Total marks: 60 · Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Instructions to candidates
- This paper has 60 questions. Answer ALL questions.
- Each question is worth ONE mark.
- For each question there are four options, A, B, C and D. Choose the ONE you think is correct. In the January 2027 sitting, Paper 01 is taken online, so you select your answer on screen.
- The questions are grouped by area: The Office, Personnel and Communication (1–20); Records, Documents and Mail (21–40); and Office Services, Technology and Procedures (41–60).
- All amounts are in dollars. You may use a silent, non-programmable calculator.
Paper
Section A — The Office, Personnel and Communication (Items 1–20)
1. Which is the MOST important reason for keeping information confidential in an office?
A) To stop employees from discussing their salaries
B) To give managers more power than their staff
C) To reduce the amount of paperwork in the office
D) To protect sensitive information from unauthorised access
2. Which is an example of upward communication in an organisation?
A) Two colleagues discussing a project
B) A department head addressing all the staff
C) A manager issuing instructions to staff
D) An employee submitting a report to a supervisor
3. How should a receptionist deal with a difficult visitor?
A) Ignore the visitor until they calm down
B) Argue with the visitor to defend the company
C) Remain calm and professional throughout
D) Ask the visitor to leave immediately
4. Which is a feature of effective spoken communication?
A) Avoiding eye contact to show respect
B) Using technical jargon to impress the listener
C) Interrupting often to show interest
D) Speaking clearly and at a suitable pace
5. An advantage of email over traditional post is that it
A) removes the need for correct grammar
B) allows messages to be sent much faster
C) is always more formal than a letter
D) guarantees complete security of information
6. Which arrangement applies ergonomic principles at a computer workstation?
A) The monitor placed at eye level to reduce neck strain
B) The office kept as cold as possible
C) Keyboards placed above shoulder height
D) Chairs without back support to improve posture
7. A caller asks for information that you do not have. What is the MOST appropriate response?
A) Transfer the call to any colleague at random
B) Make up an answer to avoid seeming unhelpful
C) Say you will find out and return the call
D) Hang up and wait for the caller to ring back
8. Which office layout has staff working in one large room without walls between them?
A) Private suite
B) Corridor
C) Cellular
D) Open-plan
9. Which is a duty of an office receptionist?
A) Interviewing applicants for senior posts
B) Greeting visitors and directing them to the right person
C) Repairing the office computers
D) Preparing the company's final accounts
10. A diagram showing the departments of a firm and who reports to whom is
A) a job specification
B) a flow chart of documents
C) a filing index
D) an organisation chart
11. Which document lists the duties and responsibilities of a particular job?
A) Letter of appointment
B) Job specification
C) Job description
D) Curriculum vitae
12. A clerk works from home three days a week, using a laptop and the internet. This is an example of
A) teleworking
B) shift work
C) overtime
D) job sharing
13. Staff may start work between 7:00 and 9:30 a.m. as long as they are present from 9:30 to 3:00 and work their full hours. This system is
A) job rotation
B) part-time work
C) flexitime
D) shift work
14. What is the MAIN purpose of an induction programme for new staff?
A) To introduce them to the firm, its rules and their colleagues
B) To agree their salary before they start work
C) To test whether they can do the job before hiring
D) To assess them for promotion after one year
15. A supervisor meets each clerk once a year to review performance and set targets. This is
A) a disciplinary hearing
B) an exit interview
C) a job advertisement
D) a staff appraisal
16. Rumours about possible job cuts are spreading among staff through informal conversation. This channel is called the
A) grapevine
B) chain of command
C) formal network
D) notice board
17. Which is the MOST suitable way to tell all staff about a change in office hours, giving a written record?
A) A conversation at the water cooler
B) A memorandum sent to all staff
C) A telephone call to each person
D) A message passed on by the receptionist
18. Loud machinery in an open-plan office stops staff hearing telephone callers. This is an example of
A) a physical barrier to communication
B) a language barrier to communication
C) an emotional barrier to communication
D) a cultural barrier to communication
19. Why should an office hold regular fire drills?
A) So that the firm pays less tax on its building
B) So that the fire alarm can be removed afterwards
C) So that visitors do not need to sign in
D) So that staff know the escape routes and assembly point
20. A clerk who has finished her own work offers to help a busy colleague. Which quality does she show?
A) Insubordination
B) Absenteeism
C) Confidentiality
D) Initiative and teamwork
Section B — Records, Documents and Mail (Items 21–40)
