NPOST practice test, every option explained

Incorrect: A comma alone between two complete sentences is a comma splice.

Incorrect: A semicolon is not used before "and" here, and the comma after "and" is also wrong.

Incorrect: With no punctuation between the two sentences, this is a run-on.

Incorrect: "Tore open and spilled the evidence" has no subject, so it is a fragment.

Correct: A semicolon correctly joins two complete sentences that are closely related.

Incorrect: The opening phrase attaches to "the weapon," as if the weapon exited the vehicle.

Incorrect: Without commas, "exiting the vehicle" runs into the rest of the sentence, and the two clauses are not properly joined.

Incorrect: The commas split "After stopping" from "the cruiser," so the sentence is garbled.

Incorrect: "The officer's weapon was drawn by him" is wordy and passive when "the officer drew his weapon" says the same thing.

Correct: "The officer" is the subject of both "exited" and "drew," and the actions appear in the order they happened.

Correct: "Arrested" and "read" are simple past, so "transported" completes the series.

Incorrect: "Transporting" has no helping verb and does not match "arrested" and "read."

Incorrect: "Was transporting" is progressive and breaks the pattern of simple past verbs.

Incorrect: "Had been transporting" changes to a different tense and form.

Incorrect: "Transports" shifts to the present tense.

Incorrect: "His need for help" is a noun phrase paired with a clause.

Correct: Repeating "that he" gives two matching clauses: "that he was lost and that he needed help."

Incorrect: "Being lost" is an -ing phrase set against the clause "that he needed help," so the two halves do not match.

Incorrect: This is not parallel, and the idiom is "in need of," not "in need for."

Incorrect: "To get help" is an infinitive and changes the meaning to a plan.

Incorrect: "I" is a subject pronoun and cannot follow a preposition.

Incorrect: "I" is still the wrong case after "between," whatever the order.

Incorrect: "Myself" is reflexive and needs "I" as the subject of the same clause.

Correct: "Between" is a preposition, so both pronouns after it are objects: "you and me."

Incorrect: "Yourself" is reflexive and needs "you" as the subject of the same clause.

Incorrect: The closing comma after "0900" is missing, and the clause is passive.

Incorrect: The closing comma after "0900" is missing.

Correct: The clause adds extra information about a locker already named, so a comma goes on both sides of it.

Incorrect: A clause set off by commas begins with "which," not "that."

Incorrect: The opening comma is missing, so the clause is not set off.

Incorrect: "Its" is singular and refers to a thing, not two people.

Incorrect: "His" is singular and refers to only one person.

Incorrect: "There" refers to a place, not to ownership.

Incorrect: "They're" means "they are."

Correct: Two people gave statements, so the plural possessive "their" is needed.

Incorrect: "Have been" is plural, but "department" is singular.

Incorrect: "Was being" is past progressive and does not fit "since 1952."

Incorrect: "Is being" is present progressive and does not show a state that began in the past.

Correct: A state that began in 1952 and continues now calls for the present perfect, and the singular "department" takes "has been."

Incorrect: "Were" is plural and simple past; it does not say the commitment continues.

Incorrect: "Found at the scene" now describes Officer Liu.

Correct: Placing "that was found at the scene" right after "the knife" makes clear what was found.

Incorrect: The commas make "found at the scene" describe the officer.

Incorrect: The word order is scrambled, and "found at the scene" seems to describe the bag.

Incorrect: "Which was found at the scene" now follows "bag," so the bag seems to be what was found.

Correct: The subject is "The suspect"; a phrase starting with "along with" does not make it plural, so "was" is correct.

Incorrect: "Were" agrees with "friends," which is inside the "along with" phrase, not the subject.

Incorrect: "Be" cannot serve as the main verb here.

Incorrect: "Are" is plural and present tense.

Incorrect: "Have been" is plural.

Correct: Commas go between the day and the year, after the year, and between the city and the state.

Incorrect: The comma between "4" and "2025" is missing.

Incorrect: The comma after "2025" and the comma between "Dayton" and "Ohio" are missing.

Incorrect: No comma goes between the month and the day.

Incorrect: The comma between "Dayton" and "Ohio" is missing.

Correct: "Describes" is a present-tense verb, so "recommends" matches it and agrees with "report."

Incorrect: "To recommend" is an infinitive and does not match "describes."

Incorrect: "A recommendation" is a noun, so the two halves no longer match.

Incorrect: "Recommending" is an -ing form and does not match "describes."

Incorrect: "Recommend" does not agree with the singular subject "report."

Incorrect: Adding "it was broken" after a comma creates a comma splice.

