Law School Admission Test for federal honors / N/A Writing Skills and Professional Communication Assessment Syllabus

Writing Skills and Professional Communication Assessment syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Writing Skills and Professional Communication Assessment in Law School Admission Test for federal honors / N/A, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

   4 topics

   • Subject-verb and pronoun agreement
     • Indefinite pronouns and collective nouns
   • Sentence structure and modifier placement
     • Fixing run-ons, fragments, and comma splices
     • Dangling and misplaced modifiers
   • Punctuation conventions
     • Commas, semicolons, and colons
     • Apostrophes and possessives
   • Word choice and commonly confused words
2. 2

   Clarity, Conciseness, and Organization

   4 topics

   • Eliminating wordiness and redundancy
   • Logical paragraph and idea sequencing
   • Maintaining consistent tone and verb tense
   • Transitions and coherence between ideas
3. 3

   Report and Investigative Writing Fundamentals

   4 topics

   • Writing objective, fact-based narratives
     • Chronological incident reporting
     • Separating observation from opinion
   • Documenting the who, what, when, where, why, and how
   • Accuracy, completeness, and avoiding ambiguity
   • Professional standards for official correspondence

Writing Skills and Professional Communication Assessment flashcards for Law School Admission Test for federal honors / N/A

20 of 50 cards from the Writing Skills and Professional Communication Assessment deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is subject-verb agreement?

   The grammatical rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person: singular subjects take singular verbs (The officer writes) and plural subjects take plural verbs (The officers write).

2. How do you choose the verb when a subject is joined by 'or' or 'nor'?

   The verb agrees with the nearer (closer) subject. Example: 'Neither the supervisors nor the clerk was available' (verb matches 'clerk').

3. Do indefinite pronouns like 'each,' 'everyone,' 'either,' and 'neither' take singular or plural verbs?

   Singular. Example: 'Each of the reports is complete'; 'Everyone has signed.'

4. What verb number does a collective noun (team, committee, staff) usually take in U.S. usage?

   Singular when acting as one unit ('The committee votes'); plural only when members act individually ('The staff disagree among themselves').

5. What is pronoun-antecedent agreement?

   A pronoun must match its antecedent in number, person, and gender. Example: 'Each employee submitted his or her form' (singular antecedent 'each' takes a singular pronoun).

6. Should you write 'between you and I' or 'between you and me'? Why?

   'Between you and me.' Pronouns after a preposition take the objective case (me, him, her, us, them), not the subjective case (I, he, she, we, they).

7. How do you decide between 'who' and 'whom'?

   Use 'who' as the subject of a verb (who called?) and 'whom' as the object of a verb or preposition (to whom did you speak?). Test: if 'he/she' fits, use who; if 'him/her' fits, use whom.

8. What is a vague pronoun reference, and why is it a problem?

   A pronoun (it, this, they) whose antecedent is unclear or missing. It creates ambiguity, so the reader cannot tell what the pronoun refers to; replace it with a specific noun.

9. What are the three basic sentence structures by clause composition?

   Simple (one independent clause), compound (two or more independent clauses joined properly), and complex (one independent clause plus one or more dependent clauses); compound-complex combines both.

10. What is a misplaced modifier?

    A word or phrase positioned so it appears to modify the wrong element of a sentence. Fix by moving it next to the word it describes. Example: 'She almost drove the kids to school every day' should be 'She drove the kids to school almost every day.'

11. What is a dangling modifier?

    A modifying phrase whose intended subject is missing from the sentence. Example: 'Walking to the car, the rain started' (the rain wasn't walking). Fix: 'Walking to the car, I felt the rain start.'

12. What is a squinting modifier?

    A modifier placed so it could logically modify either the word before it or after it, creating ambiguity. Example: 'Students who study often pass' (often could modify study or pass). Reposition it for clarity.

13. What is a run-on sentence (fused sentence)?

    Two or more independent clauses joined with no punctuation or conjunction. Example: 'The witness arrived he gave a statement.' Fix with a period, semicolon, or comma plus a coordinating conjunction.

14. What is a comma splice and how is it corrected?

    Two independent clauses joined by only a comma. Correct it by using a period, a semicolon, a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS), or by subordinating one clause.

15. What is a sentence fragment?

    An incomplete sentence punctuated as if complete; it lacks a subject, a verb, or a complete thought. Example: 'Because the form was late.' Fix by attaching it to or completing the main clause.

16. What does the mnemonic FANBOYS stand for?

    The seven coordinating conjunctions: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. A comma precedes them when they join two independent clauses.

17. When do you use a comma before a coordinating conjunction?

    When the conjunction joins two independent clauses. Example: 'The report was filed, and the case was closed.' Do not add a comma when it only joins two words or phrases.

18. What is the primary use of a semicolon?

    To join two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction ('The deadline passed; no report was filed'), and to separate list items that themselves contain commas.

19. What is the primary use of a colon?

    To introduce a list, explanation, or quotation after a complete independent clause. Example: 'Bring three items: a badge, an ID, and a form.' Do not place a colon directly after a verb or preposition.

20. How do you use an apostrophe to show possession for singular and plural nouns?

    Singular: add 's (the officer's report). Plural ending in s: add only an apostrophe (the officers' reports). Irregular plurals: add 's (the children's forms).

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