New Jersey Civil Service Exam Written Expression and Communication 3

Question 1

An NJ civil service report reads: 'The committee have reached their decision.' Is this sentence correct?

Accepted Answer

No, 'committee' takes a singular verb: 'has reached'.

Answer

In American English, collective nouns like 'committee' typically take singular verbs: 'the committee has reached its decision.'

Question 2

Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?

Accepted Answer

Walking through the office, the report was misplaced.

Answer

'Walking through the office' dangles because the report cannot walk — the sentence needs a human subject performing the action.

Question 3

What is the correct possessive form for a building belonging to the city?

Accepted Answer

city's building

Answer

'City's building' correctly shows singular possessive by adding an apostrophe and 's' to the singular noun.

Question 4

A supervisor's email says: 'Please insure your reports are submitted by Friday.' What word is misused?

Accepted Answer

insure

Answer

'Ensure' means to make certain; 'insure' relates to financial insurance — the correct word here is 'ensure.'

Question 5

Which sentence demonstrates parallel structure?

Accepted Answer

The clerk must file, sort, and review documents.

Answer

Parallel structure requires matching grammatical forms; 'file, sort, and review' are all base-form verbs in the same series.

New Jersey Civil Service Exam Practice Test