Incorrect: "Two" needs the plural "bottles."

Incorrect: "Recover" does not agree with "search" and is not past tense.

Incorrect: Adding "found" before the last item breaks the list of nouns.

Correct: One past-tense verb, "recovered," governs three noun phrases, and every word is correct.

Incorrect: "Probably went to see a friend" is a guess that nothing in the facts supports.

Incorrect: 2200 hours is when he was last seen, not when he was reported missing.

Incorrect: This leaves out the canvass of the neighbors.

Incorrect: This reverses his direction; he was walking toward the park, not from it.

Correct: This has who, when he was last seen, which way he was walking, and every step the officers took.

Incorrect: Indirect speech puts his slang into the officer's own sentence.

Incorrect: "Nothin" does not match what he said, "nothing."

Incorrect: "Admitted" is wrong because he was denying wrongdoing, not admitting it.

Incorrect: Correcting the grammar inside quotation marks changes what he said.

Correct: A direct quote must keep his exact words, nonstandard grammar included.

Incorrect: The officer did not see a burglar; this turns her account into the officer's own finding.

Incorrect: This leaves out the jewelry box.

Incorrect: The items were missing from her bedroom, not the kitchen.

Incorrect: "While she was at work" is a detail she never gave.

Correct: This credits the facts to Ms. Ruiz and includes both missing items and the bedroom.

Incorrect: "Intended to hit" is the assumption the rewrite was meant to remove.

Correct: This credits the victim with her account and adds what the officer saw, with no guess about intent.

Incorrect: The notes say left forearm, not right.

Incorrect: "Which proves he meant to hurt her" adds a conclusion about intent.

Incorrect: This leaves out the red mark the officer saw.

Incorrect: Case number 26-1180 is given.

Correct: The summary never says how the call ended, such as an arrest, a warning or no action.

Incorrect: Each party's statement is given: Mr. Smith says he was threatened, and Ms. Jones says she yelled.

Incorrect: John Smith and Mary Jones are both named.

Incorrect: The time, 7:40 p.m., is given.

Incorrect: "Used in the assault" is a conclusion the notes do not support.

Correct: Every step is present with the right times and the right bag number.

Incorrect: This leaves out that the knife was photographed.

Incorrect: Bag #4417 transposes the digits of #4471.

Incorrect: The times are swapped: collection was at 0305 and submission at 0340.

Correct: The ratio has 7 parts, so one part is $2,800 ÷ 7 = $400, and the smallest share is one part.

Incorrect: $800 is the middle share (2 parts).

Incorrect: $700 divides by 4 instead of by the 7 total parts.

Incorrect: $1,200 is the first two shares added together.

Incorrect: $1,600 is the largest share (4 parts).

Incorrect: $1.85 is ten cents too high; 144 × 1.85 is $266.40.

Incorrect: $17.50 misplaces the decimal point.

Incorrect: $0.57 divides 144 by 252, the wrong way around.

Incorrect: $2.52 just moves the decimal point in the total.

Correct: $252.00 ÷ 144 = $1.75 per bag.

Incorrect: $413.33 splits the full $1,240 and forgets the fee.

Incorrect: $426.67 adds the fee instead of subtracting it.

Incorrect: $373.33 takes $40 from each share instead of once.

Correct: $1,240 − $40 = $1,200, and $1,200 ÷ 3 = $400.00.

Incorrect: $1,200.00 is the amount before it is split three ways.

Incorrect: $350.00 adds the two prices and multiplies by all 7 items.

Incorrect: $376.00 is $200 too high, an error in the hundreds.

Incorrect: $196.00 forgets the discount.

Correct: $176.00 is 5 belts at $32 plus 2 pairs of boots at $18, minus the $20 discount.

Incorrect: $216.00 adds the discount instead of subtracting it.

Correct: 12.40 + 8.75 + 23.60 + 5.30 = $50.05.

Incorrect: $49.95 is a slip in carrying the cents.

Incorrect: $26.45 leaves out the $23.60 item.

Incorrect: $44.75 leaves out the $5.30 item.

Incorrect: $51.05 adds an extra dollar while carrying.

Incorrect: 10% doubles the true drop.

Incorrect: 5.3% divides by the recount, 760, instead of the reported 800.

Correct: The drop is 40 items, and 40 ÷ 800 = 5%.

Incorrect: 40% reads the 40 missing items as a percent.

Incorrect: 95% is the share of items that was found.

Incorrect: 40% is off by 20 sectors.

Incorrect: 30% is Officer Bell's 120 sectors alone.

