22 Writing & Grammar Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. Which word correctly completes this report sentence? "The box of evidence bags ______ stored in the trunk of my patrol vehicle."

   • A.were
   • B.was✓ Answer
   • C.are
   • D.have been

   The subject is the singular noun "box," not "bags." "Of evidence bags" is an intervening prepositional phrase, and the subject of a sentence can never sit inside a prepositional phrase, so the singular verb "was" is required. Because report narratives are written in the past tense, the present-tense choices are wrong on a second count as well.

   Source: Standard American English subject–verb agreement: the verb agrees with the head noun of the subject, never with a noun inside an intervening prepositional phrase (CA POST PELLETB Applicant Preparation Guide, Clarity/writing rules)Report a problem with this question

2. 2. Which sentence keeps verb tense consistent, as required in a narrative police report?

   • A.I arrive at the residence, knocked on the front door, and speak with the complainant.
   • B.I arrived at the residence, knock on the front door, and spoke with the complainant.
   • C.I arrived at the residence, knock on the front door, and speak with the complainant.
   • D.I arrived at the residence, knocked on the front door, and spoke with the complainant.✓ Answer

   All three verbs in the correct option (arrived, knocked, spoke) are in the simple past, so the reader follows one time frame from start to finish. The other options shift between past and present within a single sentence, which is a tense-consistency error and is doubly wrong in a report, since completed events an officer has already observed are recorded in the past tense.

   Source: Standard American English rule of tense consistency within a narrative; police report convention of past-tense narration (NY State Police Trooper Examination Study Guide, verb-tense rules)Report a problem with this question

3. 3. Which version reports the same fact most clearly and concisely?

   • A.At this point in time, I was in the process of making an attempt to locate the vehicle.
   • B.It was at that time that an attempt to locate the vehicle was being made by me.
   • C.The vehicle was a vehicle that I was making an effort to attempt to locate.
   • D.I attempted to locate the vehicle.✓ Answer

   The concise version keeps the actor as the subject and turns the action into a single strong verb, so nothing is lost while the word count drops by two thirds. The other options pad the sentence with empty filler ("at this point in time," "was in the process of"), a delayed-subject construction ("It was at that time that..."), or redundant repetition, all of which add words without adding information.

   Source: Standard American English concision principles — eliminate empty filler phrases and expletive constructions; police report "4 C's" (Clear, Concise, Complete, Correct), IACP Principles of Report WritingReport a problem with this question

4. 4. Which sentence contains a comma splice?

   • A.The suspect fled east on Third Street; I pursued him on foot.
   • B.The suspect fled east on Third Street, I pursued him on foot.✓ Answer
   • C.The suspect fled east on Third Street, and I pursued him on foot.
   • D.When the suspect fled east on Third Street, I pursued him on foot.

   A comma alone is not strong enough to join two independent clauses, and each half of the first option ("The suspect fled east on Third Street" / "I pursued him on foot") could stand as its own sentence. The other options fix the problem in the three legitimate ways: a comma plus a coordinating conjunction, a semicolon, or subordinating one clause with "When."

   Source: Standard American English rule on joining independent clauses (period, semicolon, or comma + FANBOYS coordinating conjunction); CA POST PELLETB Clarity sub-test fault listReport a problem with this question

5. 5. Which of the following is a sentence fragment rather than a complete sentence?

   • A.The witness described the vehicle.
   • B.I photographed the vehicle and collected the driver's information.
   • C.Damage to the rear bumper was visible from the sidewalk.
   • D.Because the witness described the vehicle as a blue sedan with rear-bumper damage.✓ Answer

   A complete sentence needs a subject, a finite verb, and a complete thought; the subordinating conjunction "Because" makes the whole word group a dependent clause that leaves the thought unfinished. Length is not the test — the fragment here is the longest option, while the shortest option is a complete sentence because it has a subject, a verb, and a finished idea.

   Source: Standard American English definition of a sentence (subject + finite verb + complete thought); dependent clause punctuated alone = fragment (CA POST PELLETB Clarity sub-test fault list)Report a problem with this question

6. 6. "The alarm was still sounding the front door stood open." Which revision corrects this run-on sentence?

   • A.The alarm was still sounding the front door, stood open.
   • B.The alarm was still sounding; the front door stood open.✓ Answer
   • C.The alarm was still sounding, the front door stood open.
   • D.The alarm was still sounding and, the front door stood open.

