Criminalistics Exam Materials
Course Introduction
Criminalistics is the branch of forensic science that involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of physical evidence from crime scenes to aid in criminal investigations. This course covers the scientific principles and methodologies used in identifying, comparing, and examining various types of physical evidence including fingerprints, firearms, trace evidence, bloodstains, and other biological materials. Students will gain an understanding of the techniques used in laboratory analysis, as well as the procedures and protocols followed to ensure the integrity and admissibility of evidence in court. The course also explores the role of criminalists in the investigative process, emphasizing the importance of scientific accuracy, critical thinking, and ethical considerations.
Recommended Textbook
Forensic Science An Introduction 2nd Edition by Saferstein Richard
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748 Verified Questions
748 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introduction
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which entity maintains the largest crime laboratory in the world?
A) FBI
B) Scotland Yard
C) Royal Canadian Mounted Police
D) LAPD
E) ATF
Answer: A
Q2) Which matter is NOT the province of civil litigation? The determination of competency to:
A) refuse medical treatment.
B) sell property.
C) prepare a will.
D) purchase a vehicle.
E) stand trial for burglary.
Answer: E
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Chapter 2: Securing and Searching the Crime Scene
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Sample Questions
Q1) If the crime scene includes a dead body, the photographer should:
A) determine the time of death.
B) depict injuries and weapons at scene.
C) attempt to identify the victim.
D) attempt to locate the victim's next of kin.
E) document all forensic personnel at crime scene.
Answer: B
Q2) A victim's fingernail scrapings would be correctly packaged in:
A) a druggist fold.
B) sealed, airtight containers.
C) a plastic Ziploc bag.
D) both B and C
E) none of the above
Answer: A
Q3) As the post mortem interval increases, the concentration of potassium in the vitreous humor of the eye:
A) remains the same.
B) decreases.
C) increases.
Answer: C
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Chapter 3: Recording the Crime Scene
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Sample Questions
Q1) In what year did the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) become fully operational?
A) 1991
B) 1999
C) 2001
D) 1998
E) 1978
Answer: D
Q2) The examination of a paint chip found on a hit-and-run victim's garment side-by-side with paint removed from a vehicle suspected of being involved in the incident is an example of:
A) classification.
B) individualization.
C) comparison.
D) identification.
E) taxonomy.
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: Collection of Crime-Scene Evidence
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Q1) The periodic table is a:
A) summary of the order of analyses undertaken in a forensic investigation.
B) chart listing by name and symbol of all the known elements.
C) forensic text table of contents.
D) special laboratory surface for multiphase experiments.
E) forensic newsletter issued periodically.
Q2) Which physical state has volume but no specific shape?
A) gas
B) liquid
C) solid
D) no such state exists
E) A and B
Q3) The heat intensity (hotness) of water at 100 C is ________ the heat intensity of water at 212 F.
A) less than
B) the same as
C) greater than
Q4) Define and explain the difference between the physical and chemical properties of matter.
Q5) Explain the difference between elements and compounds. Cite one example of each.
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Chapter 5: Physical Evidence
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Sample Questions
Q1) The quantity of a substance separated by gas chromatography can be determined by its:
A) R value.
B) peak area.
C) total electric charge.
D) retention time.
E) IR absorption profile.
Q2) The Dillie-Koppanyi reagent is useful in screening for:
A) marijuana.
B) amphetamines.
C) opiates.
D) barbiturates.
E) cocaine.
Q3) The most difficult drug addiction to overcome is that of: A) crack cocaine.
B) alcohol.
C) heroin.
D) caffeine.
E) nicotine.
Q4) Explain the difference between a qualitative and quantitative test.
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Chapter 6: Death Investigation
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Sample Questions
Q1) A breath test may be used to analyze:
A) amphetamines.
B) barbiturates.
C) ethyl alcohol.
D) marijuana.
E) all of the above.
Q2) Of the following, which is an acid drug?
A) PCP
B) cocaine
C) methamphetamine
D) methadone
E) aspirin
Q3) In Western countries the most heavily abused drug(s) is/are:
A) cocaine.
B) alcohol.
C) tranquilizers.
D) barbiturates.
E) amphetamines.
Q4) Briefly describe the case of Schmerber v. California and the implied consent laws.