Incorrect: 65% is the share that is covered.

Correct: 260 sectors are covered, so 140 of 400 are not: 35%.

Incorrect: 45% does not match any count in the problem.

Incorrect: $2,660.00 forgets the health insurance.

Incorrect: $2,675.00 subtracts $5 instead of 5%, along with the $120.

Incorrect: $2,546.00 subtracts the $120 first and then takes 5% of $2,680, the wrong order.

Correct: 5% of $2,800 is $140, leaving $2,660; minus $120 is $2,540.00.

Incorrect: $2,680.00 forgets the pension.

Incorrect: $8.63 counts the two quarters as dimes.

Correct: Bills $8.00 plus coins $0.93 (50¢ + 40¢ + 3¢) makes $8.93.

Incorrect: $8.73 counts the four dimes as nickels.

Incorrect: $8.90 leaves out the three pennies.

Incorrect: $9.93 adds an extra dollar.

Correct: 0.025 × $48 = $1.20.

Incorrect: $49.20 is the fine plus the surcharge; the question asks for the surcharge alone.

Incorrect: $12.00 misplaces the decimal point the other way.

Incorrect: $120.00 is off by a factor of 100.

Incorrect: $0.12 misplaces the decimal point.

Incorrect: $900.00 treats $225 as 25% of the price.

Incorrect: $168.75 takes another 25% off.

Correct: The sale price is 75% of the original, so $225 ÷ 0.75 = $300.00.

Incorrect: $281.25 adds 25% of $225, but the discount was taken from the original price.

Incorrect: $250.00 adds $25, not 25%.

Incorrect: $0.41 adds the two costs per mile.

Correct: $0.07 is the gap between Vehicle A's cost per mile ($3.60 ÷ 15) and Vehicle B's ($4.08 ÷ 24).

Incorrect: $0.48 is the difference in price per gallon.

Incorrect: $0.24 is Vehicle A's cost per mile, not the difference.

Incorrect: $0.17 is Vehicle B's cost per mile, not the difference.

Incorrect: 6 3/4 keeps only the 3/4 and drops the other fractions.

Incorrect: 7 1/4 is a quarter pound short.

Incorrect: 8 1/2 is one pound too many.

Incorrect: 6 1/2 counts the fractions as only 1/2.

Correct: Whole pounds make 6 and the fractions make 1 1/2, so the total is 7 1/2 pounds.

Correct: 22 gallons: 8 gallons for each 100 miles, times 275 ÷ 100.

Incorrect: 8 gallons covers only 100 miles.

Incorrect: 34.4 divides 275 by 8 instead of scaling the rate.

Incorrect: 2.75 forgets to multiply by 8.

Incorrect: 24 gallons rounds the trip up to 300 miles.

Correct: 90 ÷ 54 = 1 2/3 hours, and 2/3 of an hour is 40 minutes.

Incorrect: 1 hour 36 minutes treats the 36 miles left over as minutes.

Incorrect: 2 hours 10 minutes is far too long; 54 mph covers 90 miles in under 2 hours.

Incorrect: 1 hour 20 minutes would be 72 miles at 54 mph.

Incorrect: 1 hour 45 minutes rounds the time up to 1.75 hours.

Incorrect: This leaves out the evidence clerk, who must sign, and adds the supervisor, who does not.

Incorrect: The clerk alone is not enough; the seizing officer must sign too.

Incorrect: This drops the seizing officer and adds the supervisor, who does not sign.

Correct: The log must be signed by the seizing officer and the receiving evidence clerk.

Incorrect: The supervisor only reviews the log for narcotics or cash over $1,000, which a standard submission does not involve.

Incorrect: The memo never says who should handle store burglaries.

Correct: The memo opens with "Clear reports save time," and Bell's detailed report led to a case closed in two days, which supports that point.

Incorrect: The license number is one of three details listed; the memo does not rank it above the others.

Incorrect: Re-interviewing witnesses is what happens when reports lack detail, the problem the memo warns about.

Incorrect: The memo praises one report and never compares Bell with other officers.

Incorrect: The passage says officers should be seen outside their patrol cars, the opposite of this.

Incorrect: Tips are one step in the chain, but the passage ends on reduced crime, so this is too narrow.

Incorrect: The passage says the work builds trust and reduces crime, not just visibility.

Incorrect: The passage never ranks crime data above contact with residents.

Correct: The paragraphs move from building trust, to the information it brings, to a measurable drop in property crime.

Incorrect: Nothing in the policy requires leaving the item for detectives.

