Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Test Logical Deduction 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Every Spending Review settlement is subject to Treasury approval. Any settlement without Treasury approval cannot be implemented. The Ministry of Justice has a Spending Review settlement that has not yet received Treasury approval. What follows logically?
- The settlement will eventually be approved
- The settlement cannot currently be implemented (Correct answer)
- The Treasury has rejected the settlement
- The Ministry of Justice must revise its proposals
Correct answer: The settlement cannot currently be implemented
The rule states settlements without Treasury approval cannot be implemented. The Ministry of Justice's settlement lacks approval. Therefore, it cannot currently be implemented. This says nothing about future approval or rejection — only about the current status.
Question 2: In a government office, either the fire alarm is tested on Tuesday or the building evacuation drill is conducted on Tuesday, but never both on the same day. The building evacuation drill is scheduled for this Tuesday. What can be deduced?
- The fire alarm test will be conducted on Wednesday
- The fire alarm will not be tested this Tuesday (Correct answer)
- The building evacuation drill may be postponed
- Both events could still happen on Tuesday if needed
Correct answer: The fire alarm will not be tested this Tuesday
The rule establishes an exclusive 'or' — one or the other, never both on the same day. Since the evacuation drill is scheduled for Tuesday, the fire alarm test cannot also occur on Tuesday.
Question 3: If a civil servant raises a concern under the whistleblowing policy, they are protected from detrimental treatment. If they are protected from detrimental treatment, any negative action taken against them may be investigated. David raised a concern under the whistleblowing policy and was subsequently moved to a less desirable role. What follows?
- David's role change was definitely retaliatory
- David's role change may be investigated as potential detrimental treatment (Correct answer)
- David's whistleblowing concern will be upheld
- David cannot be moved to a different role under any circumstances
Correct answer: David's role change may be investigated as potential detrimental treatment
Following the chain: David raised a concern → he is protected → negative actions may be investigated. His role change could constitute a negative action, so it may be investigated. This does not prove retaliation, nor does it prevent all role changes.
Question 4: All submissions to ministers must be cleared by the deputy director. No submission can proceed without being cleared. Three submissions were sent to the minister's private office this morning. What must be true?
- The deputy director wrote all three submissions
- All three submissions were cleared by the deputy director (Correct answer)
- The minister has read all three submissions
- At least one submission may not have been cleared
Correct answer: All three submissions were cleared by the deputy director
The rules state ALL submissions must be cleared by the deputy director, and none can proceed without clearance. Since three submissions were sent (i.e., they proceeded), all three must have been cleared by the deputy director.
Question 5: Departments that fail to meet their diversity targets for two consecutive years must commission an external review. The Home Office missed its diversity targets in both 2024 and 2025. The Foreign Office missed in 2024 but met them in 2025. Which statement is correct?
- Both departments must commission an external review
- Only the Home Office must commission an external review (Correct answer)
- Only the Foreign Office must commission an external review
- Neither department needs to commission an external review
Correct answer: Only the Home Office must commission an external review
The rule requires two consecutive years of missed targets. The Home Office missed in both 2024 and 2025 (consecutive), triggering the requirement. The Foreign Office missed only in 2024 and met targets in 2025, so the consecutive condition is not met.
Question 6: If a public consultation receives more than 10,000 responses, a detailed analysis report must be published. If fewer than 1,000 responses are received, a summary note is sufficient. A consultation on planning reform received 8,500 responses. What is required?
- A detailed analysis report must be published
- A summary note is sufficient
- Neither requirement applies based on the information given (Correct answer)
- Both a detailed report and summary note are required
Correct answer: Neither requirement applies based on the information given
The rules specify: over 10,000 → detailed report; under 1,000 → summary note. At 8,500 responses, neither threshold is met. The passage does not state what applies in the range between 1,000 and 10,000, so neither stated requirement applies based on the given information.
Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Test Logical Deduction 2
Every Spending Review settlement is subject to Treasury approval.
Any settlement without Treasury approval cannot be implemented.
The Ministry of Justice has a Spending Review settlement that has not yet received Treasury approval.
What follows logically?