Reading Comprehension
What this domain tests
Reading Comprehension on the Indiana State Police exam asks you to read short, work-related passages-general orders, incident narratives, legal summaries, public communications-and answer questions about main idea, supporting detail, sequence, inference, vocabulary in context, and the author's purpose. The passages are usually plain prose, not literary.
Core rules
- Locate the claim first. Identify the topic sentence or the sentence that states the rule. Details support it; they are not the main idea.
- Separate stated fact from inference. An inference must follow necessarily from the text, not from what you know about policing.
- Track scope words: all, some, may, shall, unless, except, before, after. These decide whether an answer is correct.
- Watch sequence. Use order words (first, then, within 24 hours) to answer process questions.
- Define in context. A common word may have a technical meaning in a policy.
Worked example
Passage: 'A supervisor who receives a citizen complaint shall forward it to Internal Affairs within two business days. If the complaint alleges force, the supervisor shall notify Internal Affairs immediately and shall not interview the officer before consulting IA.' Question: Which action is required when a complaint alleges force? Reasoning: The passage states two rules. The general rule is two business days; the force exception is immediate notification and no pre-IA interview. The correct answer is immediate notification to Internal Affairs. 'Two business days' is the trap because it is true for complaints generally but not for force complaints.
Traps that cost marks
- Choosing a true statement that the passage never makes.
- Over-inferring motive or blame when the passage only reports actions.
- Ignoring 'except' or 'unless,' which reverse the rule.
- Confusing a recommendation with a requirement.