Civil Service Verbal Reasoning: Grammar Usage Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Choose the sentence that is grammatically correct.
- The committee are in disagreement about the proposed budget.
- The flock of birds were flying south for the winter.
- Each of the applicants were highly qualified for the position.
- Either the department head or the managers have approved the report. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Either the department head or the managers have approved the report.
This question tests subject-verb agreement with correlative conjunctions (either/or). When subjects are joined by 'either/or' or 'neither/nor', the verb agrees with the subject closer to it. In this case, 'managers' is a plural noun, so the plural verb 'have' is correct.
Question 2: Having finished the report, the data was analyzed carefully to ensure accuracy.
- Having finished the report, the data was analyzed carefully...
- After finishing the report, the data was carefully analyzed...
- After the report was finished, the project manager carefully analyzed the data... (Correct answer)
- The data, having finished the report, was carefully analyzed...
Correct answer: After the report was finished, the project manager carefully analyzed the data...
This sentence contains a dangling modifier. The introductory phrase 'Having finished the report' should modify the noun that actually performed the action. The data did not finish the report. The correct answer clarifies who finished the report and then analyzed the data (the project manager).
Question 3: The public relations officer, together with the event coordinators, ______ responsible for the successful execution of the campaign.
- are
- is (Correct answer)
- were
- have been
Correct answer: is
The subject of the sentence is 'officer' (singular). The phrase 'together with the event coordinators' is an intervening phrase and does not affect the number of the subject. Therefore, the singular verb 'is' is required to agree with the singular subject.
Question 4: Which of the following sentences uses pronouns correctly?
- Every employee must submit their timesheet by Friday.
- The manager spoke to my colleague and I about the new project.
- Neither the director nor the supervisors gave their approval for the leave.
- Each of the departments will present its findings at the meeting. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Each of the departments will present its findings at the meeting.
The indefinite pronoun 'Each' is singular. Therefore, it requires a singular possessive pronoun. 'Its' is the correct singular pronoun to refer to 'Each of the departments'. 'Their' is a plural pronoun.
Question 5: The agency implemented new security protocols, conducted staff training, and ________ its data encryption methods last quarter.
- upgrades
- will upgrade
- upgraded (Correct answer)
- had upgraded
Correct answer: upgraded
This sentence requires parallel verb tense. The first two verbs in the series, 'implemented' and 'conducted', are in the simple past tense. To maintain consistency, the third verb must also be in the simple past tense, which is 'upgraded'.
Question 6: Due to the recent merger, there are now significantly ______ employees in the company than there were last year.
- less
- fewer (Correct answer)
- amount of
- lesser
Correct answer: fewer
The word 'fewer' is used for countable nouns, while 'less' is used for uncountable nouns. Since 'employees' can be counted, 'fewer' is the correct word to use in this context.
Civil Service Verbal Reasoning: Grammar Usage Questions and Answers 1
Choose the sentence that is grammatically correct.