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Chapter 7: Crime-Scene Reconstruction
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Q1) ________ are used to focus the SEM (scanning electron microscope).
A) Polarizers
B) Magnets
C) Lenses
D) Diffraction gratings
E) Analyzers
Q2) A compound microscope is equipped with two objectives lenses (10x and 45x) and has a 10x ocular lens. The highest magnification attainable with this instrument is:
A) 100x.
B) 650x.
C) 4500x.
D) 65x.
E) 450x.
Q3) The condenser of a compound microscope is located:
A) beneath the stage.
B) between the coarse and fine adjustments.
C) within the body tube.
D) at the base.
E) in the eyepiece.
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Chapter 8: Fingerprints
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Sample Questions
Q1) Create a table showing the four blood types, their antigens and their antibodies.
Q2) The amount of acid phosphatase in seminal fluid is ________ the amount of acid phosphatase in blood.
A) less than B) the same as C) greater than
Q3) The sensitivity of the Takayama and Teichmann crystal tests for the identification of bloodstains is ________ the sensitivity of the Kastle-Meyer color test for bloodstain identification.
A) less than B) greater than C) the same as
Q4) Diagram and describe the antibody antigen reaction.
Q5) Explain the difference between monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies.
Q6) List and describe the presumptive tests used to determine if a stain is blood.
Q7) List the lab tests that are used to characterize seminal stains.
Q8) Describe how blood and semen are to be properly preserved.
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Chapter 9: Firearms, Toolmarks, and Other Impressions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which statement about tandem repeats is NOT true?
A) It is thought that they may act as spacers between the coded regions of DNA.
B) Their origin is a mystery.
C) They are of no forensic interest.
D) More than 30% of the human genome is composed of these repeating units.
E) More than one STR can be analyzed at once in a process called multiplexing.
Q2) CODIS is a national system of:
A) shared databases of DNA typing information from convicted felons and crime scene evidence.
B) vastly enhanced 911 emergency systems.
C) computers to track the movement of sex offenders released from prison.
D) standards for forensic science evaluators.
E) crime laboratory directors.
Q3) Which is NOT a component of a nucleotide?
A) sugar
B) nitrogenous base
C) phosphorous containing group
D) double helix
E) all of the above
Q4) Define and explain the forensics value of CODIS.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
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Sample Questions
Q1) A trail pattern leading away from the victim at a stabbing scene was most likely created by:
A) the swinging of the murder weapon between strikes.
B) a victim's arterial wound.
C) blood expelled from a respiratory injury.
D) blood dripping from the murder weapon.
E) postmortem movement of the victim.
Q2) Using the following diagrams, calculate the angle of impact of each individual bloodstain.
Q3) The pointed end of a bloodstain always faces:
A) toward the position of the blood source.
B) opposite its direction of travel.
C) toward the direction from which the force came.
D) in its direction of travel.
E) none of the above.
Q4) Explain how the texture of a surface, directionality and the angle of impact can impact the shape of the individual bloodstains.
Q5) Describe the methods used to document bloodstain evidence at a crime scene.
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Chapter 11: Drugs
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Sample Questions
Q1) The visible light microspectrophotometer is a convenient tool with which to compare the color of fibers because:
A) fibers can be studied right on microscope slide.
B) very small samples can be compared.
C) fibers are not destroyed.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
Q2) Nuclear DNA typing can be most successfully accomplished on hairs that have been removed during which stage of growth?
A) anxiogenic
B) catagenic
C) mutagenic
D) anagenic
E) telogenic
Q3) Explain how a forensic scientist would correctly collect, package and preserve a hair sample.
Q4) Describe how to properly collect fiber evidence.
Q5) List and explain the three phases of hair growth.
Q6) When examining human hair, what features are compared?
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Forensic Toxicology
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Sample Questions
Q1) After examining small paint chips from an auto accident scene and using the PDQ database, the crime lab worker can determine the ________ of the vehicle.
A) year
B) model
C) make
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
Q2) A(n) ___________ shows distinct frequencies or wavelengths of light.
A) line spectrum
B) carbon arc
C) spectrogram
D) continuous spectrum
E) chromatogram
Q3) Explain the difference between continuous and line emission spectra.
Q4) What is the logical first step in soil analysis?
