Ohio Civil Service Reading Comprehension and Grammar Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read the following passage and answer the question below: 'The Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS) is responsible for a wide range of governmental functions. It provides centralized services to state agencies, boards, and commissions, which includes human resources management, information technology services, and procurement of goods and services. The goal of DAS is to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve efficiency across state government. By centralizing these key functions, DAS ensures that agencies can focus on their primary missions without being burdened by administrative overhead.' Which of the following statements best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
- The DAS's primary mission is to reduce the number of state agencies.
- The DAS focuses exclusively on information technology for the state of Ohio.
- The DAS provides centralized administrative support to state agencies to improve overall government efficiency. (Correct answer)
- The DAS is the only department that handles human resources for the entire state government.
Correct answer: The DAS provides centralized administrative support to state agencies to improve overall government efficiency.
The passage explicitly states that DAS provides centralized services like HR, IT, and procurement to help agencies focus on their missions and to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. This is best captured by answer C.
Question 2: Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?
- The manager, along with the two supervisors, were present at the meeting.
- Each of the employees are required to complete the safety training.
- The committee has submitted its final report to the director. (Correct answer)
- Neither the director nor the employees knows the final decision.
Correct answer: The committee has submitted its final report to the director.
The subject of the sentence is 'committee,' which is a singular noun. Therefore, the singular verb 'has' is correct. In option A, the subject is 'manager' (singular), so the verb should be 'was'. In option B, the subject is 'Each' (singular), so the verb should be 'is'. In option D, when 'neither/nor' is used, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it ('employees'), so the verb should be 'know'.
Question 3: A public service announcement states: 'To ensure public safety, all visitors must present a valid photo ID upon entering the municipal building. This policy, which will be strictly enforced, applies to everyone without exception. Your cooperation is essential for maintaining a secure environment for both visitors and employees.' Based on this announcement, who is required to show a photo ID?
- Only new employees of the municipal building.
- All visitors and employees.
- Only individuals who look suspicious.
- Every person entering the building. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Every person entering the building.
The announcement clearly states the policy 'applies to everyone without exception' who is 'entering the municipal building.' This is the most comprehensive and accurate answer.
Question 4: Choose the word that best completes the following sentence: The new regulations will have a significant _______ on how the department processes applications.
- affect
- effect (Correct answer)
- accept
- except
Correct answer: effect
'Effect' is a noun that means 'a result' or 'an influence.' 'Affect' is a verb that means 'to influence.' In this sentence, a noun is needed to describe the result of the regulations. Therefore, 'effect' is the correct choice.
Question 5: An employee receives a memo with several action items. One sentence reads: 'The report must be completed, you need to file the quarterly taxes, and the supply closet has to be inventoried by Friday.' Which of the following revisions corrects the grammatical error in the sentence?
- The report must be completed; you need to file the quarterly taxes; and the supply closet has to be inventoried by Friday.
- The report must be completed, and you need to file the quarterly taxes, and the supply closet has to be inventoried by Friday.
- Completing the report, filing the quarterly taxes, and inventorying the supply closet must be done by Friday. (Correct answer)
- The report must be completed, because you need to file the quarterly taxes, and the supply closet has to be inventoried by Friday.
Correct answer: Completing the report, filing the quarterly taxes, and inventorying the supply closet must be done by Friday.
The original sentence has a parallel structure error. The items in the list are not in the same grammatical form ('The report must be completed' vs. 'you need to file' vs. 'the supply closet has to be'). Option C corrects this by using a parallel gerund phrase structure ('Completing...', 'filing...', 'inventorying...'), making the sentence clear and grammatically correct.
Question 6: Read the following sentences: 'The city council approved the new zoning ordinance. The ordinance will restrict construction in residential areas.' Which of the following choices best combines these two sentences?
- The city council approved the new zoning ordinance, and it will restrict construction in residential areas.
- Restricting construction in residential areas, the city council approved the new zoning ordinance.
- The city council approved the new zoning ordinance, which will restrict construction in residential areas. (Correct answer)
- The city council approved the new zoning ordinance, but the ordinance will restrict construction in residential areas.
Correct answer: The city council approved the new zoning ordinance, which will restrict construction in residential areas.
This option correctly uses the relative pronoun 'which' to create a subordinate clause that modifies 'ordinance.' This creates a complex sentence that is both grammatically correct and flows well, clearly linking the ordinance to its function.
Ohio Civil Service Reading Comprehension and Grammar Questions and Answers
Read the following passage and answer the question below:
'The Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS) is responsible for a wide range of governmental functions.
It provides centralized services to state agencies, boards, and commissions, which includes human resources management, information technology services, and procurement of goods and services.
The goal of DAS is to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve efficiency across state government.
By centralizing these key functions, DAS ensures that agencies can focus on their primary missions without being burdened by administrative overhead.'
Which of the following statements best summarizes the main idea of the passage?