PSEE Written Communication 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence correctly uses the apostrophe?
- The departments' budget was approved yesterday.
- The department's budget was approved yesterday. (Correct answer)
- The departments budget was approved yesterday.
- The departments's budget was approved yesterday.
Correct answer: The department's budget was approved yesterday.
For a singular noun ('department'), the possessive is formed by adding 's: department's.
The sentence refers to one department's budget. Singular possessive: department + 's = department's. 'Departments'' would indicate multiple departments. 'Departments' without apostrophe is a plural noun, not possessive. 'Departments's' is not a valid form.
Question 2: Identify the error in: 'Between you and I, the new policy seems unfair.'
- 'seems' should be 'seem'
- 'I' should be 'me' (Correct answer)
- 'Between' should be 'Among'
- 'unfair' is too informal
Correct answer: 'I' should be 'me'
After prepositions like 'between,' the object pronoun 'me' is required, not the subject pronoun 'I.'
'Between' is a preposition, and prepositions require object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them). 'I' is a subject pronoun and cannot follow a preposition. The correct form is 'Between you and me.' This hypercorrection error is commonly tested in PSEE written communication.
Question 3: Which sentence best avoids passive voice?
- Mistakes were made by the processing team.
- The processing team made mistakes. (Correct answer)
- It was found that mistakes had been made.
- Mistakes have been identified as having been made.
Correct answer: The processing team made mistakes.
Option B uses active voice with a clear subject (the processing team) performing the action.
Active voice: subject + verb + object. 'The processing team made mistakes' clearly identifies who did what. Options A, C, and D all use passive constructions, which obscure the agent. Clear active voice is preferred in government communications and tested in PSEE.
Question 4: Choose the word that is spelled correctly.
- occurance
- occurrence (Correct answer)
- occurrance
- occurence
Correct answer: occurrence
The correct spelling is 'occurrence': o-c-c-u-r-r-e-n-c-e.
'Occurrence' is derived from 'occur' (double r in occurring/occurred) + the suffix '-ence.' Common misspellings include single r or c. Spelling accuracy is directly tested in the PSEE written communication section.
Question 5: Which sentence is correctly written?
- Neither the manager nor the employees was consulted.
- Neither the manager nor the employees were consulted. (Correct answer)
- Neither the manager nor the employees is consulted.
- Neither the manager or the employees were consulted.
Correct answer: Neither the manager nor the employees were consulted.
With 'neither...nor,' the verb agrees with the closest subject. 'The employees' (plural) is closest, so 'were' is correct.
The rule for neither/nor: the verb agrees with the subject nearest to it. 'The employees' is the subject nearest the verb and is plural, requiring 'were.' 'Neither...or' (option D) is incorrect — 'neither' pairs with 'nor.'
Question 6: Which is an example of jargon that should be avoided in public-facing government documents?
- Please submit your application by the deadline.
- Utilize the extant regulatory framework to operationalize compliance deliverables. (Correct answer)
- The office will be closed on statutory holidays.
- Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
Correct answer: Utilize the extant regulatory framework to operationalize compliance deliverables.
Option B uses excessive jargon ('extant,' 'operationalize,' 'compliance deliverables') that is unclear to general readers. Plain language is required in public communications.
Government communications should use plain language accessible to all citizens. Option B is filled with bureaucratic jargon — it could simply say 'follow the rules.' Plain language principles are tested in PSEE written communication sections.
PSEE Written Communication 2
Which sentence correctly uses the apostrophe?