Forensics Practice
1. The list of persons who come into possession of an item
of evidence is known as the:
A. Evidence chain
B. Chain of command
C. Chain of custody
D. Chain of evidence
2. Hair samples have been collected at a crime scene. Can
the hair be identified as coming from male or female with
no root attached?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Unsure
D. Not applicable
3. Forensic crime scene investigators are responsible for
which of the following?
A. Securing, examining, and analyzing crime scenes
B. The collection and identification of the physical
evidence
C. Documenting the scene through photography,
notes, and sketches
D. All of the above
4. What is the main difference between a rough and final
sketch?
A. Supervisor approval
B. Labels
C. Digital format
D. Scale
5. In which county was the first case of a conviction based
on fingerprint evidence?
A. Australia
B. Argentina
C. China
D. Germany
6. Of the following options, which is the least reliable source
of evidence?
A. DNA data
B. Latent fingerprints
C. Video surveillance footage
D. Eyewitness accounts
7. The original location of a crime scene or accident is
known as the _____ crime scene.
A. First
B. Primary
C. Origional
D. Initial
8. The types of fingerprints investigators are likely to find
are:
A. Patent, plastic, and latent
B. Patent, personal, and latent
C. Personal, plastic, and latent
D. Patent, plastic, and personal
9. Which of the following is used to give evidence a
numerical value?
A. Scale
B. Ruler
C. Marker
D. None of the above
10. Corroborative evidence is:
A. Evidence that supports other evidence
B. Evidence that associates an individual with another
individual
C. Evidence that links an individual with a particular
location
D. Evidence that refutes other evidence
11. What is the name for the outermost layer of your skin?
A. Hypodermis
B. Epidermis
C. Dermis
D. None of the above
12. The pattern used to conduct a search at a crime scene
depends on the:
A. Personal preference of the investigator
B. Type of crime committed
C. Time of year and weather
D. Size and location of the area being searched
13. The study of bullets and ammunition through the
comparison of fired bullets, cartridges, guns, and
gunpowder patterns on people and objects is called:
A. Toxicology
B. Ballistics
C. Microscopy
D. None of the above
14. When a forensic crime scene investigator strings a blood
spatter stain, what is the investigator trying to determine?
A. The area of convergence
B. The type of weapon used
C. Both A & B
D. Nether A or B
15. A CSI team discovers a bullet in a wall near where a
murder occurred. The team also finds a firearm 20 feet
from the scene. How can the team determine if the bullet
came from the firearm?
A. Do a ballistics report at the lab
B. Visually compare the bullet to the gun
C. Test both for fingerprints
D. Fire some test rounds into the wall and
compare them
16. A body was found burnt in a bed. The CSI team found
clues to suggest that a fire was set on purpose. Which of
these clues would indicate purposeful arson?
A. Burns on the wall
B. Burnt furniture
C. Candles in the house
D. Trace flammable liquid
17. Crime scene investigators use handheld scanners to
capture _____ images of blood spatters.
A. Photographic
B. Pixelated
C. High-resolution
D. Detailed
18. In 1973, a CSI team found evidence in a case that lead
to the conviction of Joey for murder. In 2009, Joey
requested a thorough test of all physical evidence from
his case, which lead to his exoneration. What specific
testing, which did not exist in 1973, was used?
A. Ballistics testing
B. Fingerprint testing
C. GPS locating
D. DNA testing
19. _____ blood stains are created when an object swung in
an arc flings blood onto nearby surfaces.
A. Impression
B. Swipe
C. Gunshot
D. Cast-off
20. Is it possible to find deleted files on a computer of a
suspect?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Unsure
D. Not applicable
21. Which unit is responsible for examining body fluids and
organs for the presence of drugs and poisons?
A. Toxicology unit
B. Physical science unit
C. Biology unit
D. Trace evidence unit
22. _____ was the first author to utilize fingerprint evidence
to solve a fictional crime.
A. J. Edgar Hoover
B. Thomas Jennings
C. Mark Twain
D. None of the above
23. Which of the following is NOT one of the three basic
types of fingerprint patterns?
A. Loops
B. Spirals
C. Arches
D. Whorls
24. Crime scene sketches must be clear and show the
_______ of each item of evidence.
A. General placement
B. Exact measurements
C. Coordinate position
D. Estimated value
25. Trace evidence is general analyzed through:
A. Microscopic examinations
B. Chemical reactions
C. DNA testing
D. All of the above
26. At what age do human beings develop fingerprints?
A. At six months gestation
B. At birth
C. At three months gestation
D. At two weeks of age
27. After death, the body loses heat at a rate of about 1.5
degrees per hour until it reaches _______ temperature.
