New Jersey Civil Service Exam Written Expression and Communication 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A government form instructs: 'Attach any relevant document's.' What is the error?
- 'Attach' should be 'Attached'
- The apostrophe in 'document's' is incorrect. (Correct answer)
- 'relevant' should be 'relatant'
- No error exists in this sentence.
Correct answer: The apostrophe in 'document's' is incorrect.
'Documents' is simply a plural noun here and requires no apostrophe; apostrophes show possession, not plurality.
Question 2: Which tone is most appropriate for an official civil service complaint response?
- Casual and conversational
- Formal, respectful, and objective (Correct answer)
- Emotional and empathetic with informal language
- Brief and dismissive
Correct answer: Formal, respectful, and objective
Official correspondence requires a formal, respectful, and objective tone to maintain professionalism and credibility.
Question 3: Which sentence correctly uses a colon?
- The supervisor: approved the report.
- Please bring: your ID and application.
- We need the following items: a pen, paper, and a folder. (Correct answer)
- The office: opens at 8 AM.
Correct answer: We need the following items: a pen, paper, and a folder.
A colon correctly introduces a list after a complete independent clause; the clause before the colon must be grammatically complete.
Question 4: An officer writes: 'Between you and I, the report was inaccurate.' What should be corrected?
- 'Between' should be 'Among'
- 'I' should be 'me' (Correct answer)
- 'inaccurate' should be 'inaccurately'
- No correction is needed.
Correct answer: 'I' should be 'me'
'Between' is a preposition requiring the objective case; the correct form is 'between you and me.'
Question 5: Which option is an example of a run-on sentence?
- The officer filed the report, and it was approved.
- Submit the form before Friday.
- The applicant arrived late the office was already closed. (Correct answer)
- Although the deadline passed, the file was accepted.
Correct answer: The applicant arrived late the office was already closed.
'The applicant arrived late the office was already closed' fuses two independent clauses without proper punctuation or a conjunction.
Question 6: In NJ civil service written communication, what does 'clarity' primarily require?
- Using as many technical terms as possible
- Writing long, detailed sentences to cover all aspects
- Expressing ideas in a straightforward, unambiguous manner (Correct answer)
- Matching the reader's preferred writing style exactly
Correct answer: Expressing ideas in a straightforward, unambiguous manner
Clarity means expressing information directly and without ambiguity so that readers can easily understand the intended message.
Question 7: Which sentence correctly uses 'its' and 'it's'?
- The department submitted it's report on time.
- Its important to file the forms correctly.
- The agency reviewed its policies annually. (Correct answer)
- The office lost it's records during the move.
Correct answer: The agency reviewed its policies annually.
'Its' is the possessive pronoun; 'it's' is a contraction of 'it is' — 'the agency reviewed its policies' correctly uses the possessive form.
New Jersey Civil Service Exam Written Expression and Communication 5
A government form instructs: 'Attach any relevant document's.' What is the error?