Verbal reasoning practice questions

Question 1 · True, False or Cannot say

From Monday 3 March the ward rota at Ashby Community Hospital will move from three shifts to two. Day shifts will run from 7 am to 7 pm and night shifts from 7 pm to 7 am, replacing the current early, late and night pattern. Nurses will work either three or four shifts per week, depending on their contracted hours, and no nurse will be required to work more than three night shifts in a row. Staff who currently work part-time hours of fewer than 20 per week will be asked to confirm their preferred pattern by 14 February. Healthcare assistants are not affected by the change and will continue on the existing three-shift pattern until the summer review. Statement: Healthcare assistants will move to the two-shift pattern on 3 March.

1. ATrue
2. BFalse
3. CCannot say

Question 2 · True, False or Cannot say

A fixed-rate savings account from Marlow Mutual pays 4.1 per cent annual interest, which is fixed for the whole term of two years. The minimum deposit is £500 and the maximum is £85,000. Interest is paid on the anniversary of the account opening, and savers can choose to have it added to the account or paid into another account held with the society. Withdrawals are not permitted during the term, except in the event of the death of the account holder. Once the term ends, savers have 14 days to decide what to do with the money; if no instruction is received, the funds are moved to an easy-access account paying a variable rate. Statement: A saver who gives no instruction within 14 days of the term ending will have their money moved to a variable-rate account.

1. ATrue
2. BFalse
3. CCannot say

Question 3 · True, False or Cannot say

A fixed-rate savings account from Marlow Mutual pays 4.1 per cent annual interest, which is fixed for the whole term of two years. The minimum deposit is £500 and the maximum is £85,000. Interest is paid on the anniversary of the account opening, and savers can choose to have it added to the account or paid into another account held with the society. Withdrawals are not permitted during the term, except in the event of the death of the account holder. Once the term ends, savers have 14 days to decide what to do with the money; if no instruction is received, the funds are moved to an easy-access account paying a variable rate. Statement: The variable rate on the easy-access account is lower than 4.1 per cent.

1. ATrue
2. BFalse
3. CCannot say

Question 4 · True, False or Cannot say

In the year to 31 March, Riverside Food Aid distributed 218,000 meals, an increase of 12 per cent on the previous year. Donations of food from supermarkets provided 60 per cent of the ingredients, with the remainder bought using grant income. The charity employs 9 paid staff and relied on 140 volunteers, of whom about a third volunteered at least once a week. Total income was £412,000 and total spending was £398,000. The trustees have agreed that any surplus will be added to a reserve fund until it reaches six months of running costs, which is currently estimated at £210,000. A new distribution site opened in October, and a second is planned for next year if grant funding is secured. Statement: About 140 volunteers helped at least once a week.

1. ATrue
2. BFalse
3. CCannot say

Question 5 · True, False or Cannot say

The library service review compared this year with last. Total visits fell from 212,000 to 198,000, but the number of digital loans rose from 41,000 to 57,000. Printed book loans fell by 8 per cent. The review notes that the two branch libraries open on Saturdays recorded the smallest fall in visits, while the central library, which opens six days a week, recorded the largest. Following the review, the service will keep all five libraries open, but will reduce opening hours at the three smallest branches from 40 to 32 hours a week from April. The central library’s hours will not change. A separate survey of users will be carried out in the autumn. Statement: Total visits fell by more than 20,000 over the year.

1. ATrue
2. BFalse
3. CCannot say

Question 6 · True, False or Cannot say

The co-operative’s annual report shows that its two wind turbines and one solar array generated 9.6 gigawatt-hours in total, up from 8.9 the year before. The turbines produced 7.2 gigawatt-hours of this total. Members, who each hold one vote regardless of how many shares they own, approved a dividend of 3 per cent on shares, and 40 per cent of surplus income was set aside for a community fund. The solar array was installed in March of the reporting year, so it operated for only part of the twelve months. The board plans to add a second solar array if members vote for it at the next general meeting, which will take place in June. Statement: The solar array generated 2.4 gigawatt-hours during the year.

1. ATrue
2. BFalse
3. CCannot say