Sanitation Worker Exam Practice Test 2022 (70 MCQs)

In the street scene shown above, which would be the best place for the driver to position the collection truck so that workers can load all three piles of garbage without moving the truck or touching any of the cars?

Jean is standing at the intersection of the two lines shown above. If she travels north for two blocks, then west for three blocks, then south for four blocks, and then east for five blocks, in which quadrant will she end up?

The city has distributed standardized recycling containers to all households, with directions that read: We would prefer you use this new container as your primary recycling container. Additional recycling containers may be purchased from the city.

According to the directions, each household

The city has distributed standardized recycling containers to all households, with directions that read: We would prefer you use this new container as your primary recycling container. Additional recycling containers may be purchased from the city.

According to the directions, which of the following is true about the new containers?

You are collecting trash in a residential neighborhood and drop a bag on the sidewalk. The bag splits, and four items fall out: a plastic coat hanger, a razor blade, a closed pocket knife, and a soldering iron. Which item is the most dangerous one for you to handle?

The arrows indicate traffic flow; one arrow indicates a oneway street going in the direction of the arrow; two arrows represent a two-way street. You are not allowed to go the wrong way on a one-way street.

Sanitation Workers Kazinski and Benning are completing a routine pick-up at the Livingston Avenue Mall at the southeast corner of the building. Dispatch notifies them of a special pick-up at a residence located at the northwest corner of Canyon Drive and Linda Lane. What is the quickest route for Kazinski and Benning to take to the residence?

The arrows indicate traffic flow; one arrow indicates a oneway street going in the direction of the arrow; two arrows represent a two-way street. You are not allowed to go the wrong way on a one-way street.

Sanitation Workers Martini and Schmid are southbound on Canyon Drive and have just crossed Edward Street. They receive a call that a city collection truck has broken down, leaving one pickup to be made near a bus stop located at Livingston Avenue and Bortz Road. They are asked to make the unscheduled pick-up. What is the quickest route for Sanitation Workers Martini and Schmid to take to the bus stop?

The arrows indicate traffic flow; one arrow indicates a oneway street going in the direction of the arrow; two arrows represent a two-way street. You are not allowed to go the wrong way on a one-way street.

Sanitation Shift Supervisor Richfield is driving west on Bortz Road. She makes a right onto James Avenue, then a left onto Linda Lane, then a right onto Livingston Avenue, and then a right onto Barcelona Boulevard. What direction is she facing?

While driving your street sweeper down a street scheduled for cleaning one afternoon, you find a blue sedan parked in the sweeper’s path. A man is sitting behind the wheel of the car reading a book. What should you do?

You are driving a collection truck northbound on a residential street. A school bus on the south side of the street is letting children off and has on its flashing red lights. What should you do?

All full-time workers at the sanitation department work at least 40 regular hours every week. According to the above time sheet, which employee iNOT full-time?

Employees with the least seniority are required to work overtime before employees with more seniority. According to the above time sheet, which employee probably has the most seniority?

Departmental policy instructs all sanitation workers to fill out a Leave Request Form when they want to take time off. The leave forms have to be turned in no later than 48 hours before the worker’s vacation starts and must be signed by a supervisor before being turned in to the department office.

Sanitation Worker Purnelli wants Saturday off to take his son to a baseball game. He asks his supervisor on Wednesday and is told to fill out a Leave Request Form. After he fills out the form, he should

Departmental policy instructs all sanitation workers to fill out a Leave Request Form when they want to take time off. The leave forms have to be turned in no later than 48 hours before the worker’s vacation starts and must be signed by a supervisor before being turned in to the department office.

To make sure she gets days off that she wants, Sanitation Worker Chow turns in her leave form one month ahead of time. The front office returns the form to her a few days later because she forgot to have her supervisor sign the form. What should she do now?

You’ve just come from a meeting where employees were told to report on-the-job injuries to the supervisor as soon as they happen. As you hook up a snow plow to a truck, you cut your right thumb. The cut is fairly deep but only hurts a little. What should you do?

A city ordinance reads Residential garbage is defined as that produced by households in single-family dwellings or buildings with no more than two residential units. This means that

If a street sweeper travels at the speed of 15 mph for 2.5 hours, how far will it travel? (Distance = Rate × Time)

After a snow or ice fall, the city streets are treated with ordinary rock salt. In some areas, the salt is combined with calcium chloride, which is more effective in below-zero temperatures and better melts ice. This combination of salt and calcium chloride is also less damaging to foliage along the roadways.

In deciding whether to use ordinary rock salt or the salt and
calcium chloride on a particular street, which of the following is
NOT a consideration?

