Texas Civil Service Exam Grammar and Writing Skills 4

Question 1

Which sentence correctly distinguishes 'its' from 'it's'?

Accepted Answer

The agency revised its procedures after the audit.

Answer

'Its' is the possessive pronoun showing the agency owns the procedures; 'it's' is a contraction of 'it is.'

Question 2

Which sentence uses the correct word form?

Accepted Answer

The council accepted the resignation of the director.

Answer

'Resignation' is the correct noun form meaning the act of formally leaving a position.

Question 3

Identify the sentence that avoids a comma splice.

Accepted Answer

The evidence was strong; therefore, the case proceeded to trial.

Answer

Using a semicolon followed by a conjunctive adverb and a comma correctly joins two independent clauses.

Question 4

Which of the following is a complete sentence?

Accepted Answer

The dispatcher received the call and immediately notified the unit.

Answer

This sentence has a subject ('the dispatcher') and a complete predicate with no dangling subordinating clause.

Question 5

Choose the option that correctly uses 'fewer' vs. 'less.'

Accepted Answer

Fewer complaints were filed this quarter than last.

Answer

'Fewer' is used with countable nouns like 'complaints,' while 'less' is used with uncountable quantities.

Texas Civil Service Exam Practice Test