Written Communication Skills Flashcards
7 cards from real RCMP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Written Communication Skills flashcards as text
Which punctuation mark is used to join two independent clauses that are closely related in a police report?
Answer: Semicolon
A semicolon correctly joins two independent but related clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
In the sentence 'The officer seen the suspect flee the building,' what error is present?
Answer: Incorrect verb tense — 'seen' should be 'saw'
'Saw' is the simple past tense; 'seen' requires a helping verb such as 'had seen.'
Which of the following correctly uses a possessive apostrophe?
Answer: The suspect's jacket was found near the door.
A singular possessive is formed by adding apostrophe-s to the noun ('suspect's').
An officer needs to document that two witnesses gave conflicting accounts. Which phrasing is most appropriate for a report?
Answer: Witness A's account contradicted the account provided by Witness B.
Factual, neutral language documents the discrepancy without assigning blame or credibility.
Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?
Answer: Running down the alley, the suspect disappeared from view.
In option B, 'running down the alley' implies the suspect was running, which is logical and correct — actually option A dangles: the officer lost sight while running, which is logical. Let me re-examine: Option B says 'Running down the alley, the suspect disappeared' — the suspect is the subject, so this is correct. The dangling modifier would be in option A where 'running' modifies 'the officer' not 'the suspect.'
What does 'plain language' mean in the context of police report writing?
Answer: Writing clearly so the intended audience can understand the message on first reading
Plain language prioritizes clarity and comprehension for the reader, regardless of their familiarity with legal terminology.
Which of the following correctly punctuates a list within a police report sentence?
Answer: The officer recovered a wallet, a knife, and a cell phone.
Commas separate items in a series, and the Oxford comma before 'and' prevents ambiguity.