Texas Civil Service Exam Logical and Deductive Reasoning 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A policy states: 'Overtime is approved only when the budget allows AND a supervisor signs off.' The budget allows, but no supervisor signed. What follows?
- Overtime is approved
- Overtime is not approved (Correct answer)
- Overtime may or may not be approved
- A new policy is needed
Correct answer: Overtime is not approved
Both conditions must be met; since supervisor sign-off is missing, overtime cannot be approved.
Question 2: Statements: All trained dispatchers can handle multi-line calls. No volunteer staff are trained dispatchers. Which conclusion is valid?
- No volunteer staff can handle multi-line calls (Correct answer)
- Some volunteer staff can handle multi-line calls
- All volunteer staff are trained dispatchers
- Trained dispatchers are volunteers
Correct answer: No volunteer staff can handle multi-line calls
Since volunteers are not trained dispatchers and only trained dispatchers handle multi-line calls, no volunteer can handle them.
Question 3: A code uses the pattern: each letter shifts +2 in the alphabet (A→C, B→D). What does 'EQNKEG' decode to?
- COSICE
- POLICE (Correct answer)
- POLITE
- COLONY
Correct answer: POLICE
Shifting each letter back by 2: E→C, Q→O, N→L, K→I, E→C, G→E spells POLICE.
Question 4: Six staff members sit in a row: M, N, O, P, Q, R. M sits at one end. P is not adjacent to M. Q sits between N and R. O sits next to M. Who can sit at the other end?
- N
- P (Correct answer)
- Q
- O
Correct answer: P
With M at one end and O adjacent to M, the far end must accommodate someone not restricted; P, who cannot be next to M, fits at the other end.
Question 5: If the rule is 'Vehicles failing inspection must be removed within 48 hours,' and a vehicle failed inspection 50 hours ago but is still present, what is the logical conclusion?
- The rule has been followed
- The rule has been violated (Correct answer)
- The 48-hour period has not started
- The vehicle passed inspection
Correct answer: The rule has been violated
50 hours exceeds the 48-hour deadline, so the rule requiring removal has been violated.
Question 6: A supervisor says: 'Either the report is late OR the data is incorrect — but not both.' The report is on time. What follows?
- The data is correct
- The data is incorrect (Correct answer)
- Both the report and data are fine
- Nothing can be concluded about the data
Correct answer: The data is incorrect
The exclusive-or rule means exactly one condition is true; since the report is on time (not late), the data must be incorrect.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of a valid hypothetical syllogism?
- If A then B; B is true; therefore A is true
- If A then B; if B then C; therefore if A then C (Correct answer)
- If A then B; A is false; therefore B is false
- If A then B; C is true; therefore A is true
Correct answer: If A then B; if B then C; therefore if A then C
Hypothetical syllogism chains two conditional statements: if A→B and B→C, then A→C.
Texas Civil Service Exam Logical and Deductive Reasoning 3
A policy states: 'Overtime is approved only when the budget allows AND a supervisor signs off.' The budget allows, but no supervisor signed.
What follows?