California POST Test Reading Comprehension Strategies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A police report states: 'The witness observed the suspect flee northbound on Main Street before turning east on 5th Avenue.' Which direction was the suspect ultimately heading?
- North
- East (Correct answer)
- South
- West
Correct answer: East
The suspect turned east on 5th Avenue, making east the final direction of travel.
Question 2: When reading a lengthy incident report, the best strategy for identifying the most critical information is to:
- Read every word at the same pace
- Skim headers and first sentences of each paragraph first (Correct answer)
- Start from the conclusion and work backward
- Memorize the entire document before drawing conclusions
Correct answer: Skim headers and first sentences of each paragraph first
Skimming headers and topic sentences first helps identify key information before reading in depth.
Question 3: An officer reads: 'All units except those on priority calls must report to the briefing by 0800.' Officer Davis is handling a 911 domestic violence call. Does Officer Davis need to attend the briefing?
- Yes, all officers must attend
- No, priority calls are exempt (Correct answer)
- Yes, but only after the call ends
- No, briefings are optional
Correct answer: No, priority calls are exempt
The directive explicitly exempts units on priority calls from the mandatory briefing.
Question 4: A passage states: 'Eyewitness accounts, while valuable, are subject to memory distortion influenced by stress, lighting, and time elapsed.' What is the author's primary point?
- Eyewitnesses are always unreliable
- Eyewitness testimony should never be used
- Eyewitness accounts have limitations that can affect accuracy (Correct answer)
- Stress improves eyewitness memory
Correct answer: Eyewitness accounts have limitations that can affect accuracy
The author acknowledges value in eyewitness accounts while noting specific factors that can reduce their accuracy.
Question 5: In reading comprehension, an 'inference' is best defined as:
- A direct quote from the text
- A conclusion drawn from evidence not explicitly stated (Correct answer)
- A definition provided by the author
- A summary of the main idea
Correct answer: A conclusion drawn from evidence not explicitly stated
An inference is a logical conclusion reached by reading between the lines rather than from explicit text.
Question 6: A bulletin reads: 'Patrol officers should document all field contacts regardless of whether an arrest is made.' An officer stops a pedestrian but issues no citation. Should this contact be documented?
- No, only arrests require documentation
- No, only citations require documentation
- Yes, all field contacts must be documented (Correct answer)
- Only if the pedestrian is a known suspect
Correct answer: Yes, all field contacts must be documented
The bulletin clearly states all field contacts must be documented regardless of outcome.
Question 7: Which reading strategy is most effective when encountering an unfamiliar word in a police directive?
- Skip the word and continue reading
- Use context clues from surrounding sentences to determine meaning (Correct answer)
- Stop reading until a dictionary is found
- Replace the word with a familiar synonym without verification
Correct answer: Use context clues from surrounding sentences to determine meaning
Context clues from surrounding text often reveal the meaning of unfamiliar words without interrupting comprehension.
California POST Test Reading Comprehension Strategies 2
A police report states: 'The witness observed the suspect flee northbound on Main Street before turning east on 5th Avenue.' Which direction was the suspect ultimately heading?