APCAT Written Communication Accuracy 5

Question 1

Which sentence demonstrates correct use of quotation marks in a police report?

Accepted Answer

The suspect stated, "I wasn't there."

Answer

In Canadian and American style, the period is placed inside the closing quotation mark, and a comma follows the attribution phrase.

Question 2

Identify the sentence with an error in verb tense consistency.

Accepted Answer

The constable approached the vehicle and asks the driver for identification.

Answer

Mixing past tense 'approached' with present tense 'asks' creates an inconsistent and incorrect verb tense shift.

Question 3

Which sentence uses 'its' and 'it's' correctly?

Accepted Answer

It's important that the report reflects its findings accurately.

Answer

'It's' is a contraction for 'it is,' while 'its' is the possessive form; option B uses both correctly.

Question 4

Select the correct number usage in a formal police report.

Accepted Answer

The officer arrived at 2 a.m. and interviewed three witnesses.

Answer

In formal writing, numbers below ten are typically spelled out, and time designations use lowercase 'a.m.' with periods.

Question 5

Which sentence is an example of a run-on sentence?

Accepted Answer

The suspect ran officers gave chase.

Answer

Option C joins two independent clauses with no punctuation or conjunction, creating a run-on (fused) sentence.

APCAT - Alberta Police Cognitive Ability Test Practice Test