California POST Sentence Clarity Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following sentences is the MOST clearly written for a police report?
- Running towards the alley, the suspect was seen by the officer.
- The officer saw the suspect running towards the alley. (Correct answer)
- The suspect, he was running towards the alley when the officer saw him.
- Towards the alley the suspect was running and seen by the officer.
Correct answer: The officer saw the suspect running towards the alley.
This sentence uses the active voice ('The officer saw...'), which is direct and clear. The other options contain errors that reduce clarity: option A has a dangling modifier, option C is wordy and contains a redundant pronoun, and option D has an awkward sentence structure.
Question 2: An officer is writing a report about a traffic collision. Which sentence BEST demonstrates clarity and proper grammar?
- The blue car, which was speeding, it hit the red truck.
- Hitting the red truck, the blue car was speeding.
- The red truck was hit by the blue car which was speeding.
- The speeding blue car hit the red truck. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The speeding blue car hit the red truck.
This sentence is the most clear and concise. It uses a simple subject-verb-object structure and active voice. Option A is redundant ('it'). Option B contains a misplaced modifier, making it sound like the car was speeding at the exact moment of impact. Option C uses the passive voice ('was hit'), which is less direct than the active voice.
Question 3: Identify the primary error in the following sentence: 'The witness described the getaway car to the officer that was silver.'
- Run-on sentence
- Sentence fragment
- Misplaced modifier (Correct answer)
- Unclear pronoun reference
Correct answer: Misplaced modifier
The modifier 'that was silver' is misplaced. It incorrectly describes the officer instead of the getaway car. A clearer sentence would be: 'The witness described the silver getaway car to the officer.'
Question 4: Which of the following sentences should be revised because it contains an unclear pronoun reference?
- The sergeant told the officer that he had to rewrite the report. (Correct answer)
- After the suspect was secured, his vehicle was searched by Officer Smith.
- The victim stated that her purse was stolen at the park.
- Officer Jones documented the evidence before placing it in the locker.
Correct answer: The sergeant told the officer that he had to rewrite the report.
The pronoun 'he' is unclear. It is impossible to know whether 'he' refers to the sergeant or the officer. The sentence needs to be rewritten to clarify who must rewrite the report (e.g., 'The sergeant told the officer, "You have to rewrite the report."').
Question 5: An officer writes in their report: 'The suspect was non-compliant with the officer's commands, a taser was deployed.' What is the BEST way to correct this sentence for clarity?
- The suspect was non-compliant with the officer's commands, and a taser was deployed.
- Because the suspect was non-compliant with the officer's commands, the officer deployed a taser. (Correct answer)
- A taser was deployed, the suspect was non-compliant with the officer's commands.
- The suspect's non-compliance with commands, a taser was deployed.
Correct answer: Because the suspect was non-compliant with the officer's commands, the officer deployed a taser.
This sentence corrects the original comma splice by creating a clear cause-and-effect relationship using a subordinate clause ('Because...'). It also uses the active voice ('the officer deployed'), which is stronger and more direct for report writing. Option A corrects the comma splice but is less descriptive. Option C reverses the logical flow. Option D is a sentence fragment.
Question 6: Which principle of sentence clarity is most important for ensuring a police report is easily understood by various audiences, such as supervisors, attorneys, and jurors?
- Using complex vocabulary to demonstrate professionalism.
- Writing in the passive voice to remain objective.
- Employing long, detailed sentences to include all facts.
- Maintaining a clear and logical sentence structure. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Maintaining a clear and logical sentence structure.
A clear and logical sentence structure is paramount for ensuring a report is understandable. While other elements are important, a foundation of clear structure (e.g., active voice, proper grammar, avoiding run-ons) prevents misinterpretation by the diverse audience that will read the report. Complex vocabulary can obscure meaning, passive voice can be less direct, and overly long sentences can become confusing.
California POST Sentence Clarity Questions and Answers
Which of the following sentences is the MOST clearly written for a police report?