Written Comprehension
Written Comprehension questions ask you to read a short passage, often a policy excerpt, incident summary, or legal definition, and determine what it actually says. The skill being tested is literal accuracy, not cleverness.
Concepts to master
- Main idea vs. supporting detail: identify the central point and the evidence that supports it.
- Explicit vs. implied meaning: the answer must be supported by the text, not by your general knowledge of police work.
- Scope words: all, only, must, may, except, unless, before, after. These carry the legal weight.
- Inference boundaries: a valid inference follows necessarily; a guess merely fits.
Traps that appear
- True but unsupported - a statement that sounds correct in real life but is not in the passage.
- Overreach - an answer that changes may to must or some to all.
- Reversal - cause and effect, or sequence, flipped.
- Familiar phrasing - an answer that echoes the passage's words but contradicts its meaning.
Worked example
Passage: "An officer may stop a vehicle when the officer has reasonable suspicion that a violation has occurred. A stop based solely on a hunch is not permitted."
Question: Which statement is best supported?
- A) An officer must stop any vehicle that commits a violation.
- B) An officer may stop a vehicle if reasonable suspicion exists.
- C) A hunch is enough if the officer is experienced.
A is wrong (must replaces may). C contradicts the second sentence. B restates the first sentence without adding or removing anything.
Rule of thumb
Read the question stem first, then the passage, then eliminate any option containing a word the passage did not authorize. If you cannot point to the sentence that proves an answer, it is not the answer.