Texas Civil Service Exam Logical and Deductive Reasoning 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A dispatcher receives calls in this order of priority: Emergency (E), Urgent (U), Routine (R). Three calls arrive simultaneously: one E, one U, one R. After E is handled, which is processed next?
- R
- U (Correct answer)
- E again
- Whichever arrived first
Correct answer: U
Priority queuing places Urgent above Routine, so U is handled before R after the Emergency is resolved.
Question 2: If only employees with Level 3 clearance can access File Room B, and the file room was accessed, what can be deduced?
- The person who accessed it lacked clearance
- The person who accessed it had Level 3 clearance (Correct answer)
- The file room access was unauthorized
- Level 3 clearance is easy to obtain
Correct answer: The person who accessed it had Level 3 clearance
The rule establishes Level 3 clearance as a necessary condition for access, so access proves clearance.
Question 3: Numbers in a sequence: 3, 6, 12, 24, ___. What comes next?
- 36
- 42
- 48 (Correct answer)
- 60
Correct answer: 48
Each term doubles the previous one: 24 × 2 = 48.
Question 4: A policy memo states: 'Officers must complete training A before training B, and training B before training C.' Officer Torres completed B and C. What can be concluded?
- Torres completed A, B, and C in order
- Torres skipped training A
- Torres may have completed A before B, or violated the policy (Correct answer)
- Torres is exempt from training A
Correct answer: Torres may have completed A before B, or violated the policy
We know Torres did B and C, but cannot confirm A was done without additional information; a policy violation is also possible.
Question 5: Which of the following is a counter-example that disproves: 'All public servants work Monday through Friday'?
- A teacher who works weekdays
- A firefighter who works weekends (Correct answer)
- A mayor who works long hours
- A librarian who takes holidays
Correct answer: A firefighter who works weekends
A firefighter who works weekends is a public servant who does not work exclusively Monday–Friday, disproving the universal claim.
Question 6: An agency has 4 investigators: W, X, Y, Z. W and X cannot work together. Y must work with Z. A two-person team is needed. Which team is valid?
- W and X
- Y alone
- Y and Z (Correct answer)
- X and Y without Z
Correct answer: Y and Z
Y must work with Z, and Y and Z together satisfies all constraints with no conflicts.
Question 7: A deductive argument is considered VALID when:
- Its premises are true and its conclusion is popular
- Its conclusion follows necessarily from its premises (Correct answer)
- Its conclusion is supported by a majority of evidence
- Its premises are agreed upon by all parties
Correct answer: Its conclusion follows necessarily from its premises
Validity in deductive logic means the conclusion must follow from the premises, regardless of whether the premises are actually true.
Texas Civil Service Exam Logical and Deductive Reasoning 5
A dispatcher receives calls in this order of priority: Emergency (E), Urgent (U), Routine (R).
Three calls arrive simultaneously: one E, one U, one R.
After E is handled, which is processed next?