POST Reading Comprehension Skills 4

Question 1

A policy reads: 'Officers may conduct a pat-down search of a detained individual when the officer has reasonable articulable suspicion that the individual is armed and dangerous.' Which situation BEST justifies a pat-down under this policy?

Accepted Answer

A suspect reaches toward his waistband after being stopped

Answer

Reaching toward the waistband after a stop provides reasonable articulable suspicion that the person may be armed and dangerous.

Question 2

A witness statement reads: 'Three men entered the store. Two wore blue jackets, and one wore a red jacket. The man in red grabbed cash from the register.' Who grabbed the cash?

Accepted Answer

The man in the red jacket

Answer

The statement explicitly says the man in the red jacket grabbed the cash from the register.

Question 3

A paragraph states: 'Deductive reasoning moves from general principles to specific conclusions, whereas inductive reasoning moves from specific observations to general conclusions.' An officer notes that three separate burglaries in a neighborhood all occurred between midnight and 2 AM, and concludes that burglaries in that area tend to happen late at night. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Inductive reasoning

Answer

Moving from specific observations (three incidents) to a general conclusion (burglaries tend to happen late) is inductive reasoning.

Question 4

An SOP states: 'Evidence shall be tagged, bagged, and logged into the evidence management system within 8 hours of collection. Perishable evidence must be logged within 2 hours.' An officer collects a blood sample at 1100 hours. By what time must it be logged?

Accepted Answer

1300 hours

Answer

Blood is perishable evidence, so it must be logged within 2 hours of the 1100 collection time — by 1300 hours.

Question 5

A passage reads: 'Active listening involves not only hearing the words spoken but also observing nonverbal cues such as body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice to fully understand the speaker's message.' Which skill is described as part of active listening in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Observing nonverbal cues like body language

Answer

The passage specifically names observation of nonverbal cues — body language, facial expressions, and tone — as part of active listening.

POST - Peace Officer Standards and Training Practice Test

POST - Peace Officer Standards and Training Practice Test

POST Reading Comprehension Skills 4