NYPD NYPD Written Expression 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An officer writes: 'The vehicle was blue in color and had four tires.' How should this be improved?
- The vehicle was blue and had four tires. (Correct answer)
- The blue vehicle had tires.
- The vehicle, which was blue, also had four tires on it.
- It was a blue-colored vehicle with tires totaling four.
Correct answer: The vehicle was blue and had four tires.
'Blue in color' is redundant since blue already implies color; similarly, standard vehicles have four tires so this can be omitted, but option A removes the redundant phrase.
Question 2: Choose the correctly punctuated sentence.
- The officers searched the apartment however, they found no contraband.
- The officers searched the apartment; however, they found no contraband. (Correct answer)
- The officers searched the apartment, however they found no contraband.
- The officers searched the apartment however they found no contraband.
Correct answer: The officers searched the apartment; however, they found no contraband.
A semicolon before 'however' and a comma after it correctly joins two independent clauses with a conjunctive adverb.
Question 3: Officer Perez wrote: 'I observed three mens standing near the alley.' What correction is needed?
- Change 'mens' to 'man'
- Change 'mens' to 'men' (Correct answer)
- Change 'three mens' to 'three man's'
- Change 'observed' to 'seen'
Correct answer: Change 'mens' to 'men'
The plural of 'man' is 'men,' not 'mens'; there is no such word as 'mens.'
Question 4: Which sentence is written in active voice, which is preferred in police reports?
- The suspect was apprehended by Officer Lee.
- The stolen wallet was recovered at the scene.
- Officer Lee apprehended the suspect near the subway entrance. (Correct answer)
- A knife was found to be concealed in the suspect's waistband.
Correct answer: Officer Lee apprehended the suspect near the subway entrance.
In active voice, the subject (Officer Lee) performs the action, making the sentence clearer and more direct.
Question 5: A report states: 'At 3 AM, the victim, John Smith, reported that his bicycle, a red Trek mountain bike, was stolen from in front of his residence located at 500 Park Avenue.' What information is LEAST essential to include?
- The time (3 AM)
- The victim's name (John Smith)
- That it was a mountain bike style (Correct answer)
- The address (500 Park Avenue)
Correct answer: That it was a mountain bike style
While the bike type helps with identification, 'mountain bike' style is less critical than owner, time, color, brand, and location.
Question 6: Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?
- Running down the alley, the officer lost sight of the suspect.
- Running down the alley, the suspect disappeared from view. (Correct answer)
- The officer, running down the alley, lost sight of the suspect.
- After running down the alley, the officer could not find the suspect.
Correct answer: Running down the alley, the suspect disappeared from view.
In option B, 'Running down the alley' modifies the nearest noun 'suspect,' implying the suspect was running — which may be intended, but it's ambiguous; the phrase must clearly attach to its intended subject.
Question 7: Choose the word that best completes the sentence: 'The officer's testimony was ___ with the evidence collected at the scene.'
- consistent (Correct answer)
- consisted
- consistence
- consisting
Correct answer: consistent
'Consistent' is the correct adjective to describe agreement between the testimony and the evidence.
NYPD NYPD Written Expression 4
An officer writes: 'The vehicle was blue in color and had four tires.' How should this be improved?