10 exercises — how "on close inspection" introduces a finding revealed by careful, deliberate examination.
Quick reference
On close inspection: introduces a finding revealed by careful examination
Fixed form: no article — "on close inspection," not "on the close inspection"
Natural partner: often paired with "at first glance" for contrast
Close synonym: "upon closer examination"
Register: neutral-to-formal, common in spoken code reviews and written audit reports
0 / 25 completed
1 / 25
A code review comment reads: "This function looked correct at a skim. ___ , it mutates the input array in place, which the caller doesn't expect." Which phrase best signals a deeper look revealing a hidden problem?
On close inspection is a fixed idiom meaning "after examining something carefully." It takes no article before "close inspection" and uses "on," not "at." The other options wrongly add "the," pluralize "inspection," or use the wrong preposition.
2 / 25
Which sentence uses "on close inspection" correctly?
"The migration script looked idempotent. On close inspection, it actually double-charges retried customers" correctly reveals a problem found through careful examination of something that initially seemed fine. It cannot introduce a bare future plan, an instruction, or a scheduled event.
3 / 25
Fill the blank: "The dashboard numbers matched at a glance. ___ , the two charts were pulling from different time zones."
On close inspection has a fixed word order: "on" + "close" + "inspection." The other options scramble this into invalid, meaningless sequences.
4 / 25
Which pair correctly distinguishes "on close inspection" from "at first glance"?
The two phrases are natural partners: "At first glance, the diff looks trivial. On close inspection, it changes a public API's return type." The first sets up a quick impression; the second reveals what deeper scrutiny uncovers.
5 / 25
A security audit note reads: "The token validation appeared solid in the demo. ___ , it never checked the token's expiry field." Which best completes the sentence?
On close inspection is the correct, fixed form. The other options scramble the required word order into invalid phrases.
6 / 25
Which sentence contains an error in the use of "on close inspection"?
"On close inspection that the auditor performed last week, the server crashed overnight" incorrectly attaches a relative clause and applies the phrase to a standalone event with nothing that was superficially examined first. The other three sentences correctly pair a surface impression with a deeper finding.
7 / 25
Choose the sentence where "on close inspection" is best replaced by "upon closer examination" without changing the meaning.
"The library seemed unmaintained. Upon closer examination, the last 'real' commit was disguised as a dependency bump" preserves the meaning exactly. The other options misuse the phrase as an urgency marker, an unrelated construction, or a pairing with a specific future date.
8 / 25
A code review reads: "The pagination logic seemed correct in the happy path. ___ , it drops the last page whenever the total count is an exact multiple of the page size." Which best fits?
On close inspection is the correct, standard form — no article, and "inspection" stays singular. Option A wrongly turns "close" into an adverb. Option B wrongly pluralizes "inspection." Option D wrongly adds "the."
9 / 25
Which register note about "on close inspection" is accurate?
"On close inspection" works equally well in a spoken code review ("On close inspection, this leaks a connection") and a written security audit report. It always introduces a finding uncovered by careful scrutiny.
10 / 25
Which sentence best demonstrates "on close inspection" revealing a flaw that a surface-level review missed?
"The load balancer's health check passed consistently. On close inspection, it only pinged the loopback interface..." is the textbook use: a reassuring surface signal followed by a deeper, more troubling finding. The other options misuse the phrase as a command intensifier, insert it awkwardly mid-clause, or pair it incorrectly with a specific future date.
11 / 25
During a code review of the user authentication module, Alice notices that the password hashing function is using SHA256. She asks Bob to confirm this. Bob replies, "Yeah, it's fine – we haven't had any issues." On close inspection, Alice realizes that the implementation doesn't include salting, making it vulnerable to rainbow table attacks. Which phrase best describes Alice's subsequent action?
The question tests understanding of proactive risk mitigation. Alice's 'on close inspection' revealed a critical vulnerability (lack of salting) that a simple confirmation wouldn't have caught. Options A and B represent more aggressive responses, while option C is accepting the issue and ignoring potential security risks - failing to act on the discovered flaw. Option D represents a dangerous complacency.
