Verbal Ability Reviewer - Part 34

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

20 questions80% passing markFree

Part 34 of our Verbal 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.

Start Part 34

Sample questions from Part 34

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

Sample question 1

Classify the sentence: When the witness hesitated, the judge, who had grown impatient, repeated the question; the lawyer objected.

  • simple sentence
  • compound-complex sentence
  • compound sentence
  • complex sentence
Answer: compound-complex sentence
Independent: "the judge ... repeated the question" and "the lawyer objected"; dependent: "When ...", "who ...".

Sample question 2

Choose the best revision of: "After finishing the report, the printer was turned off."

  • After finishing the report, Liza turned off the printer.
  • After finishing the report, the printer was turned off by her.
  • Finishing the report, the printer was turned off.
  • After finishing the report, turning off the printer was done.
Answer: After finishing the report, Liza turned off the printer.
The introductory phrase needs a doer: Liza.

Sample question 3

Which of these sentences is fused, with no punctuation or conjunction between its clauses?

  • Many employees joined the fun run, and they received free shirts.
  • Many employees joined the fun run; they received free shirts.
  • Many employees who joined the fun run received free shirts.
  • Many employees joined the fun run they received free shirts.
Answer: Many employees joined the fun run they received free shirts.
Two independent clauses with no punctuation or conjunction.

Sample question 4

Which sentence is free of a dangling modifier?

  • To pass the exam, regular review is needed.
  • To pass the exam, studying hard is key.
  • To pass the exam, you must review regularly.
  • To pass the exam, the reviewer must be finished.
Answer: To pass the exam, you must review regularly.
In the correct sentence, "you" is the one who passes.

Sample question 5

Choose the best way to combine: "The road was flooded. The bus could not pass."

  • The road was flooded the bus could not pass.
  • The road was flooded, the bus could not pass.
  • Because the road was flooded, the bus could not pass.
  • The road flooded, and so because the bus could not pass.
Answer: Because the road was flooded, the bus could not pass.
The subordinator "Because" shows the cause and avoids a run-on.

More Verbal Ability parts

Related study guides