NYC Reading Comprehension Skills 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage from a procedure manual states: 'Forms submitted with missing required fields will be returned to the submitter for completion and will not be processed until resubmitted in full.' A form missing one required field is submitted. What will happen?
- The form will be processed with a note about the missing field
- The form will be returned and must be completed before processing (Correct answer)
- The supervisor will complete the missing field on behalf of the submitter
- The form will be rejected permanently
Correct answer: The form will be returned and must be completed before processing
The manual states incomplete forms are returned and not processed until resubmitted in full, not permanently rejected or corrected by staff.
Question 2: Read the following excerpt: 'The project was delayed not due to lack of resources, but rather due to a failure in inter-departmental communication.' What is identified as the cause of the delay?
- Insufficient funding
- Inadequate staffing levels
- Poor communication between departments (Correct answer)
- Delays in procurement of materials
Correct answer: Poor communication between departments
The passage explicitly attributes the delay to a failure in inter-departmental communication, not resources.
Question 3: A notice states: 'Permits for street fairs must be applied for no fewer than 60 days before the event. Applications received less than 60 days before the event date will be denied without exception.' An organizer applies 65 days before their planned street fair. This application:
- Will be denied because it should have been submitted 90 days in advance
- Meets the requirement because it was submitted at least 60 days before the event (Correct answer)
- Will be reviewed at the agency's discretion because it was barely on time
- Will be denied because no exceptions are made
Correct answer: Meets the requirement because it was submitted at least 60 days before the event
The application was submitted 65 days in advance, satisfying the minimum 60-day requirement.
Question 4: A paragraph reads: 'Records deemed confidential are accessible only to personnel with a demonstrated operational need. Supervisors may grant temporary access on a case-by-case basis.' Which conclusion is best supported by this passage?
- All employees can access confidential records upon request
- Access to confidential records is limited and requires justification (Correct answer)
- Supervisors have unrestricted access to all confidential records
- Temporary access is automatically granted to all supervisors
Correct answer: Access to confidential records is limited and requires justification
Access is restricted to those with an operational need, and temporary access is granted case-by-case, indicating access is limited and requires justification.
Question 5: A report contains this sentence: 'Despite widespread public opposition, the council unanimously approved the rezoning measure.' What does 'unanimously' mean as used here?
- By a narrow majority
- With significant debate
- With all members in agreement (Correct answer)
- After multiple rounds of voting
Correct answer: With all members in agreement
'Unanimously' means all members voted in agreement, indicating no dissenting votes on the council.
Question 6: A directive reads: 'Supervisors must conduct annual performance reviews for each subordinate. Reviews must be completed and signed by both the supervisor and subordinate before the end of the fiscal year.' A supervisor completes a review on time, but the subordinate refuses to sign it. Which is the best conclusion?
- The review is complete because the supervisor signed it
- The review does not fully comply because both signatures are required (Correct answer)
- The subordinate's refusal cancels the review entirely
- The review is valid after a 30-day waiting period
Correct answer: The review does not fully comply because both signatures are required
The directive requires both the supervisor's and subordinate's signatures; without the subordinate's signature, the requirement is not fully met.
Question 7: Read the following: 'Staff are reminded that client information is strictly confidential and may not be disclosed to third parties except as required by law or with the written consent of the client.' A staff member shares a client's case details with a journalist who claims to be writing a public interest story. This action is:
- Acceptable because it serves the public interest
- A violation because neither a legal requirement nor client consent was present (Correct answer)
- Acceptable if the journalist agrees not to publish names
- A violation only if the client later objects
Correct answer: A violation because neither a legal requirement nor client consent was present
Disclosure is only permitted by law or with client written consent; a journalist's public interest claim satisfies neither exception.
NYC Reading Comprehension Skills 5
A passage from a procedure manual states: 'Forms submitted with missing required fields will be returned to the submitter for completion and will not be processed until resubmitted in full.' A form missing one required field is submitted.
What will happen?