12 / 25
A Slack message from the DevOps team reads: "The database server is running smoothly. Just checking in..." On close inspection, you discover that the server's CPU usage has spiked dramatically over the last hour and no alerts have been triggered. What does this suggest?
This question assesses the ability to interpret subtle anomalies. The seemingly benign initial message hides a serious underlying problem: high CPU usage without alerts indicates a potential bottleneck or resource exhaustion needing immediate attention. Options A and B are contradictory; option C is an assumption, and option D introduces unnecessary speculation.
13 / 25
A PR description for a new feature states: "This adds support for JSON data. It's pretty straightforward." On close inspection, the code includes minimal validation of the incoming JSON, potentially allowing malicious or malformed data to be processed. Which sentence best reflects this situation?
This scenario highlights the importance of critical evaluation beyond surface descriptions. While a simple feature might seem straightforward, insufficient input validation can introduce vulnerabilities. Option A is incorrect because it ignores the potential risk; option B suggests unnecessary revision; option C acknowledges the issue while still allowing for further review (which is the correct approach), and option D represents an appropriate next step.
14 / 25
During a standup update, David says: "I've been working on the API endpoint for user profiles. It's working as expected." On close inspection of the API response logs, you observe that the endpoint is returning all data including sensitive information like credit card details in some cases. What does this indicate?
This question focuses on validating assumptions. David's statement doesn't reflect the actual state of his code – the response logs reveal a severe security vulnerability. Options A and D are incorrect; option B is an appropriate next step to address the issue, while option C represents a potentially dramatic overreaction (though still correct in terms of needing immediate action).
15 / 25
A code review comment reads: "The algorithm is efficient for small datasets. However, on close inspection, the memory usage grows exponentially with increasing data size, leading to potential out-of-memory errors." Which of the following best illustrates this situation?
This question tests the understanding of algorithmic complexity and resource constraints. The comment identifies a critical limitation – exponential memory growth – which dramatically affects the algorithm's practical use. Options A and B are misleading; option C accurately describes the situation, while option D suggests a solution without addressing the root cause.
16 / 25
During a code review of the user authentication module, Alice notices that the password hashing function is using SHA256. She asks Bob to confirm this. Bob replies, "Yeah, it's fine – we haven't had any issues." On close inspection, Alice realizes that the implementation doesn't include salting, making it vulnerable to rainbow table attacks. Which phrase best describes Alice's subsequent action?
The question tests understanding of proactive risk mitigation. Alice's 'on close inspection' revealed a critical vulnerability (lack of salting) that a simple confirmation wouldn't have caught. Options A and B represent more aggressive responses, while option C is accepting the issue and ignoring potential security risks - failing to act on the discovered flaw. Option D represents a dangerous complacency.
17 / 25
A Slack message from the DevOps team reads: "The database server is running smoothly. Just checking in..." On close inspection, you discover that the server's CPU usage has spiked dramatically over the last hour and no alerts have been triggered. What does this suggest?
This question assesses the ability to interpret subtle anomalies. The seemingly benign initial message hides a serious underlying problem: high CPU usage without alerts indicates a potential bottleneck or resource exhaustion needing immediate attention. Options A and B are contradictory; option C is an assumption, and option D introduces unnecessary speculation.
18 / 25
A PR description for a new feature states: "This adds support for JSON data. It's pretty straightforward." On close inspection, the code includes minimal validation of the incoming JSON, potentially allowing malicious or malformed data to be processed. Which sentence best reflects this situation?
This scenario highlights the importance of critical evaluation beyond surface descriptions. While a simple feature might seem straightforward, insufficient input validation can introduce vulnerabilities. Option A is incorrect because it ignores the potential risk; option B suggests unnecessary revision; option C acknowledges the issue while still allowing for further review (which is the correct approach), and option D represents an appropriate next step.
