Civil Service Exam (Subprofessional) Clerical Ability — Alphabetizing & FilingFlash Cards

What is the first rule when alphabetizing names with spaces and symbols like 'Ang-Sy' or 'O'Neal'?

Disregard all spaces and symbols. Examples: 'Ang-Sy' becomes 'Angsy', 'O'Neal' becomes 'Oneal', 'Dela Cruz' becomes 'Delacruz', 'De La Paz' becomes 'Delapaz'. This ensures consistent filing by treating compound names as single units.

How should abbreviations be handled when alphabetizing names?

Spell out all abbreviations. Examples: 'Dr.' becomes 'Doctor', 'Hon.' becomes 'Honorable', 'Atty.' becomes 'Attorney', 'St.' becomes 'Saint'. This prevents confusion and ensures proper alphabetical order based on the full word.

What is the correct filing structure for names of persons?

Names should be filed in this order: Last Name, Given Name, Middle Name, Suffix, Title. Example: 'Hon. Rue A. Sy' is filed as 'Sy, Rue A., Honorable'. The title has the lowest priority in alphabetizing.

If two people have the same surname, how do you determine the alphabetical order?

Alphabetize by the first name or initial. If the first names start with the same letter, the one with only the initial comes first. Example: 'Reyes, A.' comes before 'Reyes, Abigail', which comes before 'Reyes, Antonio'.

Which comes first: 'Valencia, Ed' or 'Valencia, Ed H.'?

'Valencia, Ed' comes first. The name without a middle initial comes before the name with a middle initial when the last name and first name are identical.

Arrange these names in proper order: Santos, Ysabelle A.; Santos, Ysabel B.; Santos, Ysa C.; Santos, Y D.

Correct order: 1) Santos, Y D. 2) Santos, Ysa C. 3) Santos, Ysabel B. 4) Santos, Ysabelle A. When first names start with the same letters, the shorter name comes first.

How should titles with only first name or last name be filed?

File as written, but spell out abbreviations and disregard symbols. Example: 'Fr. O'hara' becomes 'Father Ohara', 'St. Mark' becomes 'Saint Mark'. These are then alphabetized by the spelled-out title and name.

What is the basic rule for filing business names that don't contain a person's full name?

File business names as written, but drop all symbols and spell out abbreviations. Example: 'St. Jude's Parish' becomes 'Saint Judes Parish', 'Tan's Paper Corp.' becomes 'Tans Paper Corporation'.

How should business names containing a full person's name be filed?

Apply the person name filing rules. Example: 'Michael Romano-Yap Law Firm' is filed as 'Romano-Yap, Michael Law Firm', 'Isagani Tan Memorial Hospital' becomes 'Tan, Isagani Memorial Hospital'.

Which articles should be disregarded when alphabetizing business names?

Disregard articles: 'a', 'an', 'the', 'of', '&', and 'and'. Examples: 'A Pink Corner' becomes 'Pink Corner', 'The Amazing Show' becomes 'Amazing Show' for alphabetizing purposes.

How are business names with initials treated for alphabetizing?

Names with initials are considered separate units. Example: 'NCV Review School' has 5 units: N-C-V-Review-School. Each initial is treated as a separate alphabetical unit for filing purposes.

How should numerals in business names be handled?

Spell out all numerals. Examples: 'The 5th Element' becomes 'The Fifth Element', '8th Ave. Shop' becomes 'Eighth Avenue Shop', 'Gone in 60 Seconds' becomes 'Gone in Sixty Seconds'.

If businesses have the same name but different locations, how are they alphabetized?

Alphabetize according to branch location. Example: NCV Review School branches would be ordered as: Baguio, Leyte, Manila, Tuguegarao, Zamboanga - following alphabetical order of the city names.

How should government departments and agencies be filed?

File according to the main purpose or function, not by 'Department of'. Example: Department of Education, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Justice are filed by Education, Foreign Affairs, Justice respectively.

Which has higher priority in alphabetizing: middle initial or title?

Middle initial has higher priority than title. Example: 'Hon. Rue A. Sy' comes before 'Atty. Rue B. Sy' because A comes before B in the middle initial, even though 'Attorney' comes before 'Honorable' alphabetically.

Arrange these entries: Dr. Rey Kenobi, Hon. Abbey Singson, Mayor Jejomar Binay, Pres. Rody Duterte

Correct order: 1) Mayor Jejomar Binay (Binay) 2) Pres. Rody Duterte (Duterte) 3) Dr. Rey Kenobi (Kenobi) 4) Hon. Abbey Singson (Singson). File by last name first, spelling out titles as needed.

What is the difference between filing 'Cariaga, H.' and 'Cariaga, Hector'?

'Cariaga, H.' comes first because when comparing names with the same surname and first letter, the one with only the initial comes before the full first name. This follows the shorter-comes-first principle.

How do you handle hyphenated surnames like 'Romano-Yap' or 'Dela Cruz-Sy'?

Treat hyphenated surnames as one unit, removing the hyphen for alphabetizing. 'Romano-Yap' becomes 'RomanoYap' and 'Dela Cruz-Sy' becomes 'DelaCruzSy'. File according to this combined form.

What are the three main priorities when alphabetizing business establishments?

1) Remove symbols and spell out abbreviations 2) Disregard articles (a, an, the, of, and) 3) If the business contains a person's full name, apply person filing rules. Otherwise, file as written following these modifications.

Why is proper alphabetizing and filing important in clerical work?

Proper filing ensures efficient document retrieval, maintains organized records, saves time in locating information, prevents document loss, ensures consistency across office operations, and meets professional standards required in government and business environments.