Police Officer Selection Test (POST) Reading Comprehension Syllabus

Reading Comprehension syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Reading Comprehension in Police Officer Selection Test (POST), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Foundational Reading Skills

   4 topics

   • Determining Main Idea and Central Point
     • Identifying the topic versus the main idea
     • Locating topic sentences in police reports and bulletins
     • Distinguishing stated versus implied main ideas
   • Identifying Supporting Details
     • Major versus minor details
     • Matching details to the claims they support
   • Author's Purpose and Tone
     • Informative versus persuasive passages
     • Recognizing neutral, objective report-writing tone
   • Vocabulary in Context
     • Using context clues to define unfamiliar words
     • Common law-enforcement terminology
2. 2

   Comprehending Procedural and Technical Text

   4 topics

   • Reading Police Procedures and Policies
     • Following multi-step procedural instructions
     • Interpreting conditional rules (if/then/unless)
   • Interpreting Statutes and Ordinances
     • Applying a definition to a fact scenario
     • Identifying which elements of an offense are met
   • Reading Tables, Schedules, and Forms
     • Extracting data from booking and incident forms
     • Cross-referencing rows and columns
   • Understanding Maps and Diagrams
     • Reading street grids and directions of travel
     • Interpreting crime-scene diagrams
3. 3

   Critical Reading and Inference

   4 topics

   • Drawing Logical Inferences
     • Conclusions supported by the passage
     • Avoiding unsupported assumptions
   • Fact versus Opinion
     • Identifying verifiable statements
     • Recognizing bias in witness accounts
   • Cause and Effect Relationships
     • Sequencing events in a narrative
     • Distinguishing correlation from causation
   • Comparing and Contrasting Information
     • Reconciling conflicting witness statements
     • Identifying agreement across sources

Reading Comprehension flashcards for Police Officer Selection Test (POST)

20 of 51 cards from the Reading Comprehension deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the 'main idea' of a passage?

   The central point or overall message the author wants to convey about the topic — the single most important idea that all other sentences support.

2. How does a 'topic' differ from a 'main idea'?

   The topic is the general subject (a word or phrase, e.g., 'patrol procedures'); the main idea is the specific point the author makes about that topic, stated as a complete thought.

3. Where is the main idea most often located in a paragraph?

   In the topic sentence — usually the first or last sentence — though it can also be implied and must be inferred from the details.

4. What is the difference between a stated and an implied main idea?

   A stated main idea is written directly in a topic sentence; an implied main idea is not written out and must be inferred by combining the supporting details.

5. What test confirms you have correctly identified the main idea?

   Every other sentence in the passage should support, explain, or provide evidence for it; if a sentence does not, the main idea is too narrow or wrong.

6. What are 'supporting details' in a passage?

   The facts, examples, statistics, reasons, descriptions, and explanations that develop, prove, or clarify the main idea.

7. What is the difference between major and minor supporting details?

   Major details directly explain or prove the main idea; minor details add extra information about a major detail (examples or elaboration that could be removed without losing the point).

8. Name common signal words that introduce supporting details.

   'For example,' 'for instance,' 'such as,' 'in addition,' 'furthermore,' 'specifically,' 'first/second/third,' and 'because.'

9. When a police report question asks for a specific detail, what reading strategy is best?

   Scanning — quickly locating the exact fact (name, time, address, number) in the text rather than reading every word.

10. What is the 'author's purpose'?

    The author's reason for writing — generally to inform, to persuade, to instruct, to entertain, or to describe.

11. Which author's purpose dominates police procedures, statutes, and policy manuals?

    To inform and to instruct — they explain facts and direct the reader to perform actions in a specific way.

12. What is 'tone' in a passage?

    The author's attitude toward the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice (e.g., objective, formal, critical, sympathetic, urgent, sarcastic).

13. What tone is expected in official police and legal documents?

    A neutral, objective, formal tone — factual and impersonal rather than emotional or opinionated.

14. How can you identify an author's tone?

    By analyzing connotative word choice, descriptive language, and the emotional charge of the words the author selects.

15. What does 'vocabulary in context' require you to do?

    Determine a word's meaning from the surrounding words and sentences rather than from a dictionary or its most common meaning.

16. Name the four main types of context clues.

    Definition/explanation clues, synonym/restatement clues, antonym/contrast clues, and example/inference clues.

17. What contrast signal words hint that a nearby word means the opposite?

    'But,' 'however,' 'unlike,' 'although,' 'whereas,' 'on the other hand,' and 'in contrast.'

18. Why is context essential for interpreting multiple-meaning words like 'charge,' 'book,' or 'cell'?

    These words have different meanings in different settings; only the surrounding text reveals which meaning applies (e.g., 'book' a suspect vs. read a book).

19. In policing, what is a 'procedure'?

    A required, step-by-step sequence of actions an officer must follow to perform a task correctly and lawfully.

20. How does a 'policy' differ from a 'procedure'?

    A policy is a broad principle or rule stating what should be done and why; a procedure gives the specific steps explaining how to carry out that policy.

See more Reading Comprehension flashcards →

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