Mixed Deck — All Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Test Topics Flashcards

If interest rates rise, mortgage costs increase. If mortgage costs increase, fewer homes are sold. Interest rates rose last month. Which MUST follow?

Answer: Fewer homes will be sold

This is a chain of conditionals: rates rise → costs increase → fewer sales. Since rates rose, the chain leads to fewer homes being sold.

The department took a 'holistic' approach to wellbeing. What does this mean?

Answer: Considering all aspects of a person's situation together

'Holistic' means dealing with the whole of something rather than individual parts. A holistic approach considers all relevant factors together.

Passage: 'The museum is closed on Mondays and bank holidays.' It is a Tuesday that is not a bank holiday. Which is TRUE?

Answer: The museum is open

Since the museum only closes on Mondays and bank holidays, and Tuesday is neither, it must be open according to the passage.

Argument: 'This political party has been in power for ten years and crime has risen. The party is responsible for rising crime.' What flaw does this contain?

Answer: It confuses correlation with causation — many factors affect crime rates beyond government policy

Crime rates are affected by economic conditions, social factors, policing, and many other variables. Simply governing during a period of rising crime does not make the party responsible.

A report says the findings are 'inconclusive'. What does this mean?

Answer: They do not lead to a definite conclusion

'Inconclusive' means not leading to a clear or definitive conclusion. Inconclusive findings leave questions unanswered.

Passage: 'The department processed 1,200 applications in Q1 and 1,450 in Q2.' Which is TRUE?

Answer: More applications were processed in Q2 than Q1

1,450 is greater than 1,200, so more were processed in Q2 than Q1. Option A is correct.

Read the following passage: 'The Civil Service Code requires all civil servants to carry out their duties with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity, and impartiality. These values are enshrined in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, which placed the Code on a statutory footing for the first time.' According to the passage, when were the core values given a statutory basis?

Answer: In 2010 through the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act

The passage explicitly states that the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 'placed the Code on a statutory footing for the first time,' meaning this was when the values gained their legal/statutory basis.

WHISPER is to SHOUT as TRICKLE is to:

Answer: Flood

A whisper is a very quiet version of speaking; a shout is very loud. A trickle is a very small flow of water; a flood is an overwhelming one. Both are intensity relationships.

Choose the sentence with the correct use of 'who' and 'whom':

Answer: Whom should I contact about this matter?

'Whom' is used as the object of a verb or preposition. In 'Whom should I contact?' — 'whom' is the object of 'contact.' This is correct.

A school's exam results improved significantly after introducing a homework ban. The headteacher concludes homework was harming results. What WEAKENS this?

Answer: The school also hired several new specialist teachers that year

If new specialist teachers were also hired, the improvement could be due to teaching quality rather than the homework ban. This is an alternative explanation.

Which word is the OPPOSITE of AMBIVALENT?

Answer: Decided

Ambivalent means having mixed feelings or being uncertain. Its antonym is decided — clear and committed to one view.

Passage: 'All delegates attending the conference must register in advance. Walk-in registrations are not permitted.' Which is TRUE?

Answer: You cannot attend the conference without registering beforehand

'Must register in advance' and 'walk-in registrations not permitted' together confirm you cannot attend without prior registration.

The committee 'deferred' its decision. What does this mean?

Answer: Postponed it to a later time

'Deferred' means put off or delayed to a later time. The committee did not make a decision — it postponed doing so.

Statement: 'The Government Estates Strategy aims to reduce the central government estate by 30% by 2030, saving an estimated £3.8 billion over ten years. To date, 15% of the reduction has been achieved.' Assess the progress described.

Answer: Progress is being made but at half the total target — without knowing the timeline position, it is unclear whether the pace is sufficient to achieve 30% by 2030

15% out of 30% means half the reduction target has been achieved. Whether this represents good or poor progress depends on where we are in the timeline to 2030. If we are halfway through the programme, this is on track; if we are near the end, it is behind schedule. The statement lacks sufficient temporal context for a definitive assessment.

Passage: 'The government aims to plant 30 million trees by 2030. So far, 8 million have been planted.' Which is TRUE?

Answer: 22 million trees remain to be planted

30 million minus 8 million equals 22 million trees remaining. Both options A and D are correct in meaning, but D is the most precise and directly calculable statement.

Choose the correctly spelled word.

Answer: Definitely

'Definitely' is formed from the root word 'definite' plus '-ly', not '-ately' or any other suffix.

A company's profits rose by £2m after they hired a new CEO. The board concluded the CEO caused the increase. Which STRENGTHENS their conclusion?

Answer: Detailed analysis shows the increase came from decisions made by the new CEO

If detailed analysis directly links the CEO's decisions to the profit increase, this strengthens the causal claim. Especially if the industry fell, this rules out a sector-wide trend.

Two arguments are presented about government outsourcing: Argument A: 'Outsourcing saves taxpayers money by introducing private sector competition.' Argument B: 'Outsourcing reduces accountability because private companies are not subject to the same transparency requirements as government departments.' Which evaluation is most accurate?

Answer: Both arguments address valid but different aspects of the issue — cost efficiency versus democratic accountability

Both arguments identify genuine considerations. Argument A addresses economic efficiency (a real benefit of competition), whilst Argument B addresses democratic accountability (a real concern with private delivery). They are not contradictory but highlight different dimensions of the same policy trade-off.

The new drug is effective if taken within 24 hours of symptoms appearing. A patient took it after 36 hours. Which MUST follow?

Answer: The drug may not be effective for this patient

The drug's effectiveness requires use within 24 hours. The patient waited 36 hours — beyond the window. The drug may not be effective in this case.

The policy document referred to 'mitigating circumstances'. What does 'mitigating' mean in this context?

Answer: Factors that reduce the severity of blame or punishment

'Mitigating circumstances' are factors that lessen the severity of an offence or reduce blame. They don't excuse behaviour but may reduce the consequences.