Philippine Civil Service Reviewer -Math/Logic/Vocabulary

Multiplication and Division of Fractions Exercises – Set 1

Week 4
1. 3/4 x 1/2
2. 2/7 x 7/10
3. 4 1/5 x 2/3
4. 8 x 3/4
5. 1 2/3 x 2 3/4 x 11/12
6. 2/5 ÷ 4/5
7. 3/4 ÷ 8
8. 9 ÷ 3/4
9. 5 1/6 ÷ 3/31
10. 2 5/6 ÷ 4 3/5
Answers:
1. 3/8 3/4 x 1/2 = 3/8
2. 1/5
Solution
2/7 x 7/10 = 14/70 = 1/5
3. 2 4/5
Solution
4 1/5 x 2/3
= 21/5 x 2/3 = 42/15
= 2 12/15 = 2 4/5
4. 6

Solution
8 x 3/4 = 8/1 x 3/4
= 24/4 = 6
5. 4 29/144
Solution
1 2/3 x 2 3/4 x 11/12
= 5/3 x 11/4 x 11/12
= 605/144
= 4 29/144
6. 1/2
Solution
2/5 x 5/4 = 10/20 = 1/2
7. 3/32
Solution
3/4 ÷ 8
= 3/4 x 1/8
= 3/32
8. 12
Solution
9 ÷ 3/4 = 9/1 x 4/3 = 36/3 = 12
9. 5 1/6 ÷ 31/3
= 31/6 x 3/31
= 961/18 = 53 7/18
10. 8/35

2 5/6 ÷ 4 3/5 = 17/6 ÷ 23/5
= 17/6 x 5/23 = 85/138

Subtraction of Fractions Exercises – Set 1

Find the difference of the following:
1. 8/11 – 3/11
2. 7/16 – 3/16
3. 4/5 – 3/4
4. 7 – 4/9
5. 8 9/10 – 3/10
6. 6 2/7 – 5/7
7. 4 1/3 – 1/6
8. 6 3/5 – 2 3/4
9. 11 2/3 – 7
10. 9 2/5 – 11/9
Answers:
1. 5/11
2. 1/4
Solution
7/16 – 3/16 = 4/16 = 1/4
3. 1/20
Solution
LCD: 20
4/5 – 3/4 = 16/20 – 15/20 = 1/20
4. 6 5/9
Solution
We can decompose 7 into 6 and 9/9.
6 9/9 – 4/9 = 6 5/9
5. 8 3/5
Solution
8 9/10 – 3/10 = 8 6/10 = 8 3/5
6. 5 4/7
Solution
5 9/7 – 5/7 = 5 4/7
7. 4 1/6
Solution
LCD: 6
4 1/3 – 1/6 = 4 2/6 – 1/6 = 4 1/6
8. 3 17/20
Solution
LCD: 20
5 8/5 – 2 3/4 = 5 32/20 – 2 15/20 = 3 17/20
9. 4 2/3
Solution
11 2/3 – 7 = 4 2/3
10. 8 8/45

Solution
9 2/5 – 11/9 = 8 7/5 – 11/9
LCD: 45
8 63/45 – 55/45
8 8/45

Addition of Fractions Exercises – Set 1

by Civil Service Reviewer · April 20, 2017

Find the sum of the following.

1. 1/8 + 2/8 + 3/8
2. 2/5 + 1/4
3. 5/8 + 7/12
4. 1/15 + 3/5 + 1/3
5. 4 + 3/5
6. 2 1/3 + 1/2
7. 3 3/4 + 7/10
8. 6 1/5 + 2 7/15 + 1/3
9. 3 + 7 1/8 + 4/5
10. 9 1/2 + 11/3

