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Logical Reasoning and Analysis Flashcards

7 cards from real OACP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Logical Reasoning and Analysis flashcards as text

  1. Dispatch logs show calls for service peak between 11 PM and 2 AM on weekends. A chief allocates extra officers during Tuesday afternoons instead. What reasoning error does this decision reflect?

    Answer: Misallocation due to failure to apply data-driven analysis

    Ignoring clear peak-time data and deploying resources at a non-peak period reflects a failure to apply evidence-based resource allocation.

  2. An officer is given four boxes labeled: 'Evidence,' 'Non-Evidence,' 'Fragile,' and 'Non-Fragile.' Which combination must be checked to verify the rule: 'Every Evidence box is Fragile'?

    Answer: Evidence and Non-Fragile

    You must check Evidence boxes (to confirm they are Fragile) and Non-Fragile boxes (to confirm they contain no Evidence) — this is the Wason selection task logic.

  3. A detective argues: 'Witness X lied about their alibi, therefore everything X says is false.' This reasoning exemplifies:

    Answer: The genetic fallacy overapplied to credibility

    Dismissing all of a person's statements because one was false commits the genetic fallacy — judging content solely by its source's past behavior.

  4. Community surveys show satisfaction with police services dropped 15% after a new policy was introduced. The inspector concludes the policy caused the drop. A more cautious analyst would first:

    Answer: Check whether other factors changed simultaneously that could explain the drop

    Before attributing the drop to the policy, a rigorous analyst must control for confounding variables.

  5. A constable observes that every robbery in her district over the past year occurred within 200 metres of a transit hub. She proposes increased patrols near transit hubs. This recommendation is best described as:

    Answer: Evidence-based and logically consistent with the observed pattern

    Using a consistent empirical pattern to drive a targeted operational response is sound evidence-based reasoning.

  6. Two sergeants disagree: Sergeant Patel says more arrests mean better policing; Sergeant Kim says arrest rates alone are a poor measure of effectiveness. Which analytical principle does Kim's position reflect?

    Answer: The importance of multi-dimensional performance metrics over single indicators

    Relying on a single metric ignores other dimensions of effectiveness, so Kim correctly advocates for a broader analytical framework.

  7. A logical chain states: 'If there is no motive, there is no suspect. There is a suspect. Therefore, there is a motive.' This argument uses which valid logical form?

    Answer: Modus tollens

    Modus tollens: 'If P then Q; not Q; therefore not P' — here applied as 'not Q implies not P; P exists; therefore Q exists' via contrapositive.