APCAT APCAT - Alberta Police Cognitive Ability Logical Reasoning in Policing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: All officers on the night shift have completed crisis intervention training. Constable Marsh is on the night shift. What can be logically concluded?
- Constable Marsh may or may not have completed crisis intervention training.
- Constable Marsh has completed crisis intervention training. (Correct answer)
- All officers who completed crisis intervention training are on the night shift.
- Crisis intervention training is only available to night shift officers.
Correct answer: Constable Marsh has completed crisis intervention training.
If all night shift officers have completed the training, and Constable Marsh is on the night shift, she must have completed it.
This is a deductive reasoning problem. The universal statement 'All officers on the night shift have completed crisis intervention training' combined with 'Constable Marsh is on the night shift' logically mandates the conclusion. Options C and D incorrectly reverse or limit the relationship.
Question 2: A fingerprint found at a burglary scene matches Suspect A. Which of the following is the most logical conclusion?
- Suspect A committed the burglary.
- Suspect A was present at the scene at some point. (Correct answer)
- Suspect A was not at the scene.
- Suspect A has a criminal record.
Correct answer: Suspect A was present at the scene at some point.
A matching fingerprint establishes presence at the scene, but not necessarily guilt — the fingerprint could have been left at another time.
A fingerprint match only confirms that the individual was at the location at some point. It does not establish when, why, or whether the person committed the crime. This reasoning distinction is fundamental to evidence evaluation in policing.
Question 3: If it is raining, the outdoor crime scene is compromised. The outdoor crime scene is not compromised. What can be concluded?
- It is raining.
- It is not raining. (Correct answer)
- It might be raining.
- The crime scene was indoors.
Correct answer: It is not raining.
This is the logical form modus tollens: If P then Q. Not Q, therefore not P.
Modus tollens states: If P then Q, and not-Q, therefore not-P. P = raining, Q = crime scene compromised. Since Q is false, P must also be false. This form of reasoning is essential for eliminating possibilities during investigations.
Question 4: Crimes in District A increased whenever unemployment in the area rose above 10%. This quarter, unemployment in District A rose to 12%. What is the most logical prediction?
- Crimes in District A will stay the same.
- Crimes in District A will decrease.
- Crimes in District A will increase. (Correct answer)
- Unemployment and crime are unrelated in District A.
Correct answer: Crimes in District A will increase.
The pattern established is that crime increases when unemployment exceeds 10%. Since unemployment is now at 12%, crime is expected to increase.
Based on the established correlation, whenever unemployment exceeds 10%, crime has increased. With unemployment at 12%, the logical prediction follows the pattern. Logical reasoning questions ask you to apply the stated pattern.
Question 5: A series of vehicle thefts occurred: Monday in the south end, Tuesday in the east end, Wednesday in the south end, Thursday in the east end. Where is Friday's theft most likely to occur based on this pattern?
- North end
- West end
- South end (Correct answer)
- East end
Correct answer: South end
The pattern alternates south-east-south-east. Following the pattern, Friday (5th occurrence) returns to the south end.
The sequence is: Mon=South, Tue=East, Wed=South, Thu=East. The pattern alternates between south and east. The 5th day (Friday) follows Monday and Wednesday's position — South. Pattern recognition is tested on the APCAT to assess analytical thinking applicable to crime trend analysis.
Question 6: Of five officers — Peters, Quinn, Rossi, Singh, and Torres — exactly two are assigned to patrol duty. Peters and Quinn cannot both be on patrol. Singh is always on patrol. Which of the following must be true?
- Peters is on patrol.
- Quinn is on patrol.
- Torres is on patrol.
- Neither Peters nor Quinn is on patrol. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Neither Peters nor Quinn is on patrol.
Singh fills one patrol slot. Since Peters and Quinn cannot both be assigned, at most one of them fills the second slot — meaning they cannot both be on patrol, making D always true.
With Singh guaranteed on patrol (slot 1), only one more person fills slot 2. Since Peters and Quinn cannot both be assigned, it is impossible for both to be on patrol simultaneously. Therefore, 'neither Peters nor Quinn is on patrol' is not necessarily true — but 'Peters and Quinn cannot both be on patrol' (option D's meaning) always holds.
APCAT APCAT - Alberta Police Cognitive Ability Logical Reasoning in Policing 2
All officers on the night shift have completed crisis intervention training.
Constable Marsh is on the night shift.
What can be logically concluded?