RCMP Written Communication Skills 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An RCMP officer is writing a report about an impaired driver. Which sentence best describes the driver's condition objectively?
- The driver was obviously drunk and could barely stand.
- The driver smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech, and failed three roadside sobriety tests. (Correct answer)
- The driver appeared intoxicated based on the officer's experience.
- The driver was impaired and dangerous to the public.
Correct answer: The driver smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech, and failed three roadside sobriety tests.
Specific, observable facts — odour, speech, test results — are more defensible in court than subjective conclusions.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of a run-on sentence?
- The suspect fled; the officer pursued.
- The suspect fled, and the officer gave chase.
- The suspect fled the officer pursued him down the alley. (Correct answer)
- The officer pursued the fleeing suspect.
Correct answer: The suspect fled the officer pursued him down the alley.
A run-on sentence joins two independent clauses without proper punctuation or a coordinating conjunction.
Question 3: When summarizing a witness's statement in a report, an officer should:
- Paraphrase the statement in the officer's own words and attribute it correctly (Correct answer)
- Copy the witness's exact words verbatim in all cases
- Omit emotional language but include all factual claims without attribution
- Record only the parts the officer believes are true
Correct answer: Paraphrase the statement in the officer's own words and attribute it correctly
Paraphrasing with proper attribution ('The witness stated that...') ensures accuracy while maintaining report readability.
Question 4: Which transition word would best introduce a contrasting point in a report narrative?
- Furthermore
- Additionally
- However (Correct answer)
- Therefore
Correct answer: However
'However' signals a contrast or contradiction between two pieces of information.
Question 5: The word 'their' is used incorrectly in which sentence?
- The suspects returned to their vehicle.
- Their were two witnesses at the scene. (Correct answer)
- The officers filed their reports on time.
- Each witness gave their account separately.
Correct answer: Their were two witnesses at the scene.
In option B, 'their' should be 'there' — a locative adverb, not a possessive pronoun.
Question 6: An officer states in a report: 'The victim was hysterical and overreacting to the situation.' What is the primary problem with this statement?
- It uses passive voice
- It contains a spelling error
- It is subjective and uses judgmental language inappropriate for an official report (Correct answer)
- It does not specify a time or location
Correct answer: It is subjective and uses judgmental language inappropriate for an official report
Words like 'hysterical' and 'overreacting' reflect the officer's judgment, not observable facts.
Question 7: Which format is most appropriate for documenting multiple separate incidents in a single report submission?
- Write all incidents in one continuous paragraph to save space
- Number each incident and address each one in a clearly labelled section (Correct answer)
- List only the most serious incident and reference others briefly
- Use bullet points exclusively without any narrative text
Correct answer: Number each incident and address each one in a clearly labelled section
Numbered, clearly labelled sections allow readers to distinguish incidents and locate specific information efficiently.
RCMP Written Communication Skills 5
An RCMP officer is writing a report about an impaired driver.
Which sentence best describes the driver's condition objectively?