New Jersey Civil Service Exam Logical and Deductive Reasoning 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A rule states: 'Employees who work overtime must receive compensatory time or overtime pay.' Tom worked overtime but received neither. What can be concluded?
- Tom violated department policy
- The rule was not followed in Tom's case (Correct answer)
- Tom is entitled to a promotion
- Tom should have refused to work overtime
Correct answer: The rule was not followed in Tom's case
The rule requires compensatory time or overtime pay for overtime work, so not receiving either means the rule was not followed.
Question 2: If A is taller than B, and B is taller than C, which of the following must be true?
- C is taller than A
- A is taller than C (Correct answer)
- B is the shortest
- A and C are the same height
Correct answer: A is taller than C
Transitivity of the 'taller than' relationship means A > B > C, so A must be taller than C.
Question 3: A filing system uses codes where letters represent departments and numbers represent years. Code 'B-2023' means the Building Department in 2023. What does code 'F-2021' most likely mean?
- Finance Department in 2023
- Finance Department in 2021 (Correct answer)
- Building Department in 2021
- Fire Department in 2023
Correct answer: Finance Department in 2021
Following the same pattern, 'F' represents a department starting with F and '2021' represents the year 2021.
Question 4: All reports submitted after 5 PM are marked 'late.' Sandra submitted her report at 4:55 PM. Which is correct?
- Sandra's report is marked late
- Sandra's report is not marked late (Correct answer)
- Sandra must resubmit her report
- The policy is unclear about 4:55 PM
Correct answer: Sandra's report is not marked late
4:55 PM is before 5 PM, so Sandra's report does not meet the 'after 5 PM' criterion for being marked late.
Question 5: A schedule shows: Department meetings alternate between Monday and Wednesday each week, starting with Monday. What day is the 5th meeting?
- Monday (Correct answer)
- Wednesday
- Friday
- Tuesday
Correct answer: Monday
The pattern is Mon, Wed, Mon, Wed, Mon — the 5th meeting falls on Monday.
Question 6: No employee can be promoted without a satisfactory performance review. Carlos received an outstanding review. What can be concluded?
- Carlos will definitely be promoted
- Carlos has met one requirement for promotion (Correct answer)
- Carlos does not qualify for promotion
- Performance reviews are the only promotion factor
Correct answer: Carlos has met one requirement for promotion
The rule sets a satisfactory review as a necessary condition, which Carlos meets, but other conditions may also be required.
Question 7: Four candidates — W, X, Y, Z — are ranked for a position. W ranks higher than X. Y ranks lower than Z. Z ranks lower than W. Who ranks highest?
- X
- Y
- Z
- W (Correct answer)
Correct answer: W
W > X and W > Z > Y, so W ranks highest overall.
New Jersey Civil Service Exam Logical and Deductive Reasoning 3
A rule states: 'Employees who work overtime must receive compensatory time or overtime pay.' Tom worked overtime but received neither.
What can be concluded?