Treasury Enforcement Agent Exam Treasury Enforcement Agent: Verbal Reasoning 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which word is closest in meaning to 'mitigate'?
- Aggravate
- Reduce (Correct answer)
- Ignore
- Transfer
Correct answer: Reduce
'Mitigate' means to make less severe or serious, synonymous with 'reduce' in this context.
Question 2: Read: 'Currency transaction reports must be filed for any cash transaction exceeding $10,000. Multiple related transactions designed to avoid this threshold are considered structuring, which is a federal crime.' A person makes three cash deposits of $4,000 each on the same day. What best describes this activity?
- Legal, since no single deposit exceeds $10,000
- Suspicious and potentially structuring (Correct answer)
- Requiring a single combined report only
- Subject to state law, not federal law
Correct answer: Suspicious and potentially structuring
Multiple related transactions designed to stay below the $10,000 threshold constitute structuring, a federal crime.
Question 3: Select the sentence that is grammatically correct.
- The agents, who was assigned to the case, filed their reports.
- Neither of the suspects were cooperative during questioning.
- The evidence collected at the scene was properly catalogued. (Correct answer)
- Each of the investigators have submitted their findings.
Correct answer: The evidence collected at the scene was properly catalogued.
Option C correctly uses the singular verb 'was' with the singular subject 'evidence.'
Question 4: Read: 'Money laundering typically occurs in three stages: placement, layering, and integration. Each stage serves to distance the illicit funds from their criminal origin.' Which stage involves moving funds through complex transactions to obscure their origin?
- Placement
- Layering (Correct answer)
- Integration
- Concealment
Correct answer: Layering
Layering involves complex transactions designed to obscure the origin of illicit funds.
Question 5: Which word best completes the sentence: 'The agent's testimony was _______, as it contradicted the physical evidence found at the scene.'
- Credible
- Conclusive
- Dubious (Correct answer)
- Impartial
Correct answer: Dubious
'Dubious' means questionable or doubtful, fitting a testimony that contradicts physical evidence.
Question 6: Read: 'All Treasury Enforcement Agents must maintain detailed logs of surveillance activities. These logs are subject to review by supervisors and may be subpoenaed in legal proceedings.' Which statement is most directly supported by the passage?
- Surveillance logs are classified documents
- Agents may choose whether to maintain logs
- Logs can be used as evidence in court (Correct answer)
- Supervisors must approve surveillance in advance
Correct answer: Logs can be used as evidence in court
The passage states logs may be subpoenaed in legal proceedings, meaning they can be used as court evidence.
Question 7: Which word is an antonym of 'clandestine'?
- Covert
- Overt (Correct answer)
- Furtive
- Surreptitious
Correct answer: Overt
'Clandestine' means secret; 'overt' means open and observable, making it the antonym.
Which word is closest in meaning to 'mitigate'?