Incorrect: The policy lets the officer seize such an item without a warrant.

Incorrect: The policy does not make consent a condition for a plain-view seizure.

Correct: The officer is lawfully present, the bag is in open view and its illegal nature is apparent, so the policy allows seizure without a warrant.

Incorrect: Lifting the seat moves objects to bring items into view, which the policy forbids.

Incorrect: Running away is moving off, not advancing on the officer.

Correct: She advanced on the officer after an order to stop, which meets the rule's second condition.

Incorrect: Standing still with empty hands meets neither condition.

Incorrect: Shouted insults from across the street involve no weapon and no advance.

Incorrect: He had not yet been ordered to stop, so the second condition is not met.

Incorrect: Focusing only on relationships drops the other half of the balance.

Correct: The excerpt calls the mission "twofold" and speaks of a balance between enforcing the law and engaging citizens.

Incorrect: Putting enforcement first drops half of the stated balance.

Incorrect: Administrative duties and patrol work are never mentioned.

Incorrect: The excerpt talks about following statutes, not writing new ones.

Incorrect: Being placed in the car is not questioning, so no warnings are required yet.

Incorrect: Ross spoke on his own, without being asked anything, so no warnings were needed before that remark.

Correct: Warnings are required before custodial interrogation, and the first questioning is at 9:00 p.m.

Incorrect: The policy says warnings are not required at the moment of arrest if no questioning is planned then.

Incorrect: A volunteered remark does not trigger the warnings; questioning does.

Correct: The negotiator says, "I want to help you resolve that," referring to the problem with the employer.

Incorrect: Physical action is described as something that will happen only if the subject does not comply.

Incorrect: The negotiator never threatens the employer.

Incorrect: The negotiator says the subject feels treated unfairly but does not say it is true.

Incorrect: The weapon must go down "immediately"; no time to think is offered.

Correct: The passage names the primary goal as easing the immediate threat of violence.

Incorrect: Finding a psychological cause is never mentioned.

Incorrect: The passage says resolving the underlying conflict right away is not always the goal.

Incorrect: The passage says nothing about ending the negotiation quickly.

Incorrect: Active listening lowers the subject's emotional arousal, not the officer's.

Incorrect: Looking through the phone needs a warrant, even if it is unlocked.

Correct: The brief says seized phones go into a signal-blocking bag at the scene to prevent remote wiping.

Incorrect: The brief names the signal-blocking bag as the way to stop remote wiping, not turning the phone off.

Incorrect: Bagging happens at the scene; the end-of-shift deadline is for dashcam video.

Incorrect: The upload rule is for dashcam video, not phones.

Incorrect: Proceedings will start only if there are further violations.

Incorrect: The memo says lateness disrupts roll call, not that roll call was canceled.

Incorrect: The letter calls itself a final warning, not a first one.

Incorrect: The three late arrivals were this month, not last month.

Correct: The memo opens with "Despite previous verbal counseling," so Officer Davis had been counseled before.

Incorrect: Completing the arrest first puts another step ahead of the call the policy requires first.

Incorrect: Speaking calmly is for a person who has stopped resisting, but a medical emergency calls for EMS first.

Incorrect: Riding in the ambulance comes later, if he is taken to a hospital; the call comes first.

Correct: Trouble breathing is a sign of a medical emergency, and the policy says to call EMS before doing anything else.

Incorrect: The policy calls for emergency medical services, not a ride in a patrol car.

Incorrect: The passage stresses that one approach is used across the department, apart from a short exception.

Incorrect: Street racing is mentioned only as the target of one temporary surge.

Incorrect: The one-week follow-up is a supporting detail, not the main idea.

Correct: All eight precincts use community policing, and Precinct 5's surge is a temporary exception.

Incorrect: The surge is temporary, and Precinct 5 will return to community policing in June.

Incorrect: How long the officers have served is never stated.

Incorrect: The passage gives the number of calls with injuries, not the total number of crisis calls.

Incorrect: Speaking slowly is a technique for crisis calls, not a rule for every call.

Incorrect: The training will be repeated every two years, not stopped.

Correct: The passage reports the training and then the drop in injuries on crisis calls, from 45 to 18.

Incorrect: Nothing suggests the remark was meant to confuse.

Incorrect: Nothing suggests the sergeant was ending the conversation.

Incorrect: "Meant to accuse" does not fit: an accusing remark would raise emotions, not calm them.

Incorrect: "Meant to apologize" does not fit: the remark was made without admitting fault.

Correct: The remark aimed to calm emotions without admitting fault, so "conciliatory" means meant to make peace.