   The original fuses two independent clauses with no punctuation at all, and a semicolon is a legitimate substitute for a period between two closely related independent clauses. Adding only a comma converts the run-on into a comma splice, which is still an error; the remaining options put punctuation in places that break the subject from its verb or the conjunction from the clause it introduces.

   Source: Standard American English rule: two independent clauses require a period, semicolon, or comma + coordinating conjunction (CA POST PELLETB Clarity sub-test — run-on sentences)Report a problem with this question

7. 7. You need to report that the officer interviewed the driver and no one else. Which sentence states exactly that?

   • A.The officer interviewed only the driver.✓ Answer
   • B.Only the officer interviewed the driver.
   • C.The officer interviewed the only driver.
   • D.The officer only interviewed the driver.

   A limiting modifier such as "only" restricts whatever immediately follows it, so placing it directly before "the driver" limits the set of people interviewed. Placed before "the officer" it says no one else did the interviewing; placed before the verb it limits the action (interviewed rather than arrested); and "the only driver" says there was just one driver present.

   Source: Standard American English placement rule for limiting modifiers (only, just, nearly, almost) — the modifier must precede the word it limits (CA POST PELLETB Clarity sub-test — misplaced modifiers)Report a problem with this question

8. 8. Which completion of "While canvassing the block, ______" avoids a dangling modifier?

   • A.there was a stolen vehicle in the alley.
   • B.I located the stolen vehicle.✓ Answer
   • C.the stolen vehicle was located by me.
   • D.the stolen vehicle was located.

   An introductory participial phrase attaches to the subject of the main clause, so the subject must name whoever performed the action in that phrase. Only "I" can canvass a block; the passive and "there was" options make the stolen vehicle or an empty placeholder the grammatical subject, which literally says the vehicle was doing the canvassing.

   Source: Standard American English rule: an introductory participial phrase must modify the subject of the main clause (CA POST PELLETB Clarity sub-test — dangling/misplaced modifiers)Report a problem with this question

9. 9. Which sentence is free of an ambiguous pronoun reference?

   • A.Officer Diaz spoke with Mr. Hale after he arrived at the scene.
   • B.After Mr. Hale spoke with Officer Diaz, he moved it to the curb.
   • C.Officer Diaz told Mr. Hale that he would have to move his vehicle.
   • D.When Officer Diaz arrived at the scene, she spoke with Mr. Hale.✓ Answer

   A pronoun must point to exactly one possible antecedent, and in the correct option "she" can only be Officer Diaz because "Mr. Hale" is identified as male. Each distractor allows two readings — "he" could be either man, and in the last option "it" has no stated antecedent at all — and the standard cure is the one used here: restructure the sentence or repeat the noun.

   Source: Standard American English rule on clear pronoun reference — every pronoun must have one unmistakable antecedent (CA POST PELLETB Clarity sub-test — unclear/indefinite reference)Report a problem with this question

10. 10. Which word correctly completes the sentence? "Sergeant Ruiz assigned the canvass to Officer Nunez and ______."

    • A.I
    • B.mine
    • C.me✓ Answer
    • D.myself

    The blank is part of a compound object of the preposition "to," and objects take the objective-case pronoun "me." Dropping the other name is the standard test — you would write "assigned the canvass to me," never "to I"; "myself" is a reflexive that requires "I" earlier in the same clause, and "mine" is possessive.

    Source: Standard American English pronoun case rule — objects of prepositions and verbs take the objective case, including in compound objectsReport a problem with this question

11. 11. Which sentence uses parallel structure in its list of actions?

    • A.I secured the scene, interviewed the witness, and photographed the damage.✓ Answer
    • B.I secured the scene, was interviewing the witness, and photographed the damage.
    • C.I secured the scene, interviewed the witness, and photographs of the damage were taken.
    • D.I secured the scene, the witness was interviewed, and taking photographs of the damage.

    Items joined by a coordinating conjunction must share the same grammatical form, and in the correct option all three are simple past-tense verbs governed by the single subject "I." The other options break the pattern by switching the third item into a passive clause, by shifting one verb into the past progressive, or by mixing a passive clause and a participle into the series.

    Source: Standard American English rule of parallelism — coordinated elements in a series must be in the same grammatical formReport a problem with this question

12. 12. Which sentence is written in the active voice, the voice preferred for report narratives?

