USPS Numeric and Alphanumeric Comparison 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A sorting machine label reads '9261290100130318765432'. The original code is '9261290100130318756432'. Are they the same or different?
- Same
- Different — two digits near the end are transposed (Correct answer)
- Different — the first segment differs
- Different — the middle segment differs
Correct answer: Different — two digits near the end are transposed
In position 17-18, the original has 75 while the label shows 76, indicating a transposition error.
Question 2: Which ZIP code is different from the others? A) 85251 B) 85251 C) 85215 D) 85251
- A
- B
- C (Correct answer)
- D
Correct answer: C
Option C shows 85215, where the last two digits (5 and 1) are transposed compared to 85251.
Question 3: Compare lot numbers: LOT-AA-4419 vs LOT-AA-4491. Are they the same or different?
- Same
- Different — the last two numeric digits are transposed (Correct answer)
- Different — the letter segment differs
- Same — lot numbers often have variants
Correct answer: Different — the last two numeric digits are transposed
4419 vs 4491 differ in the third and fourth digits (1 and 9 are transposed).
Question 4: A postal clerk must verify: Invoice #INV-2025-0038-B matches the database entry INV-2025-0038-B. Is it correct?
- No — the prefix is missing a hyphen
- No — the year is incorrect
- Yes — all characters match exactly (Correct answer)
- No — the letter suffix should not be included
Correct answer: Yes — all characters match exactly
Both invoice numbers are identical character-for-character, so there is no error.
Question 5: Compare these two serial numbers: SN-7734429X vs SN-7734249X. Are they the same or different?
- Same
- Different — digits in positions 6 and 7 are transposed (Correct answer)
- Different — the letter suffix differs
- Different — the first four digits differ
Correct answer: Different — digits in positions 6 and 7 are transposed
7734429 vs 7734249 — positions 5 through 7 differ (429 vs 249), indicating a transposition.
Question 6: A mail tray label shows route code '17-C-0042'. The system record shows '17-C-0042'. Are they the same?
- Yes — they are identical (Correct answer)
- No — the route number differs
- No — the letter segment differs
- No — hyphens are placed differently
Correct answer: Yes — they are identical
Both route codes are identical in every segment, so there is no discrepancy.
Question 7: Compare two barcode values: 0307-1198-2254 vs 0307-1198-2524. Are they the same or different?
- Same
- Different — last four digits differ (Correct answer)
- Different — the middle segment differs
- Same — only one digit is off so it is acceptable
Correct answer: Different — last four digits differ
2254 vs 2524 — digits 2 and 5 are transposed in the last segment, making them different.
USPS Numeric and Alphanumeric Comparison 3
A sorting machine label reads '9261290100130318765432'.
The original code is '9261290100130318756432'.
Are they the same or different?