APCAT - Alberta Police Cognitive Ability Written Communication Accuracy Flashcards

Which sentence is most appropriate for an official police report?

Answer: The suspect displayed aggressive behaviour and refused to comply with verbal commands.

Police reports must use formal, objective, and precise language. Option B is professional and factual.

Which version of the following sentence is most accurate and clear for a police report?

Answer: The vehicle was travelling at an estimated speed of 80 km/h in a posted 60 km/h zone.

Police reports require specific, quantified, factual descriptions rather than vague or colloquial language.

Identify the best-written statement for a witness account section of a report.

Answer: Witness Ms. Diarra stated that the suspect was wearing a red jacket and was approximately 185 cm tall.

Option B names the witness, specifies what was stated, and quantifies the description with a specific height estimate.

Which phrase correctly uses passive voice appropriately in a police report context?

Answer: The victim was struck in the face by the suspect.

Option B is precise, formal, and appropriate — specifying location of injury and perpetrator.

An officer writes: 'I seen the suspect run toward the alley.' What is the grammatical error in this sentence?

Answer: 'Seen' should be 'saw' — 'seen' requires an auxiliary verb like 'had'

'Seen' is a past participle that requires an auxiliary verb (I had seen / I have seen). Without one, the simple past 'saw' is correct.

Which report sentence best describes a timeline of events?

Answer: At approximately 22:15, the suspect entered the vehicle and departed northbound on Macleod Trail.

Specific time, action, and direction of travel make Option B a complete, accurate, and useful chronological entry.