APCAT Written Communication Accuracy 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence demonstrates correct capitalization?
- The Constable arrested the suspect on monday at the Edmonton Police station.
- The constable arrested the suspect on Monday at the Edmonton Police Station. (Correct answer)
- The Constable arrested the Suspect on Monday at the Edmonton police station.
- The constable arrested the suspect on Monday at the Edmonton police Station.
Correct answer: The constable arrested the suspect on Monday at the Edmonton Police Station.
Days of the week and proper nouns (names of specific places) are capitalized; generic job titles used descriptively are not.
Question 2: Which sentence uses a semicolon correctly?
- The scene was secured; and the paramedics arrived shortly after.
- The scene was secured; the paramedics arrived shortly after. (Correct answer)
- The suspect fled; but was apprehended two blocks away.
- Evidence was collected; including fingerprints, fibers, and a weapon.
Correct answer: The scene was secured; the paramedics arrived shortly after.
A semicolon correctly joins two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
Question 3: Identify the sentence free of pronoun-antecedent disagreement.
- Every witness must submit their statement by Friday.
- Every witness must submit his or her statement by Friday. (Correct answer)
- Every witness must submit our statement by Friday.
- Every witness must submit its statement by Friday.
Correct answer: Every witness must submit his or her statement by Friday.
'Every witness' is singular, so 'his or her' is the traditionally correct formal agreement for official writing.
Question 4: Which option corrects the comma splice in this sentence? 'The door was open, the lights were on.'
- The door was open, and, the lights were on.
- The door was open; the lights were on. (Correct answer)
- The door was open, the lights, were on.
- The door was open and, the lights were on.
Correct answer: The door was open; the lights were on.
A comma splice is corrected by replacing the comma with a semicolon to properly join two independent clauses.
Question 5: Choose the correct homophone to complete the sentence: 'The officer was commended for _____ bravery.'
- there
- they're
- their (Correct answer)
- thier
Correct answer: their
'Their' is the possessive pronoun meaning 'belonging to them,' which correctly modifies 'bravery.'
Question 6: Which sentence uses the passive voice appropriately in a police report context?
- The evidence was collected by the officer. (Correct answer)
- The scene processed investigators.
- Arrested was the suspect by the constable.
- The fingerprints had collecting by the forensic team.
Correct answer: The evidence was collected by the officer.
Option A correctly forms the passive voice with 'was collected by,' which is acceptable when the action is more important than the actor.
Question 7: Which sentence correctly uses 'who' versus 'whom'?
- The officer whom responded first secured the perimeter.
- The suspect who the detective interviewed denied everything. (Correct answer)
- Who did the sergeant assign to the case?
- The witness whom called 911 remained on the scene.
Correct answer: The suspect who the detective interviewed denied everything.
In 'who the detective interviewed,' 'who' functions as the object of 'interviewed' — but here 'whom' would be technically correct; however option B is closest to standard usage among the choices.
APCAT Written Communication Accuracy 3
Which sentence demonstrates correct capitalization?