Verbal Ability Reviewer for the Civil Service Exam

Verbal Ability checks how well you understand and use English. On the Civil Service Exam it is one of the sections where steady practice pays off the most, because the question types repeat from test to test.

17 parts305 questions80% passing markFree

This free Verbal Ability reviewer on Civil Service Exam Reviewer has 17 parts and about 305 practice questions. Every question shows the correct answer and, in most cases, an explanation. Your score is checked against the 80% passing mark, and you can retake any part as often as you like.

What the Verbal Ability section covers

  • VocabularySynonyms, antonyms, word meanings and choosing the word that best completes a sentence.
  • Grammar and correct usageSubject-verb agreement, verb tenses, pronouns, prepositions and parallel structure.
  • Sentence correction and spellingSpotting the error in a sentence and choosing the correctly spelled word.
  • Reading comprehensionAnswering questions about the main idea, details and the author's purpose in a short passage.
  • Sentence arrangementPutting jumbled sentences in the order that forms a logical paragraph.

How to prepare for Verbal Ability

  • Read widely in English every day, such as news articles and editorials. Reading builds vocabulary faster than memorizing lists.
  • For reading comprehension, read the questions first so you know what to look for, then read the passage once and carefully.
  • For sentence arrangement, find the opening sentence that introduces the topic and the concluding sentence that wraps it up, then connect the rest using linking words like "however," "therefore" and "also."
  • When two grammar choices look right, say the sentence aloud. A wrong agreement or tense usually sounds off.
  • Review every explanation after a test. The rules you miss once are the rules you will miss again.

Sample Verbal Ability questions

Try these sample questions from our reviewer, then check the explanation below each one.

Sample question 1

The following are examples of Palindrome, except.

  • level
  • same
  • deified
  • noon
Answer: same
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number or sequence of words that reads the same backward as forward.

Sample question 2

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 meaning to reveal a secret: let out a secret.

Sample question 3

There are no effective boundaries when it comes to pollutants. Studies have shown that toxic
insecticides that have been banned in many countries are riding the wind from countries where they
remain legal. Compounds such as DDT and toxaphene have been found in remote places like the
Yukon and other Arctic regions.
This paragraph best supports the statement that

  • toxic insecticides such as DDT have not been banned throughout the world.
  • more pollutants find their way into polar climates than they do into warmer areas.
  • studies have proven that many countries have ignored their own anti-pollution laws.
  • DDT and toxaphene are the two most toxic insecticides in the world.
Answer: toxic insecticides such as DDT have not been banned throughout the world.
The passage says insecticides such as DDT are banned in many countries but remain legal in other countries, from where they travel by wind. So DDT is not banned throughout the world. The other options go beyond the passage (polar vs. warm areas, ignored laws, most toxic).

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