U.S. Border Patrol Entrance Exam (BPA) Writing Skills (Standard English Usage) Syllabus

Writing Skills (Standard English Usage) syllabus: all 4 chapters

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics.

1. 1

   Grammar and Mechanics

   4 topics

   • Subject-verb agreement
     • Intervening phrases and clauses
     • Compound and indefinite subjects
   • Pronoun usage and agreement
     • Pronoun-antecedent agreement
     • Pronoun case (subjective, objective, possessive)
   • Verb tense and consistency
     • Maintaining consistent tense
     • Common irregular verbs
   • Modifiers and parallel structure
     • Dangling and misplaced modifiers
     • Parallelism in lists and series
2. 2

   Punctuation and Capitalization

   4 topics

   • Commas and semicolons
     • Comma splices and run-ons
     • Series and introductory elements
   • Apostrophes and possessives
     • Contractions vs. possessives
   • End punctuation and quotation marks
     • Quoting within reports
   • Capitalization rules
     • Proper nouns and titles
3. 3

   Spelling and Word Choice

   3 topics

   • Commonly confused words
     • Homophones (their/there/they're; affect/effect)
     • Their, your, and its usage
   • Spelling rules and exceptions
     • Prefixes and suffixes
   • Precise vocabulary and diction
     • Avoiding wordiness and redundancy
4. 4

   Sentence and Paragraph Construction

   3 topics

   • Sentence completion and editing
     • Selecting the grammatically correct option
     • Identifying the sentence with no error
   • Logical sentence ordering
     • Coherence and transitions
   • Error identification in passages
     • Spotting the underlined error

U.S. Border Patrol Entrance Exam (BPA) Writing Skills (Standard English Usage) flashcards — 50 questions with answers

1. What is the rule of subject-verb agreement?

   A verb must agree with its subject in number: singular subjects take singular verbs, plural subjects take plural verbs (e.g., 'The officer patrols'; 'The officers patrol').

2. When a subject is joined by 'and,' is the verb singular or plural?

   Plural. Two subjects joined by 'and' form a compound (plural) subject (e.g., 'The agent and the supervisor are here').

3. When subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor,' how is verb number determined?

   The verb agrees with the subject nearest to it (e.g., 'Neither the agents nor the captain is available').

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

   Singular (e.g., 'Each of the recruits passes the test'; 'Everyone is ready').

5. How does a phrase between the subject and verb affect agreement?

   It does not change it; the verb agrees with the true subject, not with a noun in the intervening phrase (e.g., 'The box of files is heavy').

6. With collective nouns (team, jury, staff), what verb is typically used in American English?

   Usually a singular verb, because the group acts as one unit (e.g., 'The jury delivers its verdict').

7. What is a pronoun's antecedent, and what must agree with it?

   The antecedent is the noun a pronoun refers to; the pronoun must agree with it in number, gender, and person (e.g., 'Each agent filed his or her report').

8. What is the difference between subjective and objective case pronouns?

   Subjective pronouns (I, he, she, we, they, who) act as subjects; objective pronouns (me, him, her, us, them, whom) act as objects of verbs or prepositions.

9. How do you choose between 'who' and 'whom'?

   Use 'who' as a subject (he/she substitutes) and 'whom' as an object (him/her substitutes), e.g., 'Whom did you call?' (you called him).

10. What is a vague or ambiguous pronoun reference, and why is it an error?

    It occurs when a pronoun could refer to more than one antecedent or has none, making the meaning unclear (e.g., 'Tom told Sam that he passed').

11. What pronoun case follows a preposition?

    The objective case (e.g., 'between you and me,' not 'between you and I').

12. What is the function of the three main verb tenses?

    Past expresses completed action, present expresses current/habitual action, and future expresses action yet to occur.

13. What is the rule of verb tense consistency?

    Keep verbs in the same tense within a sentence or passage unless the meaning requires a shift in time (e.g., do not switch from past to present without reason).

14. When is the present perfect tense ('has/have' + past participle) used?

    For actions that began in the past and continue to or are relevant to the present (e.g., 'The agency has improved security').

15. What is a dangling modifier?

    A modifying phrase whose intended subject is missing or unclear in the sentence (e.g., 'Driving to work, the radio broke').

16. What is a misplaced modifier?

    A modifier positioned so it appears to describe the wrong word (e.g., 'She almost drove the kids to school every day').

17. What is parallel structure (parallelism)?

    Using the same grammatical form for items in a series or comparison (e.g., 'running, jumping, and swimming,' not 'running, jumping, and to swim').

18. How should a comma be used with items in a series?

    Place a comma after each item in a list of three or more; the final comma before 'and' is the serial (Oxford) comma (e.g., 'red, white, and blue').

19. When do you use a comma with a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)?

    Place a comma before for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so when it joins two independent clauses (e.g., 'He ran, and she walked').

20. What is the comma rule for introductory elements?

    Use a comma after an introductory word, phrase, or dependent clause (e.g., 'After the briefing, the agents departed').

U.S. Border Patrol Entrance Exam (BPA) Writing Skills (Standard English Usage) FAQ