Texas Civil Service Grammar and Writing Skills Questions and Answers

Question 1

Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct and most clearly written?

Accepted Answer

The police officer saw the motorcycle speeding down the highway.

Answer

Speeding down the highway, the police officer saw the motorcycle.

Answer

The motorcycle was seen by the police officer it was speeding down the highway.

Answer

Having been seen by the police officer, the highway was sped down by the motorcycle.

Question 2

An employee is drafting a report and needs to connect two related, complete sentences. Which sentence correctly uses punctuation to join the two ideas?

Accepted Answer

The project deadline is Friday; we must submit all paperwork by then.

Answer

The project deadline is Friday, we must submit all paperwork by then.

Answer

The project deadline is Friday: we must submit all paperwork by then.

Answer

The project deadline is Friday and, we must submit all paperwork by then.

Question 3

Read the following sentences. Which sentence contains a grammatical error in subject-verb agreement?

Accepted Answer

The list of approved vendors are posted on the intranet.

Answer

Each of the proposals was reviewed carefully.

Answer

The mayor, along with her staff, is attending the event.

Answer

Neither the fire chief nor the police chief was available.

Question 4

A city manager is writing a memo about a new policy. Which sentence correctly uses the word 'affect' or 'effect'?

Accepted Answer

The new policy will go into effect on Monday and will affect all departments.

Answer

The primary affect of the new policy will be improved efficiency.

Answer

We need to determine how the new policy will effect the employees' morale.

Answer

The policy's affect on the budget is not yet known.

Question 5

Which of the following sentences uses apostrophes correctly?

Accepted Answer

The public works department's responsibilities include maintaining the city's streets.

Answer

Its important to review the citys' new zoning laws.

Answer

The departments' goals are outlined in their mission statements'.

Answer

All employee's must complete their timesheets by 5 o'clock.

Question 6

A supervisor is writing an employee evaluation. To maintain parallel structure, which of the following is the best-written sentence?

Accepted Answer

The employee completes tasks efficiently, demonstrates strong teamwork, and is always punctual.

Answer

The employee completes tasks efficiently, demonstrates strong teamwork, and her punctuality is good.

Answer

The employee is efficient in completing tasks, a good team player, and is always on time.

Answer

The employee's tasks are completed efficiently, teamwork is demonstrated, and she is always punctual.