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These 10 free CSI-PH questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Specialist of Inspection - Public Housing blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
While inspecting a common corridor, an inspector tests a fire-labeled entry door to a dwelling that is not in the HUD-selected unit sample. The door closes but does not latch. Where does NSPIRE direct the inspector to record this condition?
Correct answer: A - Inside, under Door - Fire Labeled, without adding the dwelling to the Unit sample.
Cracking is observed in a public housing building's load-bearing basement perimeter wall. The wall is below grade, with soil against its exterior face; it is part of the building rather than a freestanding site structure. Which NSPIRE standard governs evaluation of this component?
Correct answer: B - Foundation.
Two separate rectangular patches of mold-like substance are visible on different walls of the same bedroom in a public housing unit. Each patch measures 12 inches by 8 inches; no other mold-like substance is observed. Applying NSPIRE's room-based area criteria, which classification and correction timeframe fit this finding?
Correct answer: D - Severe; correct within 24 hours for a cumulative area of 1.33 square feet.
An inspector enters an occupied public housing kitchen and detects a strong sulfur-like odor and hissing near a natural-gas connection. The escort says maintenance can respond later that afternoon, still within the 24-hour correction period. What takes precedence over completing the inspection?
Correct answer: D - Immediately alert the escort, withdraw people from the affected area, and initiate the emergency response.
It is July at an Ohio public housing development. An apartment's permanent heating equipment is damaged and cannot operate. The apartment is 76 degrees F, and no gas leak, exposed wiring, or other hazard is present. The manager proposes waiting until the heating season to address it. How does NSPIRE treat the heating defect at this time of year?
Correct answer: B - Moderate, requiring correction within 30 days.
In a general-occupancy public housing development built in 1972, an inspector measures 3 square feet of peeling paint on a living-room wall. The unit is occupied by two adults, with no children under age 6. There is no documentation that the painted surface is lead-free. Which NSPIRE finding is supported by this visual assessment?
Correct answer: D - A Severe potential lead-based paint deficiency, because interior deterioration exceeds 2 square feet in one room.
HUD inspects 20 randomly selected units for a public housing property's score and five additional resident-recommended units that are not in that sample. In the scored sample, three windows in Unit 104 and one window in Unit 208 have the same confirmed Severe window deficiency. The Unit weight for a Severe deficiency is 14.8. What total property-score deduction is attributable to these window findings, rounded to two decimal places?
Correct answer: A - 1.48 points.
A kitchen receptacle in a public housing unit is 3 feet from the sink and has no TEST or RESET buttons. After coordinating the power interruption with the resident, an inspector verifies that an upstream GFCI trips, cuts power to this receptacle, and restores power when reset. The receptacle is undamaged and otherwise operates normally. How should the GFCI finding be recorded?
Correct answer: C - No GFCI deficiency; the receptacle has verified ground-fault protection from the upstream device.
A single-level, two-bedroom public housing unit has working smoke alarms inside both bedrooms and in the short hallway immediately outside them. A full-height door separates this hallway from the adjacent living room. There is no smoke alarm on the living-room side of that door. The existing alarms are correctly mounted. To complete the required smoke-alarm coverage, the PHA must:
Correct answer: C - Add an alarm on the living-room side of the separating door, retaining the existing alarms.
A PHA is preparing a timely technical-review request after an NSPIRE report records an inoperable window lock. Reversing this finding would raise the property's score above 60. Which evidence most directly supports a claim that the inspector recorded a nonexistent deficiency, rather than a condition corrected after inspection?
Correct answer: B - A time-stamped video from the inspection showing the cited lock securing the sash before any repair.
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