Reading Comprehension Practice Test 1, Study notes of Law

Download Reading Comprehension Practice Test 1 and more Study notes Law in PDF only on Docsity! | RELATIONS Your P| lace. Reading Comprehension Practice Test TAKE YOUR: PLACE  2 Thank you for your interest in employment with Stanislaus County. This booklet is designed to familiarize and assist you with preparing for tests containing multiple-choice reading comprehension items. The sample questions provided in this study guide are intended to give you an idea of the kinds of reading comprehension items you may encounter in County tests. However, it is important to not that actual test questions will vary in format, content, and level of difficulty, depending on the job class being tested. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Stanislaus County takes steps to ensure that our exam content is job-related. We conduct studies to determine the knowledge, skill, abilities and personal characteristics that are essential to satisfactorily perform the duties of the job. These studies assist us in developing the content of our examinations. Testing applicants for jobs provides us with an objective and cost-effective means to assess the qualifications of our applicants. To prepare for the written test, you should study the concepts assessed in each section. It is likely that there will be several sections to the written test in addition to reading comprehension; thus, it is to your benefit to carefully read the job bulletin to determine the knowledge, skill, and ability areas the written test will cover. In addition, it is important that you read the entire written test notice for the location and time of the written test as well as for parking instructions and other important information. Pay special attention to whether testing aids/materials such as hand-held calculators are allowed in the written test. If the test no- tice indicates that testing aids/materials are allowed, then you are strongly advised to bring these with you, as there may not be enough to provide one for everybody. On test day, it is recommended that you arrive 15 minutes prior to the test’s starting time, wear comfortable clothes, bring an accurate watch, and make sure you are well-rested. Also, remember to bring your test notice and a picture I.D. such as a driver license, or you may not be admitted into the test. Please check the County website for instructions on how to submit disability accommodation requests, such as readers or interpreters. The County will attempt to meet reasonable accommodation requests whenever possible. Most County tests have a set time limit, so it is important that you work quickly, but not so fast as to become careless. Always read all the possible choices before marking your answer. If you don’t know the answer to a problem, it is usually best to skip it and move on to the others. Note that on most County test, your score is based on the number of correct responses. If you are not sure of the answer to a problem, eliminate the answers you believe to be wrong and mark the choice that is your best response. Above all, budget your time, pace yourself, and avoid getting bogged down on any single question. 5 5. The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors’ Pet Adoption Program was started in December of 1995. Each Tuesday at the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting, a Supervisor highlights an animal in need of a home from the Stanislaus County Animal Services Shelter. Information is provided about the animal, including the sex, breed, and age. A telephone number is provided so that anyone interested in adopting the animal can call to obtain more information. To date, more than 389 dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, rabbits, and guinea pigs have been placed into new homes thanks to this special program. Based on the information provided, A. The animal’s breed, age, and vaccination history is provided for those interested in adopting the featured pet. B. The Pet Adoption Program has placed a majority of the animals featured during the Board of Supervisors meetings. C. Once per month during the Board meeting, a shelter animal in need of adoption is featured by a Supervisor. D. The Board of Supervisors uses the Pet Adoption Program to publicized animals available for placement. 6. In accordance with federal law and local ordinance, Stanislaus County provides voter registration infor- mation, election materials and oral assistance in six languages other than English (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalong, and Vietnamese). Voters who request election materials in one of these lan- guages will be mailed a translated sample ballot for all Stanislaus County-conducted elections. Addition- ally, poll locations that have been identified as requiring oral language assistance are supplied with translated voting materials and staffed with bilingual0speaking poll workers whenever possible. Signs are posted in thos poll locations identifying the language(s) spoken. Based on the information provided, which of the following statements is correct? A. Poll workers are hired based on their ability to speak several languages. B. A request must be made by the voter to receive election materials in a language other than English. C. Poll locations throughout Stanislaus County always have signs posted that indicate the minority languages spoken. D. Voters who speak a language other than English and the six identified minority languages may request registration materials in that language. 6 7. Computers may not make mistakes, but people programming them sometimes do. During a recent sur- vey, Weights and Measures inspectors were overcharged by store scanners on more than one out of two items they purchased at retail and grocery stores. To protect consumers, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that increases the nuber of inspectors monitoring scanner accuracy, sets up a toll-freet number for consumers to report overcharges, and requires stores to post the toll-free number near the checkout stand. Under this new law, stores that are repeat offenders for overcharging consumers must also post convitions notices on the front of the store. According to the passage, A. The new ordinance requires all stores to post conviction notices where consumers can see them. B. Scanner accuracy has decreased which has led to an increase in the overcharging of consumers. C. Inspectors conducting a recent survey were overcharged more often than correctly charged. D. Additional inspectors have been hired to handle the increased number of retail and grocery stores that overcharge customers. 