    • A.Officer Pratt detained the suspect.✓ Answer
    • B.Detention of the suspect was carried out at the scene.
    • C.The suspect was detained by Officer Pratt.
    • D.The suspect had been detained at the scene.

    In the active voice the grammatical subject performs the action, and here "Officer Pratt" is both the subject and the doer of the detaining. The other options are passive constructions built on a form of "be" plus a past participle; two of them omit the actor entirely, which is exactly why report-writing guidance favors the active voice — it fixes responsibility for each action on a named person.

    Source: Standard American English active vs. passive voice; police report convention of first-person, past-tense, active-voice narration (IACP Principles of Report Writing)Report a problem with this question

13. 13. Which sentence uses "its" and "it's" correctly?

    • A.The patrol car had it's emergency lights activated, and its now at the impound lot.
    • B.The patrol car had it's emergency lights activated, and it's now at the impound lot.
    • C.The patrol car had its' emergency lights activated, and its now at the impound lot.
    • D.The patrol car had its emergency lights activated, and it's now at the impound lot.✓ Answer

    "Its" is a possessive pronoun and, like hers, ours, and theirs, it never takes an apostrophe; "it's" is a contraction in which the apostrophe stands in for the missing "i" of "is." Substituting "it is" is the reliable check — "it is emergency lights" fails, while "it is now at the impound lot" works, and the form "its'" does not exist in standard usage.

    Source: Standard American English apostrophe rules — possessive pronouns take no apostrophe; apostrophe marks omitted letters in contractions (NY State Police Trooper Examination Study Guide, apostrophes/possessives)Report a problem with this question

14. 14. Three witnesses gave statements. Which phrase correctly shows that the statements belong to all three?

    • A.the witness's statements
    • B.the witnesses's statements
    • C.the witnesses' statements✓ Answer
    • D.the witnesses statements

    For a plural noun that already ends in -s, the possessive is formed by adding an apostrophe after that final s, giving "witnesses'." "Witness's" is the singular possessive and would refer to one witness only, "witnesses" with no apostrophe is a plain plural showing no possession, and "witnesses's" adds a second s that standard usage does not allow.

    Source: Standard American English possessive formation — plural nouns ending in s take an apostrophe only (NY State Police Trooper Examination Study Guide, possessives)Report a problem with this question

15. 15. Which sentence punctuates the direct quotation correctly?

    • A.The driver said, "I never saw the stop sign".
    • B.The driver said "I never saw the stop sign".
    • C.The driver said; "I never saw the stop sign."
    • D.The driver said, "I never saw the stop sign."✓ Answer

    American convention places a comma after the speaker tag, capitalizes the first word of the quotation, and puts the closing period inside the quotation marks. The options that park the period outside the quotation marks follow British style, not American, and a semicolon cannot introduce a quotation because it belongs between two independent clauses.

    Source: Standard American English quotation punctuation — comma before a quotation, commas and periods inside closing quotation marks (NY State Police Trooper Examination Study Guide, quotation rules)Report a problem with this question

16. 16. Which sentence is capitalized correctly?

    • A.I notified Sergeant Alvarez, and the Sergeant responded to the scene.
    • B.I notified sergeant Alvarez, and the sergeant responded to the scene.
    • C.I notified Sergeant Alvarez, and the sergeant responded to the scene.✓ Answer
    • D.I Notified Sergeant Alvarez, and the Sergeant responded to the Scene.

    A rank or title is capitalized when it is used as part of a person's name, but lowercased when it stands alone as a common noun after "the." That is why "Sergeant Alvarez" takes a capital while "the sergeant" does not, and ordinary nouns like "scene" and mid-sentence verbs like "notified" are never capitalized.

    Source: Standard American English capitalization rule — titles capitalized before a personal name, lowercased when used generically (Indiana State Police Written Examination Study Guide, capital letters)Report a problem with this question

17. 17. Which pair correctly completes the sentence? "The delay had a noticeable ______ on the investigation, but it did not ______ the outcome of the case."

    • A.affect ... affect
    • B.affect ... effect
    • C.effect ... effect
    • D.effect ... affect✓ Answer

    In ordinary usage "effect" is the noun meaning a result and "affect" is the verb meaning to influence. The first blank follows the article "a" and an adjective, so it must be a noun, while the second follows the auxiliary "did not" and must therefore be a verb.

