Free NYC Civil Service Written Expression and Grammar Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read the following sentence and identify which underlined part contains a grammatical error:
'The director of community affairs, together with several of her senior staff members, are scheduled to present the new outreach plan at the next public hearing.'
- The director of community affairs
- together with several of her senior staff members
- are scheduled to present (Correct answer)
- at the next public hearing
Correct answer: are scheduled to present
The correct answer is 'are scheduled to present'. The subject of the sentence is 'The director,' which is singular. The intervening phrase 'together with several of her senior staff members' does not change the number of the subject. Therefore, the verb must be singular to agree with the subject, so 'is scheduled' would be correct.
Question 2: Which of the following sentences is the most clearly and correctly written for a formal report?
- To improve service, the new system was implemented by the agency.
- The agency implemented the new system, this improved service.
- The agency implemented the new system to improve service. (Correct answer)
- Implementing the new system, service was improved by the agency.
Correct answer: The agency implemented the new system to improve service.
This sentence is the most direct and clear. It uses the active voice ('The agency implemented') and clearly states the purpose ('to improve service'). Choice A uses the passive voice, which can be less direct. Choice B is a comma splice error. Choice D contains a dangling modifier; 'service' was not 'implementing the new system.'
Question 3: A new city policy states: 'Each department is responsible for maintaining _______ own personnel records in accordance with municipal and state regulations.'
Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence.
- their
- its (Correct answer)
- it's
- there
Correct answer: its
The subject of the sentence is 'Each department.' The word 'Each' makes the subject singular. The correct singular possessive pronoun is 'its.' 'Their' is plural, 'it's' is a contraction for 'it is,' and 'there' is an adverb of place.
Question 4: Which of the following sentences demonstrates the correct use of punctuation?
- The three departments involved in the project are: Sanitation, Transportation and Parks.
- Key tasks include; drafting the proposal, securing funding, and hiring staff.
- The meeting, which was scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed until further notice. (Correct answer)
- The managers' main goal, is to increase efficiency across all divisions.
Correct answer: The meeting, which was scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed until further notice.
This sentence correctly uses commas to set off a non-restrictive clause ('which was scheduled for Tuesday'), which adds extra information but is not essential to the sentence's main meaning. Choice A incorrectly uses a colon after a verb. Choice B incorrectly uses a semicolon where a colon or no punctuation would be appropriate. Choice D incorrectly places a comma between the subject and its verb.
Question 5: The duties of a code enforcement officer include investigating public complaints, inspecting properties for violations, and ______ testimony in administrative hearings.
Choose the option that maintains the parallel structure of the sentence.
- the provision of
- will provide
- to provide
- providing (Correct answer)
Correct answer: providing
To maintain parallel structure, all items in a series should have the same grammatical form. The first two items in the list are gerunds ('investigating' and 'inspecting'). Therefore, the third item should also be a gerund, which is 'providing.'
Question 6: In a memo to staff, a manager writes, 'This new software will _______ our ability to track project timelines and resource allocation.'
Choose the most precise word to complete the sentence.
- affect (Correct answer)
- effect
- except
- accept
Correct answer: affect
'Affect' is a verb meaning 'to influence or have an impact on.' 'Effect' is usually a noun meaning 'a result.' In this context, the software will influence or impact the ability, so the verb 'affect' is the correct choice. 'Except' is a preposition meaning 'not including,' and 'accept' is a verb meaning 'to receive.'