A) examination for presence of debris under low-power magnification
B) comparison of dried soil sample for color and texture
C) use of the density-gradient tube technique
D) investigation of the geographical and/or geologic origin of the sample
E) examination of minerals and rocks under high-power magnification
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Chapter 13: Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers
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Sample Questions
Q1) The chemical reaction associated with a fire is:
A) reduction.
B) acid-base.
C) precipitation.
D) oxidation.
E) none of the above
Q2) Hydrocarbon accelerants can be detected by:
A) a portable detector (sniffer).
B) trained dogs.
C) most people.
D) both A and B
E) both B and C
Q3) All combustible fuels simultaneously igniting to engulf a structure in flames is known as:
A) flashover.
B) pyrolysis.
C) combustion.
D) flash point.
E) spontaneous combustion.
Q4) List and explain the telltale signs that a fire has been accelerant initiated.
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Chapter 14: Trace Evidence Ii: Paint, Glass, and Soil
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Sample Questions
Q1) The chemical ingredients of black powder are commonly:
A) potassium nitrate, charcoal, sulfur.
B) aluminum, potassium, nitrate, nitrocellulose.
C) sulfur, carbon, nitrogen.
D) carbon, nitrocellulose, potassium chlorate.
E) none of the above
Q2) A device used to screen objects for the presence of explosive residues is:
A) x-ray diffraction.
B) mass spectrometry.
C) thin-layer chromatography.
D) ion-mobility spectrometry.
E) infrared spectrophotometry.
Q3) An initiating explosive often used in detonators is:
A) PETN.
B) nitrocellulose.
C) lead azide.
D) dynamite.
E) TNT.
Q4) Describe how a forensic scientist would collect physical evidence at the scene of an explosion.
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Chapter 15: Biological Stain Analysis: DNA
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Sample Questions
Q1) The friction skin ridges:
A) have no useful purpose other than identification.
B) provide a firmer grip.
C) resist slippage.
D) both B and C
E) all of the above
Q2) The value of ridge patterns in determining the uniqueness of a fingerprint is ________ the value of type and position of ridge characteristics in determining the uniqueness of a fingerprint.
A) less than
B) the same as C) greater than
Q3) Which substance is a substitute for Ninhydrin?
A) UV-VIS
B) RAM
C) RAY
D) MRM 10
E) DFO
Q4) List and explain the steps in developing and preserving a latent print with a fingerprint powder.
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Chapter 16: Forensic Aspects of Fire and Explosion Investigation
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Sample Questions
Q1) Two elements detected on the hands of an individual who has recently fired a weapon are:
A) barium and antimony.
B) zinc and copper.
C) antimony and iron.
D) iron and lead.
E) barium and nitrates.
Q2) In atomic absorption chromatography, the amount of light absorbed is ________ to the concentration of the element in the test sample.
A) is not related
B) indirectly related
C) directly related
Q3) The presence of gunpowder residues on a garment whose color conceals the existence of the residues is best revealed by
A) infrared spectrophotometry.
B) color photography.
C) gas chromatography.
D) infrared photography.
E) ultraviolet photography.
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Chapter 17: Document Examination
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Q1) List and describe some of the techniques that document examiners use to uncover alterations, erasures, obliterations, and variations in pen inks.
Q2) The process by which the image is stored in memory by scanning and converting by computer into an array of digital intensity values called picture elements is known as:
A) digital photography
B) luminescence
C) digitizing
D) pixelization
E) Adobe Photoshopping
Q3) What is a questioned document?
Q4) The possibility of recognizing known writing habits in samples produced when a writer is under the influence of drugs or alcohol is ________ the possibility of recognizing known writing habits produced when the writer of a sample is not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
A) less than
B) the same as
C) greater than
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Chapter 18: Computer Forensics
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Q1) The ___________ is a complex network of wires that carry data from one hardware device to another.
A) network
B) central processing unit (CPU)
C) operating system
D) motherboard
E) hard disc drive
Q2) The complex of wires located on the motherboard which serves to carry data from one hardware device to another is:
A) the BIOS.
B) system bus.
C) RAM.
D) ROM.
E) central processing unit.
Q3) The primary form of data storage within a personal computer is:
A) the CD-ROM.
B) a zip drive.
C) the hard disk drive.
D) a thumb drive.
E) the recycle bin.
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