NTN Police - National Testing Network Police Writing and Grammar Skills Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct and uses proper spelling for a police report?
- The two witness statements were kept seperate to avoid collusion.
- Officer Jones will coordinate with the fire department liason.
- The suspect's vehicle was a late-model sedan. (Correct answer)
- It is definately necessary to file a supplemental report.
Correct answer: The suspect's vehicle was a late-model sedan.
This sentence is the only one without spelling or grammatical errors. The word 'vehicle' is spelled correctly. In the other options, 'seperate' should be 'separate', 'liason' should be 'liaison', and 'definately' should be 'definitely'. Correct spelling is critical for professional and credible reports.
Question 2: Which of the following sentences uses apostrophes correctly?
- The departments' goal is to increase community outreach.
- Its clear that the suspect left in a hurry.
- The witness's testimony was crucial to the case. (Correct answer)
- The officers' began their shifts at 0700 hours.
Correct answer: The witness's testimony was crucial to the case.
This sentence correctly uses 's to show that the testimony belongs to a single witness. Choice A is incorrect because 'department' is singular, so it should be 'department's'. Choice B is incorrect because 'It's' is the contraction for 'It is', which is needed here; 'Its' is possessive. Choice D is incorrect because 'officers' is a simple plural noun, not possessive, and should not have an apostrophe.
Question 3: An officer is writing a report and needs to describe how a new policy will impact the department. Which word should be used in the following sentence: 'The new directive will _______ the way officers document use-of-force incidents.'
- affect (Correct answer)
- effect
- except
- accept
Correct answer: affect
The correct word is 'affect,' which is a verb meaning 'to influence or produce a change in.' The new directive will influence the documentation process. 'Effect' is typically a noun meaning 'a result or outcome.' 'Except' and 'accept' are incorrect in this context.
Question 4: The following sentence from a field notebook needs revision: 'The suspect fled the scene on foot he was last seen running south on Main Street.' Which of the following is the BEST way to correct this run-on sentence?
- The suspect fled the scene on foot, he was last seen running south on Main Street.
- The suspect fled the scene on foot; he was last seen running south on Main Street. (Correct answer)
- The suspect fled the scene on foot and last seen running south on Main Street.
- The suspect fled the scene on foot, also he was last seen running south on Main Street.
Correct answer: The suspect fled the scene on foot; he was last seen running south on Main Street.
The original is a run-on (or fused) sentence because it combines two complete sentences without proper punctuation. A semicolon is used to correctly join two closely related independent clauses. Choice A creates a comma splice, which is also incorrect. Choice C is grammatically awkward and incomplete. Choice D is also awkward and less professional than using a semicolon.
Question 5: An officer needs to document arriving at a location. Which of the following sentences is the most clear, concise, and professional for an incident report?
- At approximately 22:30 hours, I made my arrival at the residential location of 123 Maple Avenue.
- I arrived at 123 Maple Avenue at 22:30 hours. (Correct answer)
- My arrival at the scene, which was 123 Maple Avenue, was effectuated at 22:30 hours.
- The time was 22:30 hours when I got to 123 Maple Avenue.
Correct answer: I arrived at 123 Maple Avenue at 22:30 hours.
This sentence is the most effective because it is direct, uses active voice, and avoids unnecessary words. Police reports should be written with clarity and conciseness. Choice A is wordy ('made my arrival'). Choice C uses overly complex language ('effectuated'). Choice D is too informal ('got to').
Question 6: Which of the following sentences demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement?
- The evidence, including the fingerprints and DNA swabs, were sent to the lab.
- Each of the officers have a copy of the new policy.
- The captain, along with the two lieutenants, is reviewing the case file. (Correct answer)
- There is several inconsistencies in the witness's statement.
Correct answer: The captain, along with the two lieutenants, is reviewing the case file.
The subject of the sentence is 'The captain,' which is singular. The phrase 'along with the two lieutenants' is a prepositional phrase that does not affect the subject-verb agreement. Therefore, the singular verb 'is' is correct. In choice A, the subject is 'evidence' (singular), so the verb should be 'was.' In choice B, the subject is 'Each' (singular), so the verb should be 'has.' In choice D, the subject is 'inconsistencies' (plural), so the verb should be 'are.'
NTN Police - National Testing Network Police Writing and Grammar Skills Questions and Answers 1
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct and uses proper spelling for a police report?