    Source: Standard American English commonly confused words — affect (verb, to influence) vs. effect (noun, a result) (NY State Police Trooper Examination Study Guide, Commonly Misused Words)Report a problem with this question

18. 18. Which sentence uses every commonly confused word correctly?

    • A.Their were fewer witnesses then we expected, and the principle issue was securing the crash cite.
    • B.There were fewer witnesses than we expected, and the principal issue was securing the crash site.✓ Answer
    • C.There were less witnesses then we expected, and the principal issue was securing the crash cite.
    • D.They're were fewer witnesses than we expected, and the principle issue was securing the crash sight.

    Each word in the correct sentence matches its meaning: "there" signals existence (not the possessive "their" or the contraction "they're"), "than" makes a comparison ("then" refers to time), "principal" as an adjective means chief or main (a "principle" is a rule), and "site" is a location ("cite" means to quote and "sight" means vision). "Fewer" is also required because witnesses are countable, while "less" is used for uncountable quantities.

    Source: Standard American English commonly confused word pairs — their/there/they're, than/then, principal/principle, cite/site/sight, fewer/less (NY State Police Trooper Examination Study Guide, Commonly Misused Words)Report a problem with this question

19. 19. Which word correctly completes the sentence? "When I opened the passenger door, a folding knife ______ on the seat."

    • A.had laid
    • B.lain
    • C.lay✓ Answer
    • D.laid

    The verb needed is intransitive "lie" (to rest or recline), whose past tense is the irregular form "lay" — the knife is resting, not placing anything. "Laid" is the past tense of transitive "lay" (to put something down) and would require a direct object, and "lain" is a past participle that cannot stand without a helping verb.

    Source: Standard American English irregular verb forms — lie/lay/lain (intransitive) vs. lay/laid/laid (transitive)Report a problem with this question

20. 20. Which spelling correctly completes the sentence? "The burglary ______ sometime before 0200 hours."

    • A.ocurred
    • B.occurrd
    • C.occurred✓ Answer
    • D.occured

    In a multi-syllable word whose accent falls on the final syllable, the final consonant doubles before a suffix beginning with a vowel, so oc-CUR becomes "occurred." The base word also keeps both c's from "occur," which rules out the single-c spelling, and the -ed ending must retain its e.

    Source: Standard American English spelling rule — double the final consonant of a multi-syllable word when the accent is on the last syllable before adding -ed/-ing (CA POST PELLETB Applicant Preparation Guide, spelling rules)Report a problem with this question

21. 21. Which word in this sentence is misspelled? "The seperate reports listed the defendant's license number and the suspect's vehicle."

    • A.suspect's
    • B.seperate✓ Answer
    • C.license
    • D.defendant's

    The correct spelling is "separate," with an a in the middle syllable; the common misspelling substitutes an e because the vowel is unstressed and sounds like a schwa. The other three words are spelled correctly, including "license," which in American usage is spelled with an s in both its noun and verb forms.

    Source: Standard American English spelling of report vocabulary — separate, defendant, license, suspect (CA POST PELLETB Applicant Preparation Guide, spelling sub-test)Report a problem with this question

22. 22. Which statement belongs in an objective police report narrative?

    • A.The driver was obviously drunk.
    • B.In my opinion, the driver should never have been behind the wheel.
    • C.The driver seemed like the type of person who drinks and drives.
    • D.The driver's speech was slurred, and I detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath.✓ Answer

    A report records what the officer personally observed in verifiable terms, so slurred speech and a detected odor are facts another reader could weigh independently. The other options state a conclusion ("obviously drunk"), a characterization of the person's type, or an explicit opinion, and evaluative words such as "obviously," "seemed like," and "in my opinion" are the standard signal that a statement has crossed from fact into judgment.

    Source: Fact vs. opinion / objective reporting — record observable, verifiable detail rather than conclusions (Louisiana Office of State Examiner, Classifying Information section; IACP Principles of Report Writing)Report a problem with this question

Practice questions modeled on the common domains of police officer written entrance exams (reading, writing/grammar, math, reasoning). Not legal advice and not affiliated with or endorsed by any law-enforcement agency or testing vendor. Agencies use different exams — check your agency's announcement for its specific format. BLS occupation profile →