National Police Officer Selection Test (NPOST / Stanard & Associates POST) Reading Comprehension Syllabus

Why are extreme words like "never," "always," "all," or "none" often wrong in inference answers?

They make absolute claims that the passage usually does not fully support; valid inferences tend to stay within the limits of the evidence.

What is the "main idea" of a passage?

The central point or overall message the passage is communicating, which the supporting details all relate to.

How does the main idea differ from a supporting detail?

The main idea is the broad central point; a supporting detail is a specific fact, example, or reason that backs up that point.

What is the "author's purpose," and what are its common forms?

The reason the author wrote the text; commonly to inform, to instruct, to persuade, to describe, or to warn.

Where in a passage is the main idea most often found?

Frequently in the first or last sentence of a paragraph (the topic or concluding sentence), though it can also be implied across the whole passage.

How can you test whether a choice is the main idea rather than just a detail?

Check whether it summarizes the entire passage; if it covers only one part or sentence, it is a detail, not the main idea.

What is the best title for a passage supposed to capture?

The main idea or overall subject of the passage, broad enough to cover the whole text but not broader than its content.

What does "vocabulary in context" mean?

Determining a word's meaning based on how it is used in the surrounding sentence and passage, rather than its most common dictionary definition.

What are context clues, and name three types.

Hints in surrounding text that reveal a word's meaning; types include definition/restatement clues, synonym/antonym clues, and example clues.

When a familiar word has multiple meanings, how do you choose the right one in context?

Substitute each possible meaning into the sentence and pick the one that fits the sentence's logic and tone.

In the sentence "The suspect was apprehended near the scene," what does "apprehended" most likely mean from context?

Caught or arrested.

How can a contrast word like "but," "however," or "although" help define an unknown word?

It signals that the unknown word likely means the opposite of an idea stated elsewhere in the sentence (an antonym clue).

What is the difference between a fact and an opinion?

A fact is a statement that can be verified or proven true or false; an opinion is a belief, judgment, or preference that cannot be objectively proven.

What kinds of words often signal that a statement is an opinion?

Judgment or value words such as "best," "worst," "should," "beautiful," "probably," "I believe," and "too much."

Is the statement "The patrol car traveled 45 miles per hour" a fact or an opinion, and why?

A fact, because it states a measurable, verifiable quantity.

Is the statement "Officers should always be polite to the public" a fact or an opinion, and why?

An opinion, because "should" expresses a value judgment that cannot be proven true or false.

Why is distinguishing fact from opinion important when reading reports?

Reports should rely on verifiable facts; identifying opinions helps separate objective evidence from a writer's personal judgment or bias.

What is the main purpose of an incident or police report?

To objectively record the verifiable facts of what happened (who, what, when, where, how) for an accurate, official record.

What are the "5 W's and H" that a well-written report should answer?

Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

When interpreting a report, how should you treat information attributed to a witness versus the writer's own observation?

Keep them separate: a witness statement is what someone claimed, while the writer's observation is what the writer directly saw; do not merge them as equal fact.

Why should a report be written in clear, chronological order?

So the sequence of events is unambiguous and a reader can reconstruct exactly what happened and in what order.

If a report states an officer "responded to a call at 10:15 and arrived at 10:27," how long was the response time?

12 minutes.

When reading legal or policy text, why must you pay close attention to defined terms?

Legal and policy documents often assign specific meanings to terms; the defined meaning controls how the rule applies, even if it differs from everyday usage.

In legal text, what is the difference between "and" and "or" when listing conditions?

"And" requires all listed conditions to be met; "or" requires only one of them to be met.

What does the word "prohibited" mean in a policy statement?

Not allowed; forbidden.

In a policy, what is the difference between an "exception" and the general rule?

The general rule states what normally applies; an exception identifies a specific case where the general rule does not apply.

When a statute uses "whoever" or "any person," what does that indicate about who it applies to?

It applies broadly to all individuals who meet the described conditions, not to a specific named person.

When a chart or table appears within a passage, what should you read first?

The title, column and row headings, and any units or legend, so you know what the data represents before reading values.

How do you locate a specific value in a table?

Find the correct row and the correct column, then read the value where they intersect.

Why must you check the units (e.g., percent, dollars, thousands) when reading data in a chart?

Misreading units changes the meaning of every value, leading to wrong comparisons or calculations.

How do you find the largest or smallest value among entries in a chart?

Compare the relevant numbers across the rows or columns in question and select the highest or lowest, being sure they are in the same units.

If a chart shows arrests of 20 in January and 35 in February, what is the increase and how is it found?

An increase of 15, found by subtracting January's value from February's value (35 - 20).