9.1 Clarity Item Format

9.1 Clarity Item Format

Quick Answer: On MCOLES Clarity items, you read a complete sentence with one italicized phrase. Three answer choices appear. The first choice always repeats that italicized wording exactly. Choose the clearest, best-written version of the italicized part—which may be the original or a revision.

Clarity is one of the five writing-skill areas on the MCOLES Reading and Writing Test. These items do not ask you to spot spelling errors, pick a grammar label, or invent new facts. They ask a practical reporting question: Which wording is the clearest and best written?

That skill matters because law enforcement writing must be readable under stress. A supervisor, prosecutor, or jury should understand a sentence on the first pass. Clarity items measure whether you can recognize plain, precise wording when a murkier version sits next to it.

What a Clarity Item Looks Like

Every Clarity item follows the same official overview pattern:

1. You get one complete sentence (sometimes a short pair of clauses tied into one item stem).
2. One phrase inside that sentence is italicized — that is the part under review.
3. You see three alternatives for that italicized phrase.
4. The first option repeats the original italicized wording exactly.
5. You select the alternative that is the clearest / best-written version of that phrase.

Worked stem (format only)

The officer noted that due to the fact that the roadway was icy, several vehicles lost traction.

Typical choices might look like:

1. due to the fact that the roadway was icy
2. because the roadway was icy
3. owing to there being icy conditions present on the roadway

Option 1 is the original (required format rule). Option 2 is shorter and clearer. Option 3 is longer and more bureaucratic. The clearest choice is option 2.

Notice what did not change: the facts (icy roadway → loss of traction). Clarity items reward better expression of the same idea.

The First-Option Rule (Memorize This)

The official overview rule is easy to miss under time pressure:

The first listed option always restates the original italicized wording exactly.

That means:

• Option 1 is never automatically wrong.
• Option 1 is never automatically right.
• Option 1 is simply the baseline wording already in the sentence.

If the baseline is already clear, concise, and unambiguous, you should keep it. Many candidates lose easy points by assuming "the test always wants a rewrite." MCOLES Clarity does not work that way. Sometimes the italicized phrase is already the best-written version, and the other two choices add fog, redundancy, or awkward structure.

When the original wins

Keep the original when revisions do any of the following:

• Add words without adding meaning ("at this point in time" instead of "now")
• Swap plain words for stiff officialese ("utilize" for "use")
• Create ambiguous pronouns ("they," "it," "this") with unclear referents
• Move a modifier so it attaches to the wrong word
• Soften or distort the factual meaning while trying to sound smoother

When a revision wins

Choose a revision when it is genuinely clearer:

• Cuts empty phrases ("in order to" → "to"; "due to the fact that" → "because")
• Uses active, direct verbs when the actor is known
• Places modifiers next to the words they describe
• Names people, places, and objects instead of vague placeholders
• Preserves the original meaning while improving readability

How to Work the Item Under Time Pressure

Use a four-step scan:

1. Read the full sentence so you know what the italicized phrase must mean.
2. Read option 1 as the baseline — do not skip it just because it matches the stem.
3. Compare each rewrite for clarity only — shorter is often better, but only if meaning stays intact.
4. Reject any option that changes facts, invents detail, or creates a new ambiguity.

Common Format Traps

Trap 1 — Ignoring option 1. Candidates who always pick a rewrite will miss items where the original is already best.

Trap 2 — Choosing the "smartest-sounding" wording. Big words are not clearer. "Commenced surveillance of the aforementioned location" is usually worse than "began watching the house."

Trap 3 — Fixing the wrong problem. Clarity is not Spelling and not Grammar-as-label. A choice can be grammatically fine and still lose because it is wordy or ambiguous.

Trap 4 — Changing the story. If the original says the witness saw the vehicle, a "clearer" rewrite that makes the officer the viewer is wrong—even if the sentence reads smoothly.

Practice Mindset for Report Writing

Think like a field report editor. Ask: "Would a reader who was not there understand this phrase immediately?" If yes, and no shorter accurate option exists, keep the original. If a tighter phrase says the same thing with less friction, take the revision.

Clarity items reward judgment, not memorized templates. Learn the format rules first (italicized span, three choices, option 1 = original), then apply the clarity standard (plain, precise, unambiguous, same meaning).