Solution and Answers
1. 3/4
2. 13/20
LCD: 20
8/20 + 5/20 = 13/20
3. 1 1/6
LCD: 24
15/24 + 14/24 = 29/24 = 1 5/24
4. 1
LCD: 15
1/15 + 9/15 + 5/15 = 15/15 = 1
5. 4 3/5
4 3/5
6. 2 5/6
LCD: 6
2 2/6 + 3/6 = 2 5/6
7. 4 9/20
LCD: 20
3 15/20 + 14/20
= 3 29/20 = 4 9/20
8. 9
LCD: 15
6 3/15 + 2 7/15 + 5/15
= 8 15/15 = 9
9. 10 37/40
LCD: 40
3 + 7 5/40 + 32/40
= 10 37/40

10. 13 1/6
LCD: 6
9 3/6 + 22/6
= 9 25/6 or 13 1/6

Civil Service Exam Vocabulary Review 15

by Civil Service Reviewer · April 16, 2017

This is the PCSR 15th vocabulary reviewer.
1. Abridge – verb
Shorten, diminish, curtail
Because my time was limited, I just watched the abridged version of the movie.
2. Blunder – noun
Error, careless mistake, blooper
The criminal’s blunder led to his capture.
3. Cacophonous- adjective
Discordant, loud noise
I did not sleep well last night because of the cacophonous sound upstairs.
4. Deadlock-noun
Standstill, dead end, stalemate
Because the negotiations had reached a deadlock, the team leader decided to take a recess.
5. Ensconce-verb
Settle, establish
After her retirement, the old maid ensconced on her rest house by the beach.
6. Fervent-adjective
Ardent, hot
After attending a retreat, Allison suddenly felt a fervent desire to change herself.
7. Gibe-verb
Mock, jibe, slam, taunt
The mean girls at school consistently gibed at Minna, teasing her about her old clothes.
8. Heinous-adjective
Atrocious, hatefully bad
Most of the senators voted to bring back the death penalty, but for heinous crimes only.
9. Incorrigible-adjective
not correctable
The effect of the drugs on the youth makes them incorrigible; they will just keep on justifying their wrongdoings.
10. Insipid-adjective
Lack of flavor, dull

Grandma prepared us an insipid cookie. We pretend that it was sweet so that grandma’s feelings won’t get hurt.

Rules in Alphabetic Filing Part 3

by Civil Service Reviewer · April 15, 2017

This the third post in the Alphabetic Filing series. In this post, we are going to discuss the rules when confusion arises in distinguishing first names and last names.
Rule 3
When it is impossible to distinguish which is the first name or the last name, or if there is confusion in the arrangement of the names, file in alphabetically as written. Consider the following examples.
Carlo Bernardo
Jose Mario
Guillermo Mateo
Rosario Leopoldo
Magno Roberto
In the listed names above, it is difficult to distinguish what which are the first names and the surnames. Therefore, we can assume that the second names are the surnames. Thus, when they are alphabetized, they are arranged as follows.
Bernardo, Carlo
Leopoldo, Rosario
Mario, Jose
Mateo, Guillermo
Roberto, Magno
Exercise 1
Leon Rodrigo
Bianca Victoria
Nicolas Romeo
Benedicto Pedro
Jaime Lee
Exercise 2
Marcos Angelo
Felix Patricio
Alberto Rico
Jericho Rodolfo
Camille Maria
Exercise 3
Jorge Enrique
Luis Nico
Angela Gabriella
Daniel Magnus
Jeffrey Lester
Answer to Exercise 1
Lee, Jaime
Pedro, Benedicto
Rodrigo, Leon
Romeo, Nicolas
Victoria, Bianca
Answer to Exercise 2
Angelo, Marcos
Maria, Camille
Patricio, Felix
Rico, Alberto
Rodolfo, Jericho
Answer to Exercise 3

