UDEE Officer Writing and Grammar 5

Question 1

An officer writes: 'Neither the sergeant nor the officers was present at the scene.' What is the error?

Accepted Answer

The verb 'was' should be 'were' to agree with the plural noun nearest to the verb

Answer

With 'neither/nor,' the verb agrees with the noun closest to it; since 'officers' is plural, the verb must be 'were.'

Question 2

Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon in an incident report?

Accepted Answer

The suspect fled on foot; however, officers apprehended him two blocks away.

Answer

A semicolon correctly joins two independent clauses, especially when followed by a conjunctive adverb like 'however.'

Question 3

In a use-of-force report, an officer writes: 'The subject laid down on the ground after being ordered.' What correction is needed?

Accepted Answer

'Laid' should be 'lay' because no object follows the verb

Answer

'Lay' is the past tense of the intransitive verb 'lie' (to recline); 'laid' is the past tense of 'lay' meaning to place something.

Question 4

An officer must describe a suspect's clothing accurately. Which phrasing is most precise for an official report?

Accepted Answer

The subject was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark blue denim jeans.

Answer

Official reports require specific, objective descriptions that eliminate vague language and provide details useful for identification.

Question 5

Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?

Accepted Answer

Responding to the call, the building was found fully engulfed in flames.

Answer

A dangling modifier occurs when the implied subject of an introductory phrase does not match the sentence's actual subject; 'the building' cannot respond to a call.

UDEE - Uniformed Division Entrance Exam Practice Test

UDEE - Uniformed Division Entrance Exam Practice Test

UDEE Officer Writing and Grammar 5