UDEE Officer Writing 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which word is misspelled?
- Surveillance
- Subpoena
- Misdemeanor
- Supercede (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Supercede
'Supersede' is the correct spelling; 'supercede' is a common misspelling.
Question 2: An officer writes: 'There were less officers on duty than required.' What correction is needed?
- Change 'less' to 'fewer' (Correct answer)
- Change 'were' to 'was'
- Change 'than' to 'then'
- No correction is needed
Correct answer: Change 'less' to 'fewer'
'Fewer' is used with countable nouns like 'officers,' while 'less' is used with uncountable quantities.
Question 3: When writing a narrative description of a suspect's appearance, which detail is LEAST useful?
- Height and weight estimate
- Clothing color and type
- Whether the officer found the suspect frightening (Correct answer)
- Distinctive tattoos or scars
Correct answer: Whether the officer found the suspect frightening
The officer's emotional reaction is subjective and not useful for identification; objective physical descriptors are required.
Question 4: Which sentence is an example of passive voice that should be rewritten in active voice?
- Officer Smith secured the perimeter.
- The evidence was collected by the forensic team. (Correct answer)
- Dispatch notified the sergeant at 2100 hours.
- The suspect fled on foot heading northbound.
Correct answer: The evidence was collected by the forensic team.
The second sentence is passive ('was collected by') and should be rewritten as 'The forensic team collected the evidence.'
Question 5: Which of the following correctly uses the word 'affect' versus 'effect'?
- The medication did not effect the suspect's behavior.
- The officer's report had a direct affect on the trial.
- The loud noise affected the witness's ability to hear clearly. (Correct answer)
- The new policy will effect no change in patrol procedures.
Correct answer: The loud noise affected the witness's ability to hear clearly.
'Affected' is correctly used as a verb meaning 'had an influence on'; 'affect' is usually the verb form.
Question 6: A report narrative that is 'conclusory' means it:
- Provides a thorough summary at the end
- States conclusions without supporting factual details (Correct answer)
- Uses courtroom-style legal language
- Includes all witness statements verbatim
Correct answer: States conclusions without supporting factual details
A conclusory report states outcomes or judgments ('the suspect was guilty-looking') without the observable facts that support them.
Question 7: Which option correctly identifies the subject-verb agreement error?
- 'Each of the officers were required to file a report.' (Correct answer)
- 'The team of investigators was thorough in its review.'
- 'Neither the sergeant nor the officers were notified.'
- 'The evidence supports the officer's account.'
Correct answer: 'Each of the officers were required to file a report.'
'Each' is a singular indefinite pronoun, so the verb should be 'was required,' not 'were required.'
