PELLET B Test Writing Ability: Sentence Clarity Questions and Answers

Question 1

Which of the following sentences is the most clearly written?

Accepted Answer

While running for the bus, the officer dropped his briefcase.

Answer

Running for the bus, the briefcase was dropped by the officer.

Answer

The officer dropped his briefcase running for the bus.

Answer

The briefcase was dropped by the officer, he was running for the bus.

Question 2

An officer is writing a report about a traffic stop. Which of the following sentences is the clearest and most appropriate for the report?

Accepted Answer

I observed the driver exhibiting signs of nervousness, such as fidgeting and avoiding eye contact.

Answer

The driver of the vehicle seemed to be kind of nervous when I spoke to him.

Answer

When talking to the driver, he was definitely nervous about something or other.

Answer

The driver's nervousness was obvious to me, he wouldn't look at me and kept moving his hands around.

Question 3

Identify the sentence that is grammatically correct and most clearly structured.

Accepted Answer

The witness saw the suspect climb the fence.

Answer

The suspect was seen by the witness climbing the fence.

Answer

Climbing the fence, the witness saw the suspect.

Answer

The fence was climbed by the suspect, the witness saw this.

Question 4

Which of the following statements demonstrates the clearest writing?

Accepted Answer

Investigators found several pieces of evidence at the scene.

Answer

There are several pieces of evidence that were found at the scene by investigators.

Answer

At the scene, several pieces of evidence were found by the investigators who were there.

Answer

Having arrived at the scene, the finding of several pieces of evidence was done by investigators.

Question 5

A field report contains the following sentence: 'The vehicle had a broken taillight, which was the reason for the stop.' How could this sentence be revised for better clarity and conciseness?

Accepted Answer

I initiated a traffic stop because the vehicle had a broken taillight.

Answer

The stop was made due to the fact that the vehicle's taillight was broken.

Answer

The broken taillight on the vehicle was the justification for the traffic stop that was initiated.

Answer

The vehicle was stopped, the reason being its broken taillight.

Question 6

Which of the following sentences contains a run-on or comma splice error, reducing its clarity?

Accepted Answer

The officer interviewed the witness then he filed his report.

Answer

The officer interviewed the witness, and then he filed his report.

Answer

After interviewing the witness, the officer filed his report.

Answer

The officer interviewed the witness; afterward, he filed his report.