CJBAT Grammar and Vocabulary 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement with a collective noun?
- The jury were unable to reach a verdict.
- The jury was unable to reach a verdict. (Correct answer)
- The jury have disagreed among themselves.
- The jury are deliberating their decision.
Correct answer: The jury was unable to reach a verdict.
In American English, collective nouns like 'jury' typically take a singular verb.
Question 2: What does the word 'exonerate' mean?
- To charge someone with a crime
- To officially acquit and clear of blame (Correct answer)
- To sentence someone to prison
- To postpone a court hearing
Correct answer: To officially acquit and clear of blame
To exonerate means to officially free someone from blame or criminal charges.
Question 3: Identify the correct use of 'affect' vs. 'effect': 'The new policy will ___ response times significantly.'
- effect
- affect (Correct answer)
- effected
- affecting
Correct answer: affect
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence, while 'effect' is typically the noun.
Question 4: Which word best completes the sentence? 'The officer's testimony was ___, backed by video evidence.'
- speculative
- ambiguous
- irrefutable (Correct answer)
- anecdotal
Correct answer: irrefutable
Irrefutable means impossible to deny or disprove, fitting testimony supported by evidence.
Question 5: Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?
- The officers' reports were filed on time. (Correct answer)
- The officer's' report was filed on time.
- The officers report's were filed on time.
- The officers report were filed on time.
Correct answer: The officers' reports were filed on time.
'Officers'' correctly shows plural possessive for multiple officers owning their reports.
Question 6: What does 'mitigate' mean in a law enforcement context?
- To make a situation more severe
- To ignore evidence
- To lessen the severity or seriousness of something (Correct answer)
- To transfer a case to another jurisdiction
Correct answer: To lessen the severity or seriousness of something
Mitigate means to make less severe, serious, or painful.
Question 7: Choose the sentence with correct parallel structure.
- The officer interviewed witnesses, collected evidence, and was writing a report.
- The officer interviewed witnesses, collected evidence, and wrote a report. (Correct answer)
- The officer was interviewing witnesses, collected evidence, and to write a report.
- The officer interviews witnesses, had collected evidence, and wrote a report.
Correct answer: The officer interviewed witnesses, collected evidence, and wrote a report.
Parallel structure requires that all items in a series use the same grammatical form.
CJBAT Grammar and Vocabulary 5
Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement with a collective noun?