Enrique, Jorge
Gabriella, Angela
Lester, Jeffrey
Magnus, Daniel
Nico, Luis

LCM and GCD Exercises Set 1

by Civil Service Reviewer · April 9, 2017

After learning about LCM and GCD in our PCSR Review Guide 1, let’s practice what we have learned by answering the exercises below.
1.) What is the LCM of 6 and 8?
2.) What is the LCM of 3, 4, and 9?
3.) Consider the following sequences:
Sequence 1: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, …
Sequence 2: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, …
As we can see, 20 is common to both sequences. What is the 10th common number?
4.) Gina goes to BODY SLIM gym every 3 days, while Sam goes to the same gym every 4 days. If they were in the same gym on a February 12, what’s the nearest date that they will be both in the gym?
5.) In a decoration LED light, the green lights blink every 400 milliseconds, the blue light every 500 milliseconds, and the red light every 750 milliseconds. If the three lights all blinked at the same time, in how many milliseconds will they again blink at the same time?
6.) What is the LCD of 1/3, 1/4, and 1/6?
7.) What is the GCD of 28 and 35?
8.) What is the GCD of 39, 65, and 91?
9.) A rectangular paper with dimensions 12 inches by 18 inches is to be cut into largest possible squares of equal sizes. If no paper is to be wasted, what should be the dimensions of the squares?
Q10.) A rectangular prism piece of wood with dimensions 16 inches by 20 inches by 32 is to be cut into cubes of the same size.
A. If we want to minimize the wasted wood while cutting, what should be the dimensions of the cubes?
B. How many cubes can we make given the above conditions?

Solutions and Answers
1.) 24
2.) 36
3.)  200
4.) LCM of 3 and 4 is 12. Twelve days after February 12 is February 24.
5.) 6000 milliseconds
6.) 12
7.) 7
8.) 13
9.) Side of the square should be GCD of 12 and 18 which is 6 inches.
10.) A. Side of the cube should be GCD of 16, 20, and 32 which is equal to 4 inches.

B. 16/4 × 20/4× 32/4 = 4 × 5 × 8 = 160 cubes

Civil Service Exam Vocabulary Review 14

by Civil Service Reviewer · March 24, 2017

This is the PCSR 14th vocabulary reviewer.
1.) gullible – adjective
Easily deceived or tricked, credulous, naïve, exploitable
Example: The Budol-Budol group is now in jail for scamming gullible senior citizens.
2.) abyss – noun
Bottomless gulf or pit, extremely deep hole
Example: While standing on a cliff to capture his perfect shot, he dropped his phone into a murky abyss.
3.) connoisseur – noun
An expert able to appreciate a field; especially in fine arts, expert, specialist
Example: The discriminating eye of the connoisseur inspired the artist to improve her crafts.
4.) larceny – noun
Theft of personal property, stealing, thieving
Example: The congressman has been charged with grand larceny because of his unexplained wealth.
5.) elegy – noun
A sorrowful poem or speech, a lament for the dead
Example: Maria offers an elegy during his father’s wake.
6.) eloquent – adjective
Persuasive and moving, speaking effectively
Example: The candidate was very eloquent during his speech, reaching out to many people’s hearts and expressing his sincerity.
7.) ingrate – noun
Ungrateful person
Example: Hanna is an ingrate child; you can never please her no matter what you do.
8.) flippant – adjective
Not showing a serious or respectful attitude
Example: During a very serious discussion, Marco made a flippant remark that made his co-workers disappointed.
9.) drapery – noun
Hanging cloth used as blind (especially in windows) coverings
Example: The school’s hall is decorated with red draperies to celebrate the Valentine’s day.
10.) fluctuate – verb
Rise and fall irregularly, to change continually, shift back and forth or up and down

