New Jersey Civil Service Exam Reading Comprehension and Analysis 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage states: 'The borough council may override a mayoral veto by a two-thirds majority vote of its full membership. A council of nine members would therefore require six affirmative votes to override.' If the council has twelve members, how many votes are needed to override a veto?
- Seven
- Eight (Correct answer)
- Nine
- Ten
Correct answer: Eight
Two-thirds of twelve is eight affirmative votes.
Question 2: Read the following: 'The suspect was apprehended in the vicinity of the scene, but no forensic evidence directly linking him to the crime was recovered at that time.' What can be concluded from this statement?
- The suspect committed the crime
- The suspect was nearby but lacks physical evidence connecting him to the crime (Correct answer)
- The suspect will be released immediately
- Forensic evidence was later found
Correct answer: The suspect was nearby but lacks physical evidence connecting him to the crime
The passage confirms proximity but explicitly states no forensic evidence was recovered linking him to the crime.
Question 3: A directive states: 'Sensitive documents must be shredded immediately upon disposal; recycling bins are not an acceptable disposal method for any document marked confidential or higher.' An employee has a document marked 'Internal Use Only.' Based on the directive, what should she do?
- Shred it, as all documents must be shredded
- Recycle it, as it is not marked confidential or higher (Correct answer)
- Seek supervisor approval before disposing of it
- Burn it per security protocol
Correct answer: Recycle it, as it is not marked confidential or higher
The directive restricts recycling only for documents marked 'confidential or higher'; 'Internal Use Only' does not meet that threshold.
Question 4: A passage reads: 'Unlike punitive damages, which are intended to punish the defendant, compensatory damages are designed solely to restore the plaintiff to the financial position they occupied before the harm occurred.' What is the PRIMARY purpose of compensatory damages?
- To deter future misconduct by the defendant
- To reimburse the plaintiff for their losses (Correct answer)
- To punish the wrongdoer
- To fund court administrative costs
Correct answer: To reimburse the plaintiff for their losses
The passage defines compensatory damages as designed to restore the plaintiff's financial position, meaning reimbursement for losses.
Question 5: A civil service announcement states: 'Candidates who place in the top three ranks of the eligible list and who reside within the municipality shall be given preference in appointment.' A candidate ranks fourth but lives in the municipality. Is she eligible for the residency preference?
- Yes, because she is a local resident
- No, because she does not rank in the top three (Correct answer)
- Yes, if there are no other local candidates
- No, unless she requests a re-ranking
Correct answer: No, because she does not rank in the top three
Both conditions—top three ranking AND residency—must be met; she satisfies residency but not the ranking requirement.
Question 6: The following is an excerpt from an employee handbook: 'Sick leave may not be used in increments of less than one hour. Partial-hour absences will be charged to annual leave or, if no annual leave is available, will be unpaid.' An employee leaves 30 minutes early and has both sick and annual leave. Which leave will be charged?
- Sick leave
- Annual leave (Correct answer)
- Compensatory time
- No leave; it is not tracked
Correct answer: Annual leave
Sick leave cannot be used in increments less than one hour, so the 30-minute absence must be charged to annual leave.
Question 7: A report concludes: 'The data suggest a correlation between increased street lighting and reduced nighttime vehicle theft in the studied districts; however, causation cannot be established without controlling for other variables.' What does this conclusion CAUTION against?
- Using street lighting as a crime prevention tool
- Assuming lighting directly caused the theft reduction (Correct answer)
- Collecting more data in the future
- Reporting findings to policymakers
Correct answer: Assuming lighting directly caused the theft reduction
The report warns that correlation does not prove causation, so one should not assume lighting directly caused the reduction.
New Jersey Civil Service Exam Reading Comprehension and Analysis 3
A passage states: 'The borough council may override a mayoral veto by a two-thirds majority vote of its full membership.
A council of nine members would therefore require six affirmative votes to override.' If the council has twelve members, how many votes are needed to override a veto?