After a snow or ice fall, the city streets are treated with ordinary rock salt. In some areas, the salt is combined with calcium chloride, which is more effective in below-zero temperatures and better melts ice. This combination of salt and calcium chloride is also less damaging to foliage along the roadways.

According to the snow treatment directions, which of the following is true

Only supervisors of the sanitation department are qualified to handle hazardous waste. Hazardous waste is defined as any waste designated hazardous by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. If a sanitation worker is unclear as to whether a particular item is hazardous, he or she should not handle the item but instead should notify the supervisor for directions.

Sanitation Worker Wong comes upon a container of cleaning solvent that has been set out along with the regular garbage in front of a residence. The container does not list the contents of the cleaner. Wong should

Only supervisors of the sanitation department are qualified to handle hazardous waste. Hazardous waste is defined as any waste designated hazardous by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. If a sanitation worker is unclear as to whether a particular item is hazardous, he or she should not handle the item but instead should notify the supervisor for directions.

On the basis of the passage, which of the following is the best definition of hazardous waste?

The cost of a list of supplies for a sanitation crew is as follows: $19.98, $52.20, $12.64, and $7.79. What is the total cost?

District 5 of one city’s sanitation department serves about 21,500 residents. Of these, 11,350 live in single-family dwellings. About what percent of the district’s residents live in single-family dwellings?

Sanitation Department procedure for drivers who check out vehicles state that all sanitation vehicles are to be inspected for damage and to see if they operate properly before being driven on the road. The driver of each vehicle is responsible for walking around his or her vehicle and checking for the following situations:

1. puddles of fluid underneath the vehicle indicating a leak
2. burnt out tail lights, turn signals, hazard lights, or headlights
3. damage such as dents or paint damage
4. low tire pressure and loose lug nuts

Sanitation Worker Tsun has a meeting with his supervisor one morning which makes him a little late starting his route. He jogs to his collection truck, eager to get on the road. At this point, Tsun should

Sanitation Department procedure for drivers who check out vehicles state that all sanitation vehicles are to be inspected for damage and to see if they operate properly before being driven on the road. The driver of each vehicle is responsible for walking around his or her vehicle and checking for the following situations:

1. puddles of fluid underneath the vehicle indicating a leak
2. burnt out tail lights, turn signals, hazard lights, or headlights
3. damage such as dents or paint damage
4. low tire pressure and loose lug nuts

Sanitation Worker Rodriquez checks out one truck and performs the inspection. The truck engine won’t start so he turns this truck back in for repair and checks out another truck. He should

Sanitation Department procedure for drivers who check out vehicles state that all sanitation vehicles are to be inspected for damage and to see if they operate properly before being driven on the road. The driver of each vehicle is responsible for walking around his or her vehicle and checking for the following situations:

1. puddles of fluid underneath the vehicle indicating a leak
2. burnt out tail lights, turn signals, hazard lights, or headlights
3. damage such as dents or paint damage
4. low tire pressure and loose lug nuts

Sanitation Worker Luhan and Sanitation

Worker Ratchet will be riding together today. Luhan is the driver so she checks out the vehicle. What should she do next?

How many tons of garbage were deposited in the landfill in 1992?

Which period had the greatest increase in garbage

If the trend indicated by the chart continues, what can the city expect about the amount of garbage deposited in the landfill in 1995?

An hour after a wind storm, Sanitation Worker Garcia is driving north on Washington Street when he comes upon a large tree limb that has fallen and is blocking his lane. About fifty yards north is the intersection of Washington and Fourth Avenue where there is a public telephone booth. Garcia carefully drives around the fallen limb and stops to phone in a report. Which of the following statements most clearly and accurately reports this situation?

A street sign affixed below a stop sign reads Opposing traffic does not stop. What is the meaning of the sign?

Answer the question by choosing the word or phrase that means the same or nearly the same as the underlined word.

Shift supervisor Riggs gave a plausible explanation for being late for work.

Answer the question by choosing the word or phrase that means the same or nearly the same as the underlined word.

The corporation’s habit of placing toxic materials in unmarked containers aroused anger in many sanitation workers.

Answer the question by choosing the word or phrase that means the same or nearly the same as the underlined word.

Regarding the need stricter guidelines for garbage containers, the City Council’s vote was unanimous.

The city ordinance reads, Sanitation workers will not collect garbage in containers weighing more than fifty pounds. Workers are expected to use their best judgment in determining when a container weighs more than fifty pounds. If a container is too heavy, workers should attach one of the pre-printed warning messages (which are carried in all trucks) to the container, informing the household that the container weighs more than fifty pounds and cannot be collected.

According to the passage, in order to determine if a container is too heavy, sanitation workers should

The city ordinance reads, Sanitation workers will not collect garbage in containers weighing more than fifty pounds. Workers are expected to use their best judgment in determining when a container weighs more than fifty pounds. If a container is too heavy, workers should attach one of the pre-printed warning messages (which are carried in all trucks) to the container, informing the household that the container weighs more than fifty pounds and cannot be collected.

