California POST Identifying Writing Errors Questions and Answers

Question 1

An officer wrote the following sentence in a report: 'Having been found at the scene, the detective logged the evidence.' Which of the following errors is present in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

A dangling modifier

Answer

The correct answer identifies a dangling modifier. The introductory phrase 'Having been found at the scene' should describe the evidence, but instead, it incorrectly modifies 'the detective.' The sentence structure makes it sound as if the detective was found at the scene. To correct it, the sentence should be rewritten, for example: 'The detective logged the evidence that was found at the scene.'

Question 2

Which of the following sentences contains a punctuation error commonly found in police reports?

Accepted Answer

The suspects car, a 2018 Honda Civic, was located a block away.

Answer

The correct answer is B because it contains an error in possessive apostrophe use. 'Suspects' should be 'suspect's' to show that the car belonged to the suspect. The other sentences use commas, semicolons, and quotation marks correctly.

Question 3

An officer is writing a report and wants to describe a suspect who was uncooperative. Which of the following sentences is the MOST professional and clearly written?

Accepted Answer

The suspect's demeanor was uncooperative and belligerent during questioning.

Answer

The correct answer is the most objective, professional, and precise. It uses specific, neutral language ('uncooperative and belligerent') to describe the suspect's behavior without resorting to slang ('jerk'), subjective personal feelings ('bad attitude'), or vague phrasing ('difficult to deal with').

Question 4

Identify the error in the following sentence: 'Each of the vehicles were searched by the officers.'

Accepted Answer

Subject-verb agreement error

Answer

The sentence has a subject-verb agreement error. The subject is 'Each,' which is singular. Therefore, the verb should also be singular ('was searched') instead of the plural 'were searched.' The phrase 'of the vehicles' is a prepositional phrase and does not affect the singularity of the subject.

Question 5

An officer writes in a report: 'The victim could not identify the suspect, they were wearing a mask.' What is the BEST way to correct this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Because the suspect was wearing a mask, the victim could not provide an identification.

Answer

The original sentence is a comma splice, where two independent clauses are joined by only a comma. Answer C correctly revises the sentence by turning the second clause into a dependent clause ('Because the suspect was wearing a mask'), which creates a clear and grammatically correct complex sentence. Answer B uses a semicolon, which is a possible fix, but C provides a stronger logical connection between the two ideas.

California POST Test Practice Test

California POST Test Practice Test

California POST Identifying Writing Errors Questions and Answers