stake in a particular matter, making it the most suitable choice among the given options.
Your department is implementing a difficult new computer system. Several colleagues are struggling too. What is the best approach?
Answer: Request additional training for yourself and interested colleagues
Requesting training shows initiative, acknowledges the learning curve, and benefits the team.
Which of the following is a primary function of the Judicial Branch, as established by the Constitution?
Answer: To settle legal controversies and determine if there has been a grave abuse of discretion by other branches.
Judicial power, vested in the Supreme Court and lower courts, includes the duty to settle actual controversies involving legally demandable rights and to determine if any branch of government has acted with grave abuse of discretion. This is often referred to as the power of judicial review.