The city ordinance reads, Sanitation workers will not collect garbage in containers weighing more than fifty pounds. Workers are expected to use their best judgment in determining when a container weighs more than fifty pounds. If a container is too heavy, workers should attach one of the pre-printed warning messages (which are carried in all trucks) to the container, informing the household that the container weighs more than fifty pounds and cannot be collected.

According to the passage, if a sanitation worker believes that a container weighs more than fifty pounds, he or she should

You and your partner are collecting garbage in front of Sandstone Apartments. You try to pick up a large box but have to strain because it is very heavy. What should you do?

An angry citizen walks up to you and tells you that she wants to make a formal complaint about the collection service. What should you do?

Answer the question by choosing the word or phrase that means the same or nearly the same as the underlined word.

The collection trucks used by sanitation departments in the surrounding small towns are definitely outmoded.

Answer the question by choosing the word or phrase that means the same or nearly the same as the underlined word.

The new ruling regarding disposal of hypodermic needles may prove detrimental to the health of sanitation workers

You pick up a trash container at 215 Mockingbird Lane and find a wallet in the container. The wallet has a twenty-dollar bill inside, along with a driver’s license for a 70-year-old man named John Smith at 215 Mockingbird Lane. A man about that age, who resembles the picture on the driver’s license, is sitting on the porch at this address. What should you do?

Sanitation Worker Davis is driving east on First Avenue when a large dog runs in front of his truck. Davis slams on his brakes but is unable to keep from hitting the dog. Hearing the screeching of the brakes, the dog’s owner, James Ramsey, runs out of his house on the corner of First Avenue and Highland Court and discovers that his dog’s leg is injured. Davis helps put the dog into Ramsey’s car so that Ramsey can take the animal to the vet. Later, Davis files a report. Which of the following reports describes the incident most clearly and accurately?

Sanitation Worker Roth is loading a collection truck with trash in the alley behind the apartment building at 4498 Cahill Avenue when she hears someone calling for help. She looks up and sees an older man at the window on the third floor. The man shouts that his wife may have had a heart attack and his phone is out of order. Roth goes into the building and calls 911 from the superintendent’s phone. Which of the following statements reports the emergency most clearly and accurately?

Sanitation Worker Camillo is stopped for a red light on Lucas Drive. When the light turns green, Camillo drives slowly forward into the intersection of Lucas Drive and Manchester Way. There, his truck is broadsided from the left by a gray, late-model Mercury station wagon. Although he is shaken, Camillo has not been injured. The driver of the car is also uninjured, but he accuses Camillo of having driven through a red light. Someone in a nearby building saw the accident and phoned the police, who arrive within minutes. Which of the following reports would Camillo give to the police to describe the accident most clearly and accurately?

On designated holidays, there is no garbage collection in the city. When a holiday falls on a Monday, sanitation workers collect their normal Monday route and half of their normal Tuesday route on the Tuesday after the holiday. On the next day, Wednesday, they collect the second half of their normal Tuesday route and all of their normal Wednesday route. On Wednesday, September 6, two days after a holiday, the resident at 456 Dornan Street phones the city’s Sanitation Department to complain that his garbage, which is normally collected on Tuesdays, is still sitting in front of his house. Which of the following explanations would describe most clearly and accurately to this resident why his garbage has not yet been collected?

One rainy afternoon you are picking up trash in a residential neighborhood. You have just gotten back into your truck to drive to the next pick-up point, when you see an elderly woman about half a block away, walking toward you, struggling to carry a small bag of trash. What should you do?

When you stop your collection truck to pick up trash along a busy city street, a small boy grabs the side mirror on the driver’s side and hangs there, shouting for you to take him for a ride. What should you do?

You are driving a sand spreader along an icy street. You are driving slowly, and when you step on the brakes to stop you realize they do not work. You ease the emergency brake on until the vehicle stops completely. What should you do now?

Answer the questions solely on the basis of the map on the facing page. The arrows indicate traffic flow; one arrow indicates a one- way street going in the direction of the arrow; two arrows represent a two-way street. You are not allowed to go the wrong way on a one-way street

Sanitation Worker Tennyson is eastbound on Kent Avenue at Lee Lane. He receives a call about assistance needed for a pick-up at a residence located at the northeast corner of Lynch Road and Mill Road. What is the quickest route for Sanitation Worker Tennyson to take?