Correct: Cash must always be submitted before the end of the shift, so the $300 is due by 6:00 p.m.

Incorrect: The last-hour exception does not apply to cash.

Incorrect: The rule sets no 5:00 p.m. deadline, and the knife may wait because it was collected in the last hour.

Incorrect: The rule sets no deadline at the time the knife was collected.

Incorrect: The cash has no exception, so both items cannot wait.

Correct: The passage says graffiti reports "generally fell" after meetings began.

Incorrect: Nothing is said about graffiti before the meetings.

Incorrect: Noise complaints fell "often," not every month.

Incorrect: The pilot was not designed to measure serious crime.

Incorrect: The passage says outreach "may reduce" disorder, not that it was proved to end it.

Incorrect: The timelines apply to internal investigations, not to all criminal cases.

Incorrect: The rights it protects belong to accused employees, not people under arrest.

Correct: The policy exists to investigate misconduct allegations against department personnel.

Incorrect: Lawsuits against the agency are not mentioned.

Incorrect: Crimes reported by the public are not part of this policy.

Incorrect: The exception covers only the threat, not questions about the robbery.

Incorrect: The supervisor must be told before questioning resumes, not after.

Correct: A hidden gun near a playground allows limited questions about it, and a supervisor must be told before any questioning resumes.

Incorrect: The public-safety exception allows limited questions about the gun.

Incorrect: Once the suspect asks for a lawyer, full questioning about the robbery is off limits.

Incorrect: The policy says refusing to talk is not enough by itself.

Correct: The policy requires specific and articulable facts, meaning facts the officer can describe.

Incorrect: The policy speaks of suspicion, not proof beyond doubt.

Incorrect: The policy says presence in a high-crime area is not enough by itself.

Incorrect: The policy says a hunch is not enough by itself.

Incorrect: The comma after "the suspect" splits the subject from its verb.

Correct: A comma follows the introductory phrase, and no comma separates the subject from its verbs.

Incorrect: The comma belongs after the whole phrase "After several evasive answers," not after "After."

Incorrect: The comma after the introductory phrase is missing, and the comma between "suspect" and "seemed" splits subject from verb.

Incorrect: The commas around "and avoided" break a simple pair of verbs and separate "avoided" from its object.

Incorrect: "Refusing to sign…" has no subject and no main verb.

Incorrect: "Refusing" is an -ing form, not a main verb, so "The witness, refusing…" is a fragment.

Correct: "The witness refused to sign the written statement." has a subject and a main verb and stands on its own.

Incorrect: "Although" makes the clause depend on another sentence that never comes.

Incorrect: "The witness who refused…" is a subject with a description but no main verb.

Incorrect: "Found, photographed, booked, bagged" swaps the last two steps; booking was at 3:40, after bagging at 3:10.

Incorrect: "Found, bagged, photographed, booked" puts bagging (3:10) before photographing (3:05).

Correct: "Found, photographed, bagged, booked" follows the clock: 2:55, 3:05, 3:10 and 3:40 p.m.

Incorrect: "Bagged, found, photographed, booked" has the gun bagged before it was found.

Incorrect: "Photographed, found, bagged, booked" has the gun photographed before it was found at 2:55.

Incorrect: $232.80 takes 3% off instead of 3/8.

Correct: $150 is the $240 tag minus 3/8 of $240.

Incorrect: $160 takes 1/3 off instead of 3/8.

Incorrect: $90 is the discount alone, not the sale price.

Incorrect: $180 takes 1/4 off instead of 3/8.

Incorrect: "Number are" pairs a singular subject with a plural verb; it should be "number is."

Correct: "Raymond Ellis's telephone number is 555-2478." gives the number from the form in a complete, correctly spelled sentence.

Incorrect: "Telefone" replaces the "ph" of "telephone" with an "f," so it is misspelled.

Incorrect: Without the verb "is," "Raymond Ellis's telephone number 555-2478" is a fragment, not a sentence.

Incorrect: 555-2874 is Gloria Tran's number, and it looks like Raymond Ellis's number with two digits swapped.

Incorrect: "Six-feet-tall" uses the plural "feet"; inside a compound adjective the unit stays singular: "six-foot."

Correct: "Six-foot-tall" joins all three words with hyphens because together they act as one adjective before "man."

Incorrect: "Six-foot tall" hyphenates only part of the adjective and leaves "tall" unattached.

Incorrect: "Six foot tall" has no hyphens, so the three words do not read as one adjective before "man."

Incorrect: "Six foot-tall" hyphenates only part of the adjective and leaves "six" unattached.