Part 3 of our Clerical Ability reviewer has 11 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.
Start Part 3Sample questions from Part 3
Here are a few questions from this part. Take the full test to answer all 11 and get your score.
Sample question 1
If you don’t "spill the beans" now, you might gonna regret it.
- spread rumors
- let out a secret
- plant some seeds
- none of the above
Answer: let out a secret
"Spill the beans" is an idiom that means to reveal a secret or disclose confidential information.
Sample question 2
Hey, man, you are absolutely "barking up the wrong tree" here because I’m innocent.
- choosing the wrong dog
- giving up a fight
- accusing the wrong person
- setting up an event in a tree
Answer: accusing the wrong person
"Barking up the wrong tree" is an idiom that means blaming or pursuing the wrong person or thing.
Sample question 3
One proven way to beat an enemy is find his "Achilles heel".
- secret strategy
- amulet
- strong point
- weak spot
Answer: weak spot
"Achilles' heel" refers to a person's greatest weakness or vulnerable point.
Sample question 4
His new Ferrari "costs an arm and a leg" so he is now looking for another job.
- very expensive
- got fired
- met an accident
- was stolen
Answer: very expensive
"Costs an arm and a leg" is an idiom that means something is extremely expensive.
Sample question 5
He married a woman who was "born with a silver spoon in her mouth".
- born very beautiful
- born very poor
- born into a very rich family
- born very talkative
Answer: born into a very rich family
"Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth" is an idiom that means someone was born into wealth and privilege.