NYC Civil Service Written Comprehension and Expression Questions and Answers Flashcards

A procedure manual states: 'When a client disputes a determination, the caseworker must (1) log the dispute in the system, (2) notify the supervisor within one business day, and (3) provide the client with a written explanation within five business days.' A caseworker logs the dispute and notifies the supervisor but never sends the written explanation. How many steps did the caseworker complete?

Answer: Two of the three steps

The caseworker completed steps 1 and 2 but failed step 3, completing two of the three required steps.

Which revision BEST improves the following sentence for an official report? Original: 'It is the opinion of this writer that the aforementioned individual was in a state of intoxication.'

Answer: The subject appeared intoxicated.

'The subject appeared intoxicated' is direct, professional, and free of unnecessary first-person hedging and legalistic filler.

A regulation states: 'No employee shall disclose confidential case information to any person not authorized to receive it, including family members of the employee.' An employee's spouse asks about a case the employee is working on. Under this regulation, the employee should:

Answer: Decline to share any case information with the spouse

The regulation explicitly prohibits disclosure to family members, so the employee must decline to share any case information with the spouse.

Read the following passage: 'The City's procurement rules require three competitive bids for any purchase exceeding $20,000. Purchases below this threshold may use a simplified process.' A department needs to purchase office furniture costing $18,500. Which process applies?

Answer: The simplified process, since the purchase is below $20,000

At $18,500, the purchase falls below the $20,000 threshold, so the simplified procurement process applies.

Which of the following sentences contains a grammatical error?

Answer: Each of the employees are required to complete the annual training.

'Each' is a singular subject and requires the singular verb 'is,' not the plural 'are.'

A supervisor writes: 'Staff who fail to clock in before beginning their shift will be marked tardy, regardless of the reason.' An employee begins working at 9:00 AM but forgets to clock in until 9:15 AM. Under this policy, the employee will be:

Answer: Marked tardy because clocking in after starting work violates the policy

The policy states the employee must clock in before beginning the shift; since the employee started work before clocking in, they will be marked tardy regardless of reason.