Written expression questions are report sentences with something to fix: a misspelled word, a wrong verb or adverb, missing punctuation, a fragment, or a sentence that can be read two ways. You don't write anything yourself; you pick the correct or clearest version.
40Section III questions, four abilities
16practice questions here
What our questions drill
The handbook names the ability, not the item types. Our practice set covers these:
Spelling: which word in a sentence is misspelled, or which spelling is right.
Grammar: verb tense and agreement, adjective or adverb (reckless or recklessly), pronouns.
Punctuation: commas, apostrophes and quotation marks in report sentences.
Complete sentences: spotting the fragment that starts with After, Having or Which.
Clarity: the version a reader can't misread, with no modifier attached to the wrong person.
Report words worth learning
Report sentences reuse the same vocabulary, so a short list goes far. Words worth checking: sergeant, lieutenant, surveillance, receive, occurred, separate, license, harass, suspicious, apparent, vehicle, warrant, accommodate.
When two options differ only in one letter, say the word slowly by syllable before you choose.
Written expression questions
0 of 16 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: In "tests however," nothing separates the two sentences, so they run together.
B
Correct: In "tests; however, the," a semicolon before and a comma after join two full sentences.
C
Incorrect: In "tests, however, the," a comma alone joins two full sentences, which is a comma splice.
D
Incorrect: In "however; the," the semicolon sits after "however" instead of before it.
Question 2 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which word in the following sentence is spelled incorrectly? "Investigators found no evidence of forced entry, but the insurance adjuster questioned the authenticity of the reciept."
Answer explanations
A
Correct: "reciept" reverses "ei" to "ie" after "rec"; the right spelling is "receipt."
B
Incorrect: "Insurance" is spelled correctly.
C
Incorrect: "Evidence" is spelled correctly.
D
Incorrect: "Authenticity" is spelled correctly.
Question 3 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "Myself" cannot be used as a subject.
B
Correct: "I" is right in the subject, and "ourselves" refers back to that subject.
C
Incorrect: "Me and Deputy Ross" puts an object pronoun in the subject.
D
Incorrect: In "Ross and me searched," the object pronoun "me" is used as a subject.
Question 4 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: Here the period sits outside the closing quotation mark; US style puts it inside.
B
Incorrect: "That" turns the quote into indirect speech, so the comma and quotation marks no longer belong.
C
Incorrect: Here the quotation is opened but never closed.
D
Correct: Here a comma introduces the quotation, and the period sits inside the closing quotation mark.
Question 5 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which sentence expresses all of the following facts most accurately? (1) Deputy Ruiz arrested Carl Weston. (2) The arrest took place at 2140 hours. (3) Weston was arrested for driving with a suspended license. (4) The arrest took place on State Road 60.
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "Carl Weston, driving with a suspended license" opens well but leaves out the time, 2140 hours.
B
Incorrect: It says Weston was warned, when the facts say he was arrested.
C
Correct: It gives the time and place, then "arrested Carl Weston for driving with a suspended license," so all four facts are there.
D
Incorrect: Driving "without a license" changes the charge; his license was suspended.
Question 6 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which word in the following sentence is spelled incorrectly? "Officer Denver acted as the liason between the sheriff's office and the school district during the investigation."
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "District" is spelled correctly.
B
Incorrect: "Investigation" is spelled correctly.
C
Incorrect: "Sheriff's" is spelled correctly, with one r and a double f.
D
Correct: "liason" drops the "i" after "lia"; the right spelling is "liaison."
Question 7 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which of the following sentences contains a grammatical error?
Answer explanations
A
Correct: The subject is "box," which is singular, so the verb should be "was."
B
Incorrect: "Each" is singular, so "has" is right.
C
Incorrect: With "neither ... nor," the verb matches the nearer subject, "passenger," so "was" is right.
D
Incorrect: The subject "bags" comes after the verb and is plural, so "were" is right.
Question 8 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which sentence keeps the verb tenses consistent?
Answer explanations
A
Correct: In "stopped the van, asked the driver for his license, and noticed," all three verbs are past tense.
B
Incorrect: "Stops" is present tense, while the other two verbs are past.