19 / 25
During a standup update, David says: "I've been working on the API endpoint for user profiles. It's working as expected." On close inspection of the API response logs, you observe that the endpoint is returning all data including sensitive information like credit card details in some cases. What does this indicate?
This question focuses on validating assumptions. David's statement doesn't reflect the actual state of his code – the response logs reveal a severe security vulnerability. Options A and D are incorrect; option B is an appropriate next step to address the issue, while option C represents a potentially dramatic overreaction (though still correct in terms of needing immediate action).
20 / 25
A code review comment reads: "The algorithm is efficient for small datasets. However, on close inspection, the memory usage grows exponentially with increasing data size, leading to potential out-of-memory errors." Which of the following best illustrates this situation?
This question tests the understanding of algorithmic complexity and resource constraints. The comment identifies a critical limitation – exponential memory growth – which dramatically affects the algorithm's practical use. Options A and B are misleading; option C accurately describes the situation, while option D suggests a solution without addressing the root cause.
21 / 25
During a code review of the user authentication module, Alice notices that the password hashing function is using SHA256. She asks Bob to confirm this. Bob replies, "Yeah, it's fine – we haven't had any issues." On close inspection, Alice realizes that the implementation doesn't include salting, making it vulnerable to rainbow table attacks. Which phrase best describes Alice's subsequent action?
The question tests understanding of proactive risk mitigation. Alice's 'on close inspection' revealed a critical vulnerability (lack of salting) that a simple confirmation wouldn't have caught. Options A and B represent more aggressive responses, while option C is accepting the issue and ignoring potential security risks - failing to act on the discovered flaw. Option D represents a dangerous complacency.
22 / 25
A Slack message from the DevOps team reads: "The database server is running smoothly. Just checking in..." On close inspection, you discover that the server's CPU usage has spiked dramatically over the last hour and no alerts have been triggered. What does this suggest?
This question assesses the ability to interpret subtle anomalies. The seemingly benign initial message hides a serious underlying problem: high CPU usage without alerts indicates a potential bottleneck or resource exhaustion needing immediate attention. Options A and B are contradictory; option C is an assumption, and option D introduces unnecessary speculation.
23 / 25
A PR description for a new feature states: "This adds support for JSON data. It's pretty straightforward." On close inspection, the code includes minimal validation of the incoming JSON, potentially allowing malicious or malformed data to be processed. Which sentence best reflects this situation?
This scenario highlights the importance of critical evaluation beyond surface descriptions. While a simple feature might seem straightforward, insufficient input validation can introduce vulnerabilities. Option A is incorrect because it ignores the potential risk; option B suggests unnecessary revision; option C acknowledges the issue while still allowing for further review (which is the correct approach), and option D represents an appropriate next step.
24 / 25
During a standup update, David says: "I've been working on the API endpoint for user profiles. It's working as expected." On close inspection of the API response logs, you observe that the endpoint is returning all data including sensitive information like credit card details in some cases. What does this indicate?
This question focuses on validating assumptions. David's statement doesn't reflect the actual state of his code – the response logs reveal a severe security vulnerability. Options A and D are incorrect; option B is an appropriate next step to address the issue, while option C represents a potentially dramatic overreaction (though still correct in terms of needing immediate action).
25 / 25
A code review comment reads: "The algorithm is efficient for small datasets. However, on close inspection, the memory usage grows exponentially with increasing data size, leading to potential out-of-memory errors." Which of the following best illustrates this situation?
This question tests the understanding of algorithmic complexity and resource constraints. The comment identifies a critical limitation – exponential memory growth – which dramatically affects the algorithm's practical use. Options A and B are misleading; option C accurately describes the situation, while option D suggests a solution without addressing the root cause.
What will I practise in ""On Close Inspection" as a Scrutiny Marker — IT English Grammar"?
Practice using "on close inspection" to reveal a problem uncovered by careful examination, in code reviews and security audits.
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This module has 25 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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Every exercise is written by the CoderSlingo team, drawing on real workplace English used in IT roles, then reviewed for accuracy and clarity.