Criminalistics
Mock Exam
Course Introduction
Criminalistics is the branch of forensic science dedicated to the scientific analysis and examination of physical evidence in criminal investigations. This course covers techniques for the collection, preservation, and interpretation of evidence such as fingerprints, hair and fiber samples, firearms, tool marks, and trace materials. Students will explore laboratory methods used in evidence analysis, the principles of crime scene investigation, and the role of forensic experts in the legal system. Emphasis is placed on the application of scientific principles and rigorous methodologies to support the accurate identification and reconstruction of events in criminal cases.
Recommended Textbook
Forensic Science An Introduction 2nd Edition by Saferstein Richard
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which area of science is NOT involved in criminalistics?
A) geology
B) chemistry
C) biology
D) metallurgy
E) none of the above
Answer: E
Q2) The tendency of the public to believe that every crime scene will yield forensic evidence and their unrealistic expectations that a prosecutor's case should always be bolstered and supported by forensic evidence is known as:
A) the Scientific Method
B) Jurisprudence
C) Anthropometry
D) Locard's Principle
E) the CSI Effect
Answer: A
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Chapter 2: Securing and Searching the Crime Scene
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Q1) The successful outcome of a criminal investigation is almost always directly related to:
A) the manner in which the evidence is collected and preserved.
B) the number of people employed in the crime lab.
C) the volume of the physical evidence collected.
D) the complexity of the crime.
E) whether the crime is considered high profile.
Answer: A
Q2) The systematic collection, organization, and analysis of information is a process known as:
A) criminal profiling.
B) forensic science.
C) crime scene investigation.
D) the scientific method.
E) crime scene reconstruction.
Answer: D
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4
Chapter 3: Recording the Crime Scene
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Q1) Explain the difference between the identification and comparison of physical evidence. Cite one example.
Answer: The identification of physical evidence involves determining the nature or origin of an item, while the comparison of physical evidence involves examining the similarities or differences between two or more items.
For example, in a crime scene investigation, the identification of a blood stain would involve determining whether it is human or animal blood. Once identified, the blood stain could then be compared to a sample taken from a suspect to see if they match. This comparison would help determine if the suspect was present at the crime scene. So, identification would be determining that the stain is blood, while comparison would be seeing if the stain matches the suspect's blood sample.
Q2) Physical evidence is considered to have ________ as that of eyewitness (testimonial) evidence.
A) greater value
B) the same value
C) less value
Answer: A
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5
Chapter 4: Collection of Crime-Scene Evidence
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Sample Questions
Q1) Eight inches is approximately ________ centimeters.
A) 10
B) 8
C) 17
D) 20
E) 4
Q2) The weight 264.45 grams can be correctly expressed as:
A) 26.445 centigrams.
B) .26445 kilograms.
C) 26,445 decigrams.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
Q3) The ___________ properties of crystals, such as refractive index and birefringence, provide points of identification that help characterize them.
A) chemical
B) optical
C) amorphous
D) physical
E) electromagnetic
Q4) Describe the proper collection of glass evidence.
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Chapter 5: Physical Evidence
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Sample Questions
Q1) Marijuana is considered to be a:
A) stimulant
B) hallucinogen
C) depressant
D) narcotic
E) tranquilizer
Q2) Cocaine is a(n):
A) depressant.
B) stimulant.
C) hallucinogen.
D) hypnotic.
E) opiate.
Q3) A big drawback of gas chromatography is that it does not produce specific identification. This problem is overcome by connecting the GC to a: A) computer.
B) TLC.
C) GRIM 3.
D) MS.
E) HPLC.
Q4) Diagram and describe the process of chromatography.
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Chapter 6: Death Investigation
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Sample Questions
Q1) A substance with a pH of 8 is likely to be:
A) acidic.
B) water.
C) neutral.
D) corrosive.
E) basic.
Q2) What precautions must be taken to preserve blood samples to be analyzed in the lab for alcohol content?
Q3) Alcohol is oxidized in the body primarily in:
A) the stomach.
B) the lungs.
C) the kidneys.
D) the small intestine.
E) the liver.
Q4) List and describe lab tests that are used in measuring the concentration of alcohol in the blood.
Q5) Briefly describe how a toxicologist finds a drug in human tissue or organs.
Q6) Explain how alcohol is released by the lungs.
Q7) 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) Crystals that are ___________ produce two planes of polarized light, each perpendicular to the other.
A) colored
B) birefringent
C) solid
D) amorphous
E) isotropic
Q2) As the magnification of the compound microscope is increased, the field of view:
A) remains the same.
B) increases.
C) decreases.
Q3) What instrument can be used to view a single fiber found at a crime scene and identify its generic class?
A) infrared microspectrophotometer
B) stereoscopic microscope
C) polarizing microscope
D) all of the above
E) A and C only
Q4) Depth of Focus
Q5) Working Distance
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Chapter 8: Fingerprints
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Sample Questions
Q1) A gene pair made up of two similar alleles-for example, AA and BB-is said to be:
A) homozygous.
B) complementary.
C) monoclonal.
D) polyclonal.
E) heterozygous.
Q2) EMIT is NOT a(n):
A) popular test in toxicology laboratories.
B) screening test for suspected marijuana smoking.
C) speedy test to detect methadone in urine.
D) highly specific process to identify drugs in blood.
E) immunological assay technique that utilizes antibodies.
Q3) Which blood components are directly pertinent to the forensic aspects of blood identification?
A) white blood cells
B) blood serum
C) red blood cells
D) platelets
E) both B and C
Q4) Describe how blood and semen are to be properly preserved.
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Firearms, Toolmarks, and Other Impressions
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Sample Questions
Q1) The building blocks of the DNA molecule are known as:
A) nucleotides.
B) hydrