OACP Written Communication and Grammar 4

Question 1

Which sentence correctly uses an apostrophe to show possession?

Accepted Answer

The officers' reports were submitted on time.

Answer

For plural nouns ending in 's,' possession is shown by adding only an apostrophe after the 's'.

Question 2

When writing a formal incident report, which tense is most commonly used?

Accepted Answer

Past tense, to describe what already occurred.

Answer

Police incident reports describe events that have already occurred and are therefore written in past tense.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of vague language that should be avoided in police reports?

Accepted Answer

The officer observed a large amount of cash in the vehicle.

Answer

Phrases like 'large amount' are vague; reports should include specific quantities whenever possible.

Question 4

Identify the correctly punctuated sentence with a list.

Accepted Answer

The officer collected a wallet, keys, and a cell phone.

Answer

Items in a series are separated by commas, with a comma before the final 'and' (Oxford comma) in formal writing.

Question 5

Which of the following correctly uses 'affect' versus 'effect'?

Accepted Answer

The new policy affected how reports were submitted.

Answer

'Affect' is most commonly used as a verb meaning to influence, while 'effect' is typically used as a noun meaning a result.

OACP - Ontario Association of Chief of Police Practice Test