Analytical Ability Reviewer - Part 10

Practice 20 Analytical Ability questions for the Civil Service Exam (CSE), each with the correct answer and an explanation.

20 questions80% passing markFree

Part 10 of our Analytical Ability reviewer has 20 practice questions in the style of the Civil Service Exam. Answer them in order, read the explanation after each one, and check your score against the 80% passing mark at the end. Questions and choices are reshuffled every time you retake the part.

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Sample questions from Part 10

Here are a few questions from this part. Take the full test to answer all 20 and get your score.

Sample question 1

Statements:
1. All employees are writers.
2. Some writers are not volunteers.
3. All volunteers are vendors.
4. Some volunteers are employees.

Which conclusion must follow?

  • No writers are volunteers.
  • All writers are vendors.
  • Some employees are vendors.
  • No employees are volunteers.
Answer: Some employees are vendors.
Picture each group as a circle and combine the statements. The conclusion Some employees are vendors is true in every possible arrangement of the circles that satisfies the given statements, while each of the other choices can be false in at least one arrangement.

Sample question 2

Statements:
1. All carpenters are writers.
2. All writers are volunteers.

Which conclusion must follow?

  • Some volunteers are not carpenters.
  • All carpenters are volunteers.
  • Some carpenters are not volunteers.
  • No carpenters are volunteers.
Answer: All carpenters are volunteers.
Picture each group as a circle and combine the statements. The conclusion All carpenters are volunteers is true in every possible arrangement of the circles that satisfies the given statements, while each of the other choices can be false in at least one arrangement.

Sample question 3

Statement: If Mario files his leave on time, then his leave is approved.
Fact: Mario files his leave on time.

Which conclusion must be true?

  • His leave is approved.
  • His leave is not approved.
  • His leave is not approved, although Mario files his leave on time.
  • Nothing can be concluded about whether his leave is approved.
Answer: His leave is approved.
This is a valid modus ponens: the condition “Mario files his leave on time” is met, so the result must follow. Hence His leave is approved.

Sample question 4

Statements:
1. All accountants are librarians.
2. Some accountants are soldiers.

Which conclusion must follow?

  • Some soldiers are librarians.
  • Some librarians are not soldiers.
  • All librarians are soldiers.
  • No soldiers are librarians.
Answer: Some soldiers are librarians.
Picture each group as a circle and combine the statements. The conclusion Some soldiers are librarians is true in every possible arrangement of the circles that satisfies the given statements, while each of the other choices can be false in at least one arrangement.

Sample question 5

Statements:
1. If the goods pass inspection, then the payment is not released.
2. The supplier delivers on time only if the payment is not released.
3. Unless the contract is not renewed, the supplier delivers on time.
4. If the goods pass inspection, then the contract is not renewed.
5. The payment is released if and only if the contract is renewed.
6. Fact: The goods do not pass inspection.

Which conclusion must be true?

  • The supplier does not deliver on time.
  • If the supplier delivers on time, then the contract is renewed.
  • The supplier delivers on time.
  • The payment is not released.
Answer: The payment is not released.
Test every possible combination of true/false for the four situations against all the statements. Only 2 combinations survive: (the supplier does not deliver on time; the goods do not pass inspection; the payment is not released; the contract is not renewed) or (the supplier delivers on time; the goods do not pass inspection; the payment is not released; the contract is not renewed). In every surviving case the following holds: The payment is not released. The other options can fail in a case that is still consistent with the statements (they are possible, but not certain).

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