California POST Grammar and Punctuation Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following sentences contains a comma splice?
- The suspect was read his rights, he refused to speak without a lawyer. (Correct answer)
- After the suspect was read his rights, he refused to speak.
- The suspect was read his rights; however, he refused to speak.
- The suspect was read his rights and then he refused to speak.
Correct answer: The suspect was read his rights, he refused to speak without a lawyer.
A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses (complete sentences) are joined together with only a comma. The first option incorrectly uses a comma to connect 'The suspect was read his rights' and 'he refused to speak without a lawyer,' both of which can stand alone as complete sentences. The other options correctly use a subordinate clause, a semicolon, or a coordinating conjunction to join the ideas.
Question 2: An officer writes the following in a report: 'The box of evidence files ______ placed on the property clerk's desk.' Which verb correctly completes the sentence?
- is (Correct answer)
- are
- have been
- were
Correct answer: is
The subject of the sentence is 'box,' which is singular. The prepositional phrase 'of evidence files' describes the box but does not change the singular nature of the subject. Therefore, the singular verb 'is' is required to agree with the singular subject 'box'.
Question 3: Identify the sentence with the correct use of a possessive apostrophe.
- The two officers' reports were filed simultaneously. (Correct answer)
- The two officer's reports were filed simultaneously.
- The two officers report's were filed simultaneously.
- The two officers reports were filed simultaneously.
Correct answer: The two officers' reports were filed simultaneously.
When a plural noun ends in 's' (like 'officers'), the possessive is formed by adding only an apostrophe after the 's'. Since there are two officers and the reports belong to them, 'officers'' is the correct possessive form.
Question 4: Which of the following sentences from a police report has a dangling modifier?
- Running after the suspect, the officer's radio fell from its holster. (Correct answer)
- While running after the suspect, the officer dropped his radio.
- The officer's radio fell from its holster as he was running after the suspect.
- The officer was running after the suspect when his radio fell.
Correct answer: Running after the suspect, the officer's radio fell from its holster.
A dangling modifier is a phrase that describes something that isn't clearly stated in the sentence. In the correct answer, the introductory phrase 'Running after the suspect' seems to modify 'the officer's radio,' which is illogical because a radio cannot run. The other sentences are structured so that the person performing the action (the officer) is clearly identified.
Question 5: An officer is writing a report and needs to choose the correct word. Which sentence uses 'its' and 'it's' correctly?
- The K-9 unit is famous for its tracking ability; it's considered the best in the state. (Correct answer)
- The K-9 unit is famous for it's tracking ability; its considered the best in the state.
- The K-9 unit is famous for its tracking ability; its considered the best in the state.
- The K-9 unit is famous for it's tracking ability; it's considered the best in the state.
Correct answer: The K-9 unit is famous for its tracking ability; it's considered the best in the state.
'Its' is a possessive pronoun indicating ownership (the ability belongs to the K-9 unit). 'It's' is a contraction of 'it is'. The correct sentence uses 'its' to show possession and 'it's' as a contraction for 'it is considered'.
Question 6: Which sentence demonstrates correct pronoun-antecedent agreement?
- Each of the witnesses was asked to describe what he or she saw. (Correct answer)
- Each of the witnesses was asked to describe what they saw.
- Every witness were asked to describe what they saw.
- The group of witnesses was asked to describe what they saw.
Correct answer: Each of the witnesses was asked to describe what he or she saw.
The indefinite pronoun 'Each' is singular and requires a singular pronoun referent. 'He or she' is the correct singular pronoun. In choice B, 'they' is plural. In choice C, the verb 'were' does not agree with the singular subject 'witness'. While choice D is grammatically acceptable in some contexts, using 'he or she' is the most precise and formally correct way to agree with the singular antecedent 'Each'.
California POST Grammar and Punctuation Questions and Answers
Which of the following sentences contains a comma splice?