21. Arranging files in order from A to Z is known as
A) geographical filing
B) chronological filing
C) alphabetical filing
D) numerical filing
22. In a business letter, what do the letters "cc" indicate?
A) That a courtesy call should be made
B) That the letter is confidential
C) That the letter has been corrected
D) That a copy has been sent to another person
23. The MAIN purpose of an index in a filing system is to
A) store documents securely
B) provide a guide for locating files
C) destroy outdated records
D) create extra storage space
24. Which service does a courier company provide?
A) Providing legal advice
B) Issuing traveller's cheques
C) Delivering packages and documents
D) Processing insurance claims
25. Which document from a supplier summarises the transactions with a customer over a month and shows the balance owed?
A) Receipt
B) Statement of account
C) Credit note
D) Invoice
26. Checking that the goods received match the details on the delivery note and the order is known as
A) requisitioning
B) verification
C) invoicing
D) procurement
27. In a fully blocked business letter, where does the reference (for example "Our ref: JT/AB") appear?
A) Near the top, below the letterhead and before the date
B) At the bottom, after the signature
C) In the middle of the body of the letter
D) Only on the envelope, not on the letter
28. Why might a large hospital use numerical filing for patient records?
A) It files records in date order automatically
B) It can be expanded easily and helps keep records confidential
C) It needs no index of any kind
D) It is the only system that uses folders
29. A letter could be filed under two different headings. What should the clerk do?
A) File it under one heading and place a cross-reference under the other
B) File it under neither heading to avoid confusion
C) Make two copies and file one under each heading
D) Destroy it, as it cannot be filed correctly
30. A manager removes a file from the cabinet. What should be placed in its position?
A) Nothing, as the manager will remember to return it
B) An out guide showing who has the file and when it was taken
C) A blank folder with the same name on it
D) A copy of the file made on the photocopier
31. Why does a firm set a retention policy for its records?
A) To keep records only as long as the law and the business require
B) To avoid using any electronic records
C) To keep every record forever in the main office
D) To destroy all records after one month
32. Which postal service gives proof of posting and requires a signature on delivery?
A) Ordinary letter post
B) Bulk mail
C) Registered post
D) Surface mail
33. Why is incoming mail date-stamped when it arrives?
A) To cancel the stamps on the envelope
B) To show that postage has been paid
C) To mark it as ready to be destroyed
D) To provide a record of when it was received
34. A franking machine is useful in a busy office because it
A) sorts mail into departments
B) opens incoming envelopes automatically
C) prints postage directly onto envelopes, saving time
D) records all telephone calls
35. Cheques and cash found in incoming mail should be recorded in
A) a visitors' book
B) a remittance book
C) a telephone log
D) a petty cash book
36. Why would a manager use a memorandum rather than a business letter?
A) To apply for a loan from a bank
B) To order goods from a supplier abroad
C) To communicate with staff inside the organisation
D) To reply to a customer's complaint
37. A firm asks three suppliers for their prices before ordering. Which document does each supplier send back?
A) A quotation
B) An invoice
C) A receipt
D) A delivery note
38. Which document is sent by a buyer to a supplier to order goods?
A) Purchase order
B) Invoice
C) Statement of account
D) Credit note
39. A customer returns damaged goods. Which document does the supplier send to reduce the amount owed?
A) An invoice
B) A credit note
C) A debit note
D) A quotation
40. An invoice is for 20 chairs at $150 each, less 10% trade discount. What is the amount due?
A) $2700
B) $300
C) $3000
D) $2985
Section C — Office Services, Technology and Procedures (Items 41–60)
41. A petty cash voucher should contain all of the following EXCEPT
A) the bank account number of the supplier
B) the amount paid out
C) the signature of the person receiving the money
D) the date of the payment
42. Which machine is MOST suitable for producing many copies of a document quickly?
A) Shredder
B) Photocopier
C) Scanner
D) Laminator
43. When should the agenda for a meeting be sent to members?
A) During the meeting
B) After the meeting has ended
C) Before the meeting takes place
D) Only to the chairperson
44. In office technology, "OCR" stands for
A) Original Copy Reproduction
B) Office Communication Records
C) Optical Character Recognition
D) Organised Client Relations
45. When writing the minutes of a meeting, the secretary should
A) include personal opinions about the decisions
B) send them out before the meeting takes place
C) record every word spoken during the meeting
D) summarise the main points and decisions accurately
46. Which type of insurance protects a business against loss of its building and stock by fire?
A) Life insurance
B) Health insurance
C) Public liability insurance
D) Property (fire) insurance
47. A petty cash imprest is $300. Vouchers for the month total $214. How much is needed to restore the imprest?
A) $214
B) $300
C) $514
D) $86
48. A clerk earns $3200 a month. Deductions total 12%. What is her net pay?
A) $3584
B) $2816
C) $384
D) $3188
49. A club's rules require 14 days' notice of its annual general meeting, to be held on 30 June. By what date must the notice be sent?
A) 14 June
B) 16 June
C) 30 May
D) 20 June
50. What is the minimum number of members who must be present for a meeting's decisions to be valid called?
A) A resolution
B) A motion
C) An agenda
D) A quorum
51. Which is a duty of the chairperson at a meeting?
A) Sending out the notice and agenda
B) Writing the minutes during the meeting
C) Keeping order and ensuring the agenda is followed
D) Booking the room and refreshments
52. A document listing the times, places and arrangements for each stage of a business trip is
A) an agenda
B) a visa
C) an itinerary
D) a passport
53. A flight leaves Kingston at 10:00 local time and takes 4 hours to reach Toronto, which is 1 hour ahead of Kingston. What is the local arrival time?
A) 14:00
B) 15:00
C) 16:00
D) 13:00
54. Many countries require a visitor's passport to be valid for at least six months after arrival. Why should a secretary check this early?
A) Airlines renew passports on the day of travel
B) Visas are issued only after the trip is over
C) Renewing a passport takes time, and travel may be refused otherwise
D) Passports can only be checked at the airport
55. Which software is MOST suitable for keeping a firm's monthly budget and calculating totals automatically?
A) A spreadsheet
B) A presentation program
C) A web browser
D) A word processor
56. Which software is MOST suitable for storing customer records and searching them by town?
A) A database
B) A word processor
C) A spreadsheet
D) A desktop publishing program
57. Managers in three islands need to discuss a problem face to face today. Which is the MOST suitable method?
A) A notice board
B) A courier service
C) Ordinary post
D) Video conferencing
58. Why should backup copies of computer files be kept away from the office?
A) So the files take up less storage space
B) So staff cannot use the original files
C) So the files load faster on office computers
D) So data survives if the office is damaged by fire or flood
59. How can an office BEST reduce the risk of computer viruses?
A) Use only black-and-white printers
B) Install antivirus software, keep it updated and avoid unknown attachments
C) Keep all files on the desktop screen
D) Switch off computers during lunch breaks
60. How should an office dispose of old documents containing customers' personal details?
A) Leave them in a box in the corridor
B) Use them as scrap paper for notes
C) Shred them
D) Put them in the general waste bin