A. body
B. ambient
C. elevated
D. decreased
28. Which form of crime scene measurement involves two
fixed and permanent points for measurements?
A. Baseline
B. Triangulation
C. Azimuth
D. None of the above
29. How long has DNA evidence been widely used in
criminal proceedings?
A. Less than 5 years
B. Less than 10 years
C. The last 15-20 years
D. For over 20 years
30. This recently-developed process allows investigators
to detect hard-to-see splatters of blood, and it has the
potential to revolutionize crime scene investigations.
A. Hyperspectral imaging
B. High-resolution imaging
C. 3D imaging
D. 3D high-resolution imaging
31. Which of the following statements about fingerprints is
NOT true?
A. Fingerprints are unique for every human being
B. Fingerprint patterns do not change with growth or
age
C. Identical twins do not have matching fingerprints
D. Fingerprints are no more similar between family
members than they are between strangers
32. A male and female skeleton are different. Which of the
following statements is not true?
A. The male skull is usually larger than the female skull.
B. The male skill has a larger brow ridge than the
female.
C. The female chin is usually more rounded or
pointed than the male chin.
D. The female pelvis is usually deeper than the male
pelvis.
33. When the source or authenticity of a document is in
question, that document is deemed to be a:
A. Void document
B. Questioned document
C. Useless document
D. Irrelevant document
34. What type of fingerprints are not visible to the naked
eye but are developed using powders or chemical
processes?
A. Loop
B. Arch
C. Patent
D. Latent
35. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the genetic material in
our cells that control heredity and plays a large role in
determining our physical characteristics. Which of the
following statements is not true?
A. Only identical twins will have identical DNA.
B. DNA can show a person’s gender, but not their age
or race.
C. Identical twins can have different fingerprints.
D. Red blood cells are the best source of DNA.
36. _____ fingerprints are recorded in a tacky, pliable
material or object.
A. Patent
B. Latent
C. Plastic
D. None of the above
37. A leather glove is found at a crime scene. Which process
would most likely be used to develop fingerprints on the
glove?
A. Iodine fuming
B. Powder process
C. Cyanoacrylate fuming
D. Ninhydrin
38. Evidence can be either:
A. Direct or circumstantial
B. Direct or indirect
C. Probable or circumstantial
D. Probably or reconstructive
39. By simply _____ the blood at a crime scene, investigators
narrow their suspect list and completely exonerate some
suspects.
A. swabbing
B. photographing
C. typing
D. profiling
40. Forensic anthropology involves the retrieval and
identification of human remains. A skeleton provides
a lot of information about the deceased. Which of the
following is not able to be deduced from a modern
human skeleton?
A. Ethnic background
B. State of health
C. Occupation
D. Intelligence
41. Considering mode of administration, poison acts more
rapidly when:
A. Applied to skin
B. Injected subcutaneously
C. Injected intramuscularly
D. Inhaled in gaseous state
42. What causes fingerprints to be left behind when items
are touched?
A. Smoothness of the surface we touch
B. Dust on the items
C. Moisture in the air
D. Oils on the skin
43. An alternate location where additional evidence of a
crime may be found is known as the _______ crime
scene.
A. Contact
B. Alternate
C. Secondary
D. Additional
44. When identifying victims of disasters, such as plane and
train crashes, approximately 93 percent of identifications
are made on the basis of which characteristic?
A. Personal effects
B. Skeletal characteristics
C. Dental records
D. DNA analysis
45. Which of the following observations would be a sure sign
that a person is deceased?
A. Decapitation
B. Lack of movement
C. Lack of heartbeat
D. Lack of breathing
46. What is the name of the condition involving the body’s
temperature decreasing after an individual dies?
A. Colitis
B. The weather
C. Algor fever
D. Algor mortis
47. After the crime scene is secured, the first officer to arrive
establishes a_____, which is basically a sign-in sheet that
must be signed by any and all visitors to the scene.
A. Crime scene log
B. Security log
C. Security check-in sheet
D. Crime scene security sheet
48. Shoeprints, tire tracks, and tool marks are all types of
_____ evidence.
A. Ballistic
B. Identifying
C. Impression
D. Circumstantial
49. Feathers are an example of which type of evidence?
A. Trace evidence
B. Individual evidence
C. Biological evidence
D. Physical evidence
50. If there is a case of arson, the easiest way to find and
identify an accelerant is to use what?
A. Tweezers
B. Your nose
C. Latex gloves
D. A sniffer