OACP Logical Reasoning and Analysis 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A commander uses the following reasoning: 'Crime went down after we increased patrols, therefore the patrols caused the decrease.' Which logical error is present?
- Ad hominem
- Post hoc ergo propter hoc (Correct answer)
- Straw man
- False equivalence
Correct answer: Post hoc ergo propter hoc
Post hoc ergo propter hoc is the fallacy of assuming causation from temporal sequence alone.
Question 2: Officers respond to a neighborhood where residents report increased drug activity. Which analytical approach is most appropriate before deploying resources?
- Immediately saturate the area with officers based on resident complaints
- Cross-reference complaints with existing crime data and field intelligence to validate the trend (Correct answer)
- Dismiss the complaints as community bias
- Wait for an arrest to confirm the reports
Correct answer: Cross-reference complaints with existing crime data and field intelligence to validate the trend
Cross-referencing multiple data sources ensures resource deployment is evidence-based rather than reactive.
Question 3: The following sequence is presented: 2, 5, 10, 17, 26, __. What is the next number?
- 35
- 36
- 37 (Correct answer)
- 38
Correct answer: 37
The differences are 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 — consecutive odd numbers — so the next number is 26 + 11 = 37.
Question 4: A report states: 'Most officers who scored highest on the OACP exam also scored highest in situational judgment.' What type of relationship does this most likely describe?
- Causation
- Coincidence
- Correlation (Correct answer)
- Independence
Correct answer: Correlation
The statement describes two variables trending together, which is a correlational relationship, not proven causation.
Question 5: If no violent crimes were committed in Zone A last month, and the report says Zone A had the lowest crime overall, which of the following is a valid logical inference?
- Zone A had zero total crimes
- Zone A may have had non-violent crimes while still having the lowest overall crime count (Correct answer)
- Zone A is permanently safe
- The report is inaccurate
Correct answer: Zone A may have had non-violent crimes while still having the lowest overall crime count
The absence of violent crime does not preclude the existence of non-violent offenses in the same zone.
Question 6: A supervisor argues: 'Officer Reyes is either fully committed or not committed at all.' This statement is an example of:
- Sound reasoning
- A false dilemma (Correct answer)
- Deductive logic
- A valid analogy
Correct answer: A false dilemma
A false dilemma presents only two extreme options when a range of possibilities actually exists.
Question 7: An investigator notes that three unrelated crimes occurred within 500 meters of one another over two weeks. What is the most analytically cautious interpretation?
- A serial offender is operating in the area
- Geographic proximity may be coincidental but warrants further spatial analysis (Correct answer)
- The crimes must be linked by a common suspect
- The precinct boundaries should be redrawn
Correct answer: Geographic proximity may be coincidental but warrants further spatial analysis
Geographic clustering may be significant but requires further analysis before assuming a causal link.
OACP Logical Reasoning and Analysis 3
A commander uses the following reasoning: 'Crime went down after we increased patrols, therefore the patrols caused the decrease.' Which logical error is present?