Example: The electrical fluctuation caused the lights to blink irregularly

The Difference Among LCM, LCD, GCD and GCF

by Civil Service Reviewer · March 9, 2017

LCM and LCD
LCM means Least Common Multiple. Multiple in this context is used for integers. LCD, on the other hand, means Least Common Denominator. As we know, denominator is used in fractions.
So, in 1/3 and 1/4, should we say, LCM or LCD?
CORRECT STATEMENT: LCM of 3 and 4 (multiple is used for integers).
CORRECT STATEMENT: LCD of 1/3 and 1/4 (denominator is used for fractions).
It is INCORRECT to say LCM of 1/3 and 1/4.
Notice that the LCM of 3 and 4 and the LCD of 1/3 and 1/4 is 12. That’s why most people use them interchangeably.
GCF and GCD
GCF means Greatest Common Factor
A factor of an integer is an integer that can be multiplied with another integer to get the given integer. For example, 3 is a factor of 6 because 3 x 2 = 6.
A divisor of an integer is an integer that divides that integer (without a remainder). For example, 3 is a divisor of 6 because 6/3 = 2, which is an integer.
Basically, factors and divisors have the same meaning when it comes to integers. Factor, however, is the term used in multiplication, while divisor is the term used for division. Here are some examples.
Positive factors of 12 are 1, 2, 4, 6, 12.
Positive divisors of 12 are 1, 2, 4, 6, 12.

GCF and GCD have the same meaning and will give the same values.

This is the PCSR 13th vocabulary reviewer.
1. Knave – noun
Untrustworthy person, rogue, scoundrel, unscrupulous man
Example: The knave is usually suspicious of everyone around him. 
2. Laggard – adjective
Slow, sluggish, dilatory
Example: Jimmy, a laggard, always makes his friends late too.
3. Marred – adjective
Damaged, disfigured, scarred
Example: It took me all day to scrub the walls marred by graffiti.
4. Nadir – noun
Lowest point
Example: The nadir of humanity is when the time comes that it does not care anymore about life.
5. Ornate- adjective
Excessively or elaborately decorated, flowery
Example: The ornate ice carving won the first prize in the last Ice Festival in Sapporo.
6. Pariah – noun
Outcast, castaway
Example: Persons with leprosy were treated as social pariahs.
7. Quell – verb
Put down, extinguish, put an end, suppress
Example: The government is now planning on to quell the rebellion.
8. Rapacious – adjective
Excessively greedy
Example: The rapacious loan shark stripped the tenants with all their possessions.
9. Sham – verb
Pretend, fake
Example: Lucia shammed her sickness to avoid going to the dentist.
10. Tether – verb
Tie with a rope, attach

Example: Before leaving the farm, we make sure to tether the cows and goats to prevent them from wandering.

Analogy is one of the types of questions that is always included in the Civil Service Examination, both professional and sub-professional. This type of question is one of the trickiest questions in English. In this post, we are going to discuss some of the tips that you can use in answering this type of question.
Before discussing the first tip, you should note that there are two types of word analogy. The first one is called single-word analogy and the second is called double-word analogy. Here are some examples.
Single Word Analogy
_____: king :: bench : judge
a. queen
b. court
c. throne
d. knight
Double Word Analogy
prize : contestant::
a. trophy: presenter
b. diploma: principal
c. medal: runner
d. book: author
e. mortgage: lender
Do you know the answers to the questions above?
Now, let us proceed to the tips in answering analogy questions.
Tip 1: Take note of the relationships among the words.
It is important to know the relationship among words and their particular order as shown in the next example.
petal: flower
A. hands: nail
B. car: road
C. monitor: computer
D. daughter: mother
The relationship above is an example of a part to whole relationship. In the question, petal is a part of a flower. Petal is also a vital part of a flower. Among the choices, we can see that only hands and nail have the same relationship. However, the order is reversed. In hands and nail, the relationship is now whole to part. Remember, order is important. If the question is part is to whole, the answer should also be part to whole.
Below are some of the common relationships used in word analogy questions.
Here, the relationship is part to whole. Water is part of an
Cause and effect 
rain : flood
virus : flu
Association:
addition : addend
chef : toque
Degree:
hut : mansion
glance : stare
Sequence:
preschool : grade school
engagment : marriage
Function:
net : fishing
scissors : cutting
Characteristics:
cheetah : fast
snow : cold
Synonym:
benevolent : kind
courage : bravery
Antonym:
hot : cold
loose : tight
In the next post, we are going to discuss more tips and tricks, so keep posted.