Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Test Reading Comprehension 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage states: 'The government announced that all public sector employees would receive a 2% pay rise effective from April.' Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
- All public sector employees will receive a 2% pay rise from April (Correct answer)
- All public sector employees received a 2% pay rise last April
- Private sector employees will receive a 2% pay rise from April
- All employees will receive a pay rise of more than 2%
Correct answer: All public sector employees will receive a 2% pay rise from April
The passage explicitly states that all public sector employees would receive a 2% pay rise effective from April, making option A directly supported by the text.
Question 2: A passage states: 'Most train services were cancelled due to engineering works, though some routes remained operational.' Which statement is TRUE?
- Some train services continued to run (Correct answer)
- All train services were cancelled
- Engineering works had no impact on services
- Train services were delayed but not cancelled
Correct answer: Some train services continued to run
The passage says 'some routes remained operational,' which directly supports the statement that some train services continued to run.
Question 3: A passage states: 'The council has not yet decided whether to approve the new housing development.' Which statement is TRUE?
- The council's decision on the housing development is still pending (Correct answer)
- The council has approved the housing development
- The council has rejected the housing development
- The council approved the development last month
Correct answer: The council's decision on the housing development is still pending
'Has not yet decided' means a decision is still pending — neither approved nor rejected. Option A accurately reflects this.
Question 4: Passage: 'No evidence has been found linking the suspect to the crime scene.' Which statement can be TRUE?
- The suspect may or may not be guilty (Correct answer)
- The suspect is definitely innocent
- The suspect is definitely guilty
- The investigation has concluded
Correct answer: The suspect may or may not be guilty
Absence of evidence linking the suspect to the scene does not prove innocence or guilt — the suspect may or may not be guilty.
Question 5: Passage: 'Cycling to work has increased by 30% in London over the past five years.' Which is TRUE?
- More people cycle to work in London now than five years ago (Correct answer)
- Cycling has increased by 30% across the UK
- Cycling to work has decreased in London
- 30% of Londoners cycle to work
Correct answer: More people cycle to work in London now than five years ago
A 30% increase means more people cycle now than five years ago. The passage only references London, not the whole UK.
Question 6: Passage: 'The report recommends that further research should be conducted before any policy changes are implemented.' Which is TRUE?
- Policy changes should wait until more research is done (Correct answer)
- Policy changes have already been implemented
- The report opposes all policy changes
- Further research is unnecessary
Correct answer: Policy changes should wait until more research is done
The report recommends more research before policy changes — meaning changes should wait. This directly matches option A.
