Texas Civil Service Writing and Grammar Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An officer is writing a report and needs to choose the correct sentence. Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?
- The suspect, along with his two accomplices, were seen fleeing the scene.
- Each of the vehicles were searched for evidence.
- The team of investigators is gathering facts about the case. (Correct answer)
- Neither the witnesses nor the victim wants to press charges at this time.
Correct answer: The team of investigators is gathering facts about the case.
The correct answer is 'The team of investigators is gathering facts about the case.' The subject of the sentence is 'team,' which is a singular noun, even though it represents a group of individuals. Therefore, it requires the singular verb 'is.' In the other options, 'suspect' is the singular subject requiring 'was,' 'Each' is a singular pronoun requiring 'was,' and 'victim' is the subject closest to the verb in the 'neither/nor' construction, requiring the singular verb 'wants'.
Question 2: A memo is being drafted to all department heads. Which of the following sentences uses punctuation correctly?
- The new policy, which takes effect on Monday, requires all employees to display their ID badges. (Correct answer)
- The new policy which takes effect on Monday requires all employees, to display their ID badges.
- The new policy, which takes effect on Monday requires all employees to display their ID badges.
- The new policy which takes effect on Monday, requires all employees to display their ID badges.
Correct answer: The new policy, which takes effect on Monday, requires all employees to display their ID badges.
The correct sentence is 'The new policy, which takes effect on Monday, requires all employees to display their ID badges.' The phrase 'which takes effect on Monday' is a non-restrictive clause, meaning it provides additional information but is not essential to the sentence's main meaning. Such clauses must be set off by commas, one before and one after.
Question 3: An employee is filling out an official form and comes across a field that requires a description of a past event. Which sentence is written in the correct past tense?
- The citizen runned across the street to report the incident.
- I seen the vehicle drive away from the location.
- The dispatcher had already broadcast the alert before my arrival. (Correct answer)
- We should of secured the perimeter immediately.
Correct answer: The dispatcher had already broadcast the alert before my arrival.
The sentence 'The dispatcher had already broadcast the alert before my arrival' correctly uses the past perfect tense ('had broadcast') to indicate an action that was completed before another past action ('my arrival'). The other options use incorrect verb forms: 'runned' should be 'ran,' 'seen' should be 'saw,' and 'should of' should be 'should have.'
Question 4: Which of the following words is spelled INCORRECTLY?
- Mischievous
- Belligerent
- Conscientious
- Maintainence (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Maintainence
The word 'Maintainence' is spelled incorrectly. The correct spelling is 'maintenance.' This is a common spelling error tested on civil service exams.
Question 5: A supervisor reviews an incident report and finds a sentence with a pronoun error. Which sentence needs correction?
- The suspect gave his statement to Officer Smith and me.
- Each officer must complete their own daily activity log. (Correct answer)
- The evidence was cataloged by her and the lead detective.
- To whom should this package be delivered?
Correct answer: Each officer must complete their own daily activity log.
The sentence 'Each officer must complete their own daily activity log' contains a pronoun-antecedent agreement error. The antecedent 'Each officer' is singular, so the pronoun referring to it should also be singular ('his or her' or rewriting the sentence). While 'their' is often used colloquially, in formal grammar, it is plural. The other sentences use pronouns correctly ('me' as an object, 'her' as an object, and 'whom' as the object of a preposition).
Question 6: When writing an official email to a citizen, it is important to use clear and professional language. Which of the following sentences is the MOST appropriate choice?
- We're looking into your complaint and we'll get back to you whenever.
- Your request has been received and is currently under review; a response will be provided within ten business days. (Correct answer)
- We got your message about the thing you called about and someone's on it.
- Per your inquiry, the aforementioned issue is being processed pursuant to standard operating procedures.
Correct answer: Your request has been received and is currently under review; a response will be provided within ten business days.
The sentence 'Your request has been received and is currently under review; a response will be provided within ten business days' is the most appropriate. It is professional, clear, and sets a specific expectation for a response time. The other options are either too informal ('get back to you whenever', 'someone's on it'), vague, or use excessive jargon ('per your inquiry, the aforementioned issue...').
