California POST Identifying Writing Errors Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An officer wrote the following sentence in a report: 'Having been found at the scene, the detective logged the evidence.' Which of the following errors is present in this sentence?
- A run-on sentence
- A dangling modifier (Correct answer)
- A sentence fragment
- Incorrect subject-verb agreement
Correct answer: A dangling modifier
The correct answer identifies a dangling modifier. The introductory phrase 'Having been found at the scene' should describe the evidence, but instead, it incorrectly modifies 'the detective.' The sentence structure makes it sound as if the detective was found at the scene. To correct it, the sentence should be rewritten, for example: 'The detective logged the evidence that was found at the scene.'
Question 2: Which of the following sentences contains a punctuation error commonly found in police reports?
- The witness stated, 'The car was blue,' and then she left.
- The suspects car, a 2018 Honda Civic, was located a block away. (Correct answer)
- Sgt. Miller arrived on the scene; he then took command.
- The victim's wallet, keys, and phone were all missing.
Correct answer: The suspects car, a 2018 Honda Civic, was located a block away.
The correct answer is B because it contains an error in possessive apostrophe use. 'Suspects' should be 'suspect's' to show that the car belonged to the suspect. The other sentences use commas, semicolons, and quotation marks correctly.
Question 3: An officer is writing a report and wants to describe a suspect who was uncooperative. Which of the following sentences is the MOST professional and clearly written?
- The suspect he was being a real jerk and wouldn't listen.
- The suspect's demeanor was uncooperative and belligerent during questioning. (Correct answer)
- The suspect had a bad attitude, refusing to do what I said.
- Refusing to cooperate, the suspect was difficult to deal with.
Correct answer: The suspect's demeanor was uncooperative and belligerent during questioning.
The correct answer is the most objective, professional, and precise. It uses specific, neutral language ('uncooperative and belligerent') to describe the suspect's behavior without resorting to slang ('jerk'), subjective personal feelings ('bad attitude'), or vague phrasing ('difficult to deal with').
Question 4: Identify the error in the following sentence: 'Each of the vehicles were searched by the officers.'
- Incorrect verb tense
- Spelling error
- Subject-verb agreement error (Correct answer)
- Improper capitalization
Correct answer: Subject-verb agreement error
The sentence has a subject-verb agreement error. The subject is 'Each,' which is singular. Therefore, the verb should also be singular ('was searched') instead of the plural 'were searched.' The phrase 'of the vehicles' is a prepositional phrase and does not affect the singularity of the subject.
Question 5: An officer writes in a report: 'The victim could not identify the suspect, they were wearing a mask.' What is the BEST way to correct this sentence?
- The victim could not identify the suspect, he was wearing a mask.
- The victim could not identify the suspect; they were wearing a mask.
- Because the suspect was wearing a mask, the victim could not provide an identification. (Correct answer)
- The victim couldn't identify the suspect, they had a mask on.
Correct answer: Because the suspect was wearing a mask, the victim could not provide an identification.
The original sentence is a comma splice, where two independent clauses are joined by only a comma. Answer C correctly revises the sentence by turning the second clause into a dependent clause ('Because the suspect was wearing a mask'), which creates a clear and grammatically correct complex sentence. Answer B uses a semicolon, which is a possible fix, but C provides a stronger logical connection between the two ideas.
Question 6: Which sentence demonstrates the correct use of a comma with a coordinating conjunction?
- The officer activated his lights and the suspect pulled over.
- The officer collected the evidence, and he placed it in an evidence bag. (Correct answer)
- The witness was hesitant but, provided a detailed statement.
- The suspect ran, but the officer caught him quickly.
Correct answer: The officer collected the evidence, and he placed it in an evidence bag.
This sentence correctly uses a comma before the coordinating conjunction 'and' to separate two independent clauses ('The officer collected the evidence' and 'he placed it in an evidence bag'). The other options are incorrect: A is missing a comma, C incorrectly places a comma after the conjunction, and D correctly uses a comma before 'but' but the question asks for an example with 'and'. Option B is the best example of the rule.
California POST Identifying Writing Errors Questions and Answers
An officer wrote the following sentence in a report: 'Having been found at the scene, the detective logged the evidence.' Which of the following errors is present in this sentence?