C
Incorrect: "Asks" breaks the past tense between "stopped" and "noticed."
D
Incorrect: "Notices" switches to the present at the end.
Question 9 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "If the suspect would have been" puts "would have" in the if-clause, where "had been" belongs.
B
Correct: "Had been home, the officers would have served" pairs the past perfect with "would have" for a past condition that did not happen.
C
Incorrect: "Would of" is a misspelling of "would have."
D
Incorrect: "Was" does not mark a past condition that did not happen; "had been" does.
Question 10 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which of the following is NOT a complete sentence?
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "The suspect had been hiding" has a subject and a full verb, so it is complete.
B
Incorrect: "Deputies found" is the main clause, so this sentence is complete.
C
Correct: "The suspect who had been hiding" never gets a main verb, so it is a fragment.
D
Incorrect: "The suspect waited for dark" is a full clause after the opening phrase, so the sentence is complete.
Question 11 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which sentence restates the following observation without changing or adding to it? "The driver's speech was slurred, his eyes were red and watery, and he swayed while standing."
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "Could not stand" goes further than swaying while standing.
B
Correct: It keeps "swayed while standing," slurred speech, and red, watery eyes, and adds nothing.
C
Incorrect: It drops "watery" and adds "from drinking," a cause no one observed.
D
Incorrect: "Clearly drunk" is a conclusion the observation does not state.
Question 12 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which pair of words correctly completes the sentence? "The ______ witness told detectives that, as a matter of ______, she never opens the door to strangers."
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "principle / principle" puts a word meaning a rule in front of "witness," where a word meaning main is needed.
B
Incorrect: "principal / principal" gets the witness right but gives "as a matter of" the word for main instead of rule.
C
Incorrect: "principle / principal" swaps the two words.
D
Correct: "principal / principle" fits both blanks: principal means main, and principle means a rule or belief.
Question 13 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Choose the correct spelling of the word that belongs in the blank: "The suspect's statement was not ______ with the physical evidence."
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "concistent" has "c" where "s" belongs, after "con."
B
Correct: "consistent" is the standard spelling: two single s's and an -ent ending.
C
Incorrect: "consisstent" adds an extra "s" between "consis" and "tent."
D
Incorrect: "consistant" has "a" where "e" belongs, after "consist."
Question 14 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Choose the correct spelling of the word that belongs in the blank: "The attorney told the detective that the conversation was protected by attorney-client ______."
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "privilige" has "i" where "e" belongs, after "privil."
B
Incorrect: "privelege" has "e" where "i" belongs, after "priv."
C
Incorrect: "priviledge" adds a "d" the word does not have, between "privile" and "ge."
D
Correct: "privilege" is the standard spelling: i in the first two syllables, e before the g, and no d.
Question 15 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which word in the following sentence is spelled incorrectly? "Officer Grant retreived the handgun that the suspect had discarded beneath a vehicle in the neighboring lot."
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "neighboring" is the correct US spelling.
B
Incorrect: "vehicle" is spelled correctly, with a silent h.
C
Incorrect: "discarded" is spelled correctly.
D
Correct: "retreived" reverses "ie" to "ei" after "retr"; the right spelling is "retrieved."
Question 16 of 16 · Written ExpressionNot answered
Which word in the following sentence is spelled incorrectly? "Correctional Officer Hale placed the contraband in a seperate bag and logged it on the commissary ledger."
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "contraband" is spelled correctly.
B
Incorrect: "commissary" is spelled correctly, with a double m and a double s.
C
Correct: "seperate" has "e" where "a" belongs, after "sep"; the right spelling is "separate."
D
Incorrect: "ledger" is spelled correctly.
Answer every question to see your score
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It sounds right when you say it
Spoken English lets through what a report can't: "drove real reckless", "him and his partner went", "the suspect, who ran" with no main verb. When an option sounds natural but casual, check it against the grammar, not your ear.
Is there an essay or report to write on the CJBAT?
No. Every item is multiple choice, including written expression: you choose the correct version of a sentence, you don't write one.
How do I improve my grammar for the CJBAT quickly?
Work the questions here, write down every word or rule you miss, and review that list daily. A list of your own misses is quicker to review than a grammar textbook.