HK Police RPC Written Exam key terms

The central point a passage is written to convey, as distinct from supporting details or examples. In reading comprehension, questions often ask you to identify it after summarising each paragraph in one sentence.

A one-sentence summary of what a single paragraph does or states. Tracking gist paragraph by paragraph is the most reliable way to locate answers and to spot where an author shifts position.

A conclusion drawn from stated evidence rather than stated outright. A valid inference must be forced by the text; if the passage could be true while your conclusion is false, you have over-read it.

Surrounding words, contrasts, or examples that reveal the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Contrast markers such as 但、然而 often signal that the unknown word means the opposite of something nearby.

The level of formality a text adopts, from official written Chinese to casual speech. Mismatched register - slang in an official letter, classical phrasing in a notice - is a common error-spotting target in written expression items.

The conventional phrasing of Hong Kong government and police correspondence, including opening and closing formulae, passive reporting verbs, and standard address forms. Candidates should recognise it and avoid mixing it with colloquial wording.

The ability to produce clear, well-organised, grammatically correct written Chinese or English under time pressure. Markers reward logical paragraphing, accurate connectives, and freedom from Cantonese-influenced syntax in formal prose.

How clauses are arranged within a sentence, including subject-verb-object order, parallel construction, and placement of modifiers. Faulty structure - dangling modifiers, mismatched parallelism, run-on clauses - is a frequent correction item.

Deliberate stylistic techniques such as metaphor, parallelism, rhetorical question, and repetition. Questions may ask you to name the device used or to judge whether its effect supports the writer's purpose.

The attitude a writer conveys through word choice, such as firm, conciliatory, ironic, or neutral. Tone questions require evidence from diction rather than from the topic alone.

A pairing of words that native users expect together, such as 'commit an offence', 'conduct an investigation', or 'reasonable suspicion'. Wrong collocations are grammatically possible but idiomatically incorrect and are heavily tested.

The correct choice of preposition after a verb, adjective, or noun, for example 'comply with', 'liable to', 'proficient in', 'deprived of'. Prepositions rarely follow rules; they must be learned as part of the whole phrase.

Matching a verb to its true subject in number, ignoring intervening phrases. Traps include collective nouns, 'each of', 'neither...nor', and inverted or delayed subjects in formal sentences.

Keeping items in a list or comparison in the same grammatical form, such as all infinitives or all nouns. Broken parallelism is one of the most common error types in long formal sentences.

The formality and audience-appropriateness of language. In English papers, a formal report should avoid contractions, slang, and vague intensifiers, while a witness statement should stay factual and unemotional.

The writer's attitude as signalled by vocabulary and sentence rhythm, for example neutral, urgent, or reproachful. Identifying tone in English passages often depends on a single evaluative adjective or adverb.

A meaning implied but not stated. In English comprehension, inference items punish answers that merely repeat a line from the passage; the correct option must follow from combining two or more stated facts.

The difference between two values divided by the original value, expressed as a percentage. Always identify which figure is the base; a rise from 40 to 50 is a 25% increase but a fall from 50 to 40 is a 20% decrease.

A comparison of two or more quantities expressed in the same units, reduced to lowest terms. Ratio problems are usually solved by assigning a common multiplier to each part and then using a stated total or difference.

A quantity per unit of another quantity, such as kilometres per hour or cases per 1,000 residents. Rate problems require consistent units; converting one side of the comparison is usually the decisive step.

An average in which each value is multiplied by its share or frequency before summing. It differs from a simple mean whenever group sizes are unequal, a common trap in data-interpretation tables.

Extracting and comparing figures from tables, bar charts, line graphs, or pie charts, then answering a question that needs a calculation. Read axis labels and units first; most errors come from misreading scales.

Three measures of central tendency: the arithmetic average, the middle value when data are ordered, and the most frequent value. The median resists distortion by extreme values, so it is preferred for skewed data such as income.

A measure of how spread out values are around the mean. A small standard deviation means values cluster tightly; a large one means they are widely dispersed, even if the means are identical.

A property of an argument where, if the premises are true, the conclusion cannot be false. Validity concerns structure alone, so an argument can be valid yet reach a false conclusion because a premise is false.

The stated reasons an argument offers and the claim those reasons are meant to support. Separating them is the first step in any argument-analysis question, especially when indicator words such as 'therefore' or 'since' are omitted.

An unstated premise the argument needs in order to work. A good test is to negate the supposed assumption: if the argument then collapses, you have found the right one.

To supply evidence that makes the conclusion less likely while leaving the premises intact, typically by offering an alternative explanation or showing the sample is unrepresentative. Attacking the conclusion directly is usually not enough.

Drawing a broad conclusion from a small or biased sample, for example judging all young people from a handful of cases. It is a common flaw in inductive reasoning questions and in real-world commentary.

The invalid form: if P then Q; Q is true; therefore P is true. It is invalid because other causes could also produce Q, and it appears frequently in disguised scenario questions.

Reasoning from observed cases to a probable general rule or prediction. Inductive conclusions are never certain, only more or less well supported, so strength of evidence rather than validity is the criterion.

The constitutional document of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which took effect on 1 July 1997. It prescribes the relationship between the Central Authorities and the Region and the structure of its government.

The principle under which Hong Kong retains its own legal and economic systems while being part of China. It underpins the Basic Law and the Region's high degree of autonomy.

Legislation enacted in 2020 addressing four categories of offences endangering national security, namely secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with foreign forces. It also sets out enforcement powers and procedural arrangements.

A regional advisory body with members returned by election and, under the current arrangement, by appointment and ex-officio membership. Its role concerns district affairs and community interests rather than law-making.

The law-making body of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, empowered to enact, amend, and repeal laws and to approve budgets and taxation. Its composition and electoral arrangements have been revised over time.

The senior office-holders who head government bureaux and departments, appointed under the Basic Law's arrangements. They are accountable for policy in their portfolios and answer for it publicly.

Consistently acting honestly and lawfully even when no one is watching, and refusing improper gifts, favours, or inducements. In situational items, the integrity-preserving option is usually the one that records, reports, and avoids personal gain.

A situation where a personal, family, or financial interest could improperly influence official duties. The correct response is to declare it promptly and withdraw from the decision, not to manage it silently.

Treating people according to lawful, consistent, and transparent process, including explaining decisions and allowing a response. It matters as much as the outcome in shaping public trust of police action.

An approach in which officers build ongoing relationships with residents and local bodies to prevent crime and address concerns. It relies on communication and visible presence rather than enforcement alone.