CODESP Clerical 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A clerk must calculate a 15% discount on a purchase of $386.40. What is the discounted price?
- $328.44 (Correct answer)
- $386.00
- $57.96
- $344.40
Correct answer: $328.44
$386.40 × 0.15 = $57.96 discount; $386.40 − $57.96 = $328.44.
Question 2: Which of the following correctly alphabetizes these business names? City of Riverside Public Works Citrus Valley Medical Center Civic Center Parking Authority Citizens Business Bank
- Citizens Business Bank, Citrus Valley Medical Center, City of Riverside Public Works, Civic Center Parking Authority (Correct answer)
- Citrus Valley Medical Center, Citizens Business Bank, City of Riverside Public Works, Civic Center Parking Authority
- Citizens Business Bank, City of Riverside Public Works, Citrus Valley Medical Center, Civic Center Parking Authority
- Citrus Valley Medical Center, City of Riverside Public Works, Citizens Business Bank, Civic Center Parking Authority
Correct answer: Citizens Business Bank, Citrus Valley Medical Center, City of Riverside Public Works, Civic Center Parking Authority
Alphabetizing letter by letter after 'Cit-': Citizens (i-z), Citrus (r), City (y), Civic — giving Citizens, Citrus, City, Civic.
Question 3: A clerk needs to distribute 480 pages among 16 packets equally. If each packet requires a cover sheet and a back sheet in addition to the content pages, how many total pages (including covers) must be printed?
- 480
- 496
- 512 (Correct answer)
- 544
Correct answer: 512
480 ÷ 16 = 30 content pages per packet; each packet also needs 2 extra sheets (cover + back), so 32 pages × 16 packets = 512 total pages.
Question 4: Which retention schedule action should be taken with a personnel record for an employee who retired three years ago, given a 7-year retention requirement after separation?
- The record can be destroyed immediately
- The record must be kept for 4 more years (Correct answer)
- The record should be microfilmed and then destroyed
- The record's retention period has already expired
Correct answer: The record must be kept for 4 more years
Three years have elapsed since separation; 7 − 3 = 4 more years of retention are required before the record may be destroyed.
Question 5: A clerk is typing a formal memorandum. Which of the following is the CORRECT format for the heading?
- TO: / FROM: / DATE: / RE: (Correct answer)
- Dear Mr. Smith: / Subject: / Date:
- MEMO: / TO: / FROM: / SUBJECT:
- TO: / SUBJECT: / FROM: / DATE:
Correct answer: TO: / FROM: / DATE: / RE:
Standard interoffice memorandum format lists headings in the order TO, FROM, DATE, and SUBJECT (or RE), all in uppercase followed by a colon.
Question 6: A supervisor asks a clerk to make 24 copies of a 17-page report, collated and stapled. The copier runs at 45 pages per minute. Approximately how many minutes will copying take (excluding collating and stapling time)?
- About 7 minutes
- About 9 minutes (Correct answer)
- About 11 minutes
- About 6 minutes
Correct answer: About 9 minutes
24 copies × 17 pages = 408 total pages; 408 ÷ 45 pages per minute ≈ 9.07 minutes.
Question 7: When processing incoming mail, a clerk marks the date and time received on each piece. This practice is PRIMARILY intended to:
- Make the mail look more official
- Establish a chronological record and protect against disputes about receipt timing (Correct answer)
- Comply with postal regulations
- Ensure the mail is read before filing
Correct answer: Establish a chronological record and protect against disputes about receipt timing
Date-and-time stamping creates an audit trail that can resolve disputes about when correspondence was received or deadlines were triggered.
CODESP Clerical 5
A clerk must calculate a 15% discount on a purchase of $386.40.
What is the discounted price?