8. The Sheriffs Department’s Evidence Control Section (ECS) provides evidence pickup and delivery service, whether directly to law enforcement agencies, sheriff’s stations, police departments and highway patrol agencies, or indirectly via the Scientific Services Bureau regional laboratories. Last year, the ECS handled more than 110,000 receipted evidence submissions and traveled more than 208,000 miles in the pro- cess. The section is responsible for maintaining a strict chain of custody, security, and records, and for providing assistance and information involving the gathering, storing, and processing of all evidence submitted to the Bureau. Based on the information provided, A. The ECS has experienced a significant increase in the volume of evidence submissions. B. Civilian staff members maintain an electronic log of all evidence submitted to the ECS. C. The sheriff’s Department provides evidence-handling services to a variety of other agencies. D. When an external law enforcement agency submits evidence to the ECS, the agency is responsible for delivering it. 7 9. It is the intent of the Legislature that all persons qualified for jury service shall have an equal opportunity to be considered for service as criminal grand jurors in the county in which they reside, and that they have an obligation to serve when summoned for that purpose. All persons select- ed for the Criminal Grand Jury shall be selected at random and shall be reasonably representative of a cross section of the population that is eligible for jury service in the county. For this reason, there is no mileage limitation for the Criminal Grand Jury and no excuse will be granted be- cause of the distance from the courthouse or inconvenience to the juror. Based on the information provided, A. Eligible jurors have a responsibility to serve on juries in their county of residence. B. Civil grand jurors follow the same jury selection procedures as criminal grand jurors. C. Random selection of jurors has been the proven method of increasing juror participation. D. Jurors who are unable to travel to the main courthouse may be given the option of serving at an alternate courthouse. 10. The Fire Investigation Unit conducts investigations of major alarm fires and other fires when mandated by Department policy. In addition, they investigate those fires that appear to be of significance in Fire Prevention practices. They interview witnesses, collect and preserve evidence, write reports and maintain comprehensive files on fires investigated. The Unity also con- ducts training programs for Departmental personnel. As part of their duties, and as a consequence of their investigations, they are required to testify in both criminal and civil court cases. Because some fires investigated are of suspicious origin, this unit must work very closely with the Sher- iff Department’s Arson/Explosive Detail as well as other law enforcement agencies. According to the passage, the Fire Investigation Unit… A. Provides court testimony at the conclusion of every investigation. B. Identifies fire prevention practices when conducting routine investigations. C. Uses actual investigations as part of the training they provide departmental personnel. D. Investigates fires independently and in conjunction with other agencies as necessary. 10 15. Hundreds of thousands of bad checks are passed in Stanislaus County every year. Merchants lose mil- lions of dollars to bad check activity while consumers share in these losses through higher prices. Eve- ryone bears the additional cost of law enforcement efforts and prosecution of bad check cases in Stani- slaus County. To combat this problem, the District Attorney's Office has created a dynamic program to track down bad check Restitution Program is temporarily “diverted” from criminal prosecution and given an opportunity to make good on the check. Successful completion of the program requires attendance at an eight-hour intervention class designed to address underlying behavioral issues that cause bad check activity. Cases on check writes who fail to fully repay their victims are reviewed for possible criminal filing. This diversion opportunity, coupled with the possibility of criminal prosecution, deters bad check writers from future offenses. Based on the information provided, A. Bad check activity costs law enforcement agencies more than it costs businesses. B. An eight-hour intervention class is mandatory for those found guilty of forging bad checks. C. Herby losses that business experience due to bad checks is the reason for higher priced merchandise. D. A new program allows people who have written bad checks to potentially avoid criminal prosecution. 11 1. The correct answer is C. The passage states that the Fire department provides services to residents in “all unincorporated County Areas.” 2. The correct answer is B. the passage states that the agricultural inspectors determine certification for farms by inspecting markets and reviewing all paperwork for accuracy. 3. The correct answer is D. The passage states that making sure your dog has its current license “is your best insurance of having your dog returned to you.” 4. The correct answer is A. The passage provides two clues that a customer must be a County resident to obtain a valid library card. First, it states that cooperative agreements allow County residents to obtain books not in the County catalog. Second, it states that library customers will need to have a valid County Library card to request materials through ILL. 5. The correct answer is D. the passage states the Board of Supervisor uses the Pet Adoption Program to feature animals in County shelters that are eligible for adoption. 6. The correct answer is B. The passage states that “voters who request election materials in one of these languages will be mailed a translated sample ballot.” 7. The correct answer is C. The passage states that inspectors were overcharged on “more than one out of two items the purchased.” 8. The correct answer is C. The passage provides two clues to indicate that the department provides ser- vices to a variety of agencies. The first clue states that the department provides direct services to “law enforcement agencies, sheriff’s stations, police departments and highway patrol agencies.” The second clue states that the department provides indirect services “via the Scientific Services Bureau and region- al laboratories.” 9. The correct answer is A. The passage states that all persons qualified for jury service have an equal op- portunity to be considered for service in the County in which they reside, and that they “have an obliga- tion to serve when summoned for that purpose.” 10. The correct answer is D. The passage states that the Fire Investigation Unity investigates major alarm fires and fires of significance in Fire Prevention Practices. It also states that “this unit must work very closely with the Sheriff Department’s Arson/Explosive Detail as well as other law enforcement agencies.” 11. The correct answer is C. the passage states that ridesharing and telework are two examples of programs that reduce air pollution, traffic congestion, and commuter costs. 12. The correct answer is B. The passage states that the Community Business Enterprise (CBE) Program was created “to ensure that minority, women, disadvantaged and disabled veteran-owned firms have access to all County contracting opportunities,” indicating that the primary purpose of the CBE Program is to encourage diversity among vendors bidding for County contracts. 12 13. The correct answer is A. The passage states that the JSID works with cooperation from both local and federal agencies to detect, investigate, and prosecute misconduct. 14. The correct answer is A. the passage states that dispute Settlement Services is an alternative to the “time consuming process of using the crowded courts to resolve disputes,” suggesting that the service has helped to lessen the number of cases. 15. The correct answer is D. The passage states that the Bad Check Restitution program is an opportunity to avoid criminal prosecution, by making good on the bad check and attending an eight- hour intervention class.