Professional & Subprofessional · English and Filipino
Verbal Ability appears in both the Professional and Subprofessional exams, in English and Filipino. It checks vocabulary, grammar, sentence logic, and reading. These eight items cover every official Verbal topic.
Practice
Choose your answer, then open the explanation. Original practice items written to match CSC's official topics — not actual exam questions.
Answer: B. Bitterness Acrimony is bitterness or ill feeling, usually expressed in sharp words. Indifference means not caring, which is the opposite of strong feeling.
Answer: C. Extravagant Frugal means economical with money. Extravagant means spending too much. Thrifty and careful are synonyms, not opposites — read the word OPPOSITE in the stem.
Answer: B. meticulous Rechecking every entry twice shows great attention to detail, which is what meticulous means. The clue in the sentence decides the answer.
Answer: B. have submitted The subject is Each, which is singular, so the verb must be has submitted. The phrase of the applicants does not change the subject.
Answer: B. Walking to the office, I was caught in the rain. An opening phrase like Walking to the office must describe the subject that follows. Only in B is the walker (I) the subject. The others make the rain do the walking.
1. As a result, the barangay now collects waste on fixed days.
2. Residents complained that garbage piled up for weeks.
3. In response, the council adopted a collection schedule.
4. Since then, complaints have dropped sharply.
Answer: A. 2–3–1–4 Start with the problem (2), then the response (3). As a result (1) must follow the action it results from, and Since then (4) closes the sequence.
The agency moved its permit applications online in January. Processing time fell from ten working days to four, but the number of applicants who needed help at the front desk doubled, mostly older residents unfamiliar with the portal.
Answer: B. The online system sped up processing but created a need for assistance. The passage reports both faster processing and more requests for help. A and D go beyond the passage, and C is an opinion the text never states.
Answer: B. Maingat at matipid Ang masinop ay maingat at matipid sa paggamit ng pera o gamit. Ang maaksaya ay kabaligtaran nito.
Missed a few?
Free reviewer notes for each topic, with worked examples.
FAQ
Yes. Verbal Ability is in both levels and covers word meaning, sentence completion, error recognition, sentence structure, paragraph organization, and reading comprehension, in English and Filipino.
Yes. CSC's scope of examination lists Verbal Ability as in English and Filipino, so expect some items in Filipino.
Learn the common patterns — subject-verb agreement, pronoun reference, tense, and prepositions — then practice spotting them under time pressure.
The free diagnostic maps your strengths and weak topics across the whole Civil Service Exam.