Answer the questions solely on the basis of the map on the facing page. The arrows indicate traffic flow; one arrow indicates a one- way street going in the direction of the arrow; two arrows represent a two-way street. You are not allowed to go the wrong way on a one-way street

There has been heavy flooding in the city and, on an emergency basis, some collection routes are being canceled or reassigned. Sanitation Workers McKay and Callihan are driving by the court house, northbound on Upton Street. They receive a call that their regular route is being canceled, and that instead they are to begin pick-up at Ross Park on the Grove Street side of the park. What is the most direct legal route for Sanitation Workers McKay and Callihan to take?

Answer the questions solely on the basis of the map on the facing page. The arrows indicate traffic flow; one arrow indicates a one- way street going in the direction of the arrow; two arrows represent a two-way street. You are not allowed to go the wrong way on a one-way street

Sanitation Worker Kenney has just finished lunch at Jim’s Deli and is heading west on Pine Avenue to continue her route. She turns left on Lee Lane and then left again onto Pecan Avenue. She turns left on Main Street and finally turns right on Palmer Avenue. What direction is she facing?

During a torrential rainstorm, Sanitation Worker Delgado makes a left turn onto Bartola Street from Unity Road. After sliding on the slick pavement, Delgado loses control of his truck, and it bounces up over the curb and hits a bus shelter. Fortunately, no one is waiting for the bus. The truck, however, is disabled. Which of the following statements reports this information most clearly and accurately?

A city worker was called to work overtime during a snowstorm. The worker checked into work on January 3 at 8:42 p.m. and finished the job at 1:19 a.m. on January 4. How long was the worker on the job?

How many feet of rope will a sanitation worker need to tie off a hazardous waste area that is 34 feet long and 20 feet wide?

About how many liters of liquid will a 50-gallon container hold? (1 liter = 1.06 quarts)

What is the approximate total weight of four sanitation workers who weigh 152 pounds, 168 pounds, 182 pounds, and 201 pounds?

If a compartment on the back of a recycling truck is 10 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 4 feet high, what is its volume in cubic feet? (Volume = Length × Width × Height)

One morning you are carrying an old sofa to the truck with the help of your coworker, when your coworker trips, falls, and hits her head on the sidewalk. She is unconscious. What should you do?

You are behind schedule sweeping up trash near a busy downtown intersection. A tourist stops and asks you if you know how to get to Wilson’s Pie Shop. You know that this shop is in a mall at least a mile away, and that giving directions would be time- consuming. What should you do?

Which of the following figures could be the object above, seen from a different angle?.

While driving a sweeper, you see smoke billowing out of a window at 3939 Walking Stick Lane. What is the first thing you should do?

If each of the objects to the left weighs approximately 40 pounds, which would be easiest for one sanitation worker alone to carry to the collection truck?

While Sanitation Worker Yamata is making a garbage pickup at an apartment building in the 700 block of Norcross Road, two boys run up to his truck and spray graffiti on the driver’s side door. Yamata, who is busy with the collection, does not see the boys. Mrs. Stanley, who is walking her dog, is the only witness to the crime. She stops Yamata and tells him that one of the boys, Randy McGill, age thirteen, lives in the 800 block of Norcross. When Yamata returns to the garage, he files a report. Which of the following reports most clearly and accurately states what occurred?

Sanitation Worker Green earns $26,000 a year. If she receives a 4.5% salary increase, how much will she earn?

Which of the following areas has the greatest perimeter?

It’s raining heavily and you can’t see the street in front of the collection truck even with the windshield wipers on their fastest setting. What should you do?

The city’s new collection program will begin June 1. At that time, each house or apartment will be allowed two 35-gallon cans or bags of garbage per week. Each additional bag or can will require a special sticker. Stickers may be purchased from the city at $1.00 each. Which of the following statements describes the city’s new program most clearly and accurately?

During a major snowstorm, Sanitation Worker O’Neal is driving a truck with a quick hitch plow along the 1200 block of Arden Drive, one of the city’s main snow routes. When the snow is over two inches deep, residents are restricted from parking on streets that are designated snow routes. The snow on this day is already four inches deep. Suddenly, O’Neal sees a parked car on the left side of the street and barely manages to drive the truck around it. At the first opportunity, she phones in a request to have the car towed. Which of the following statements most clearly and accurately describes the situation?

At certain times of day, drivers of collection trucks should be particularly careful to look for pedestrians before starting up again after a collection stop. Drivers should look most carefully for pedestrians in the street at

City recycling regulations state that recyclable materials must be sorted and packaged separately for collection. If a householder does not follow these rules, sanitation workers are instructed not to do the pickup, but to leave a polite note. When Sanitation Worker Calhoun arrives at 29 Reynolds Lane, she discovers that newspaper, cans, glass jars, and plastic bottles have all been mingled together in one package. Which of the following notes would most clearly and accurately describe the situation to the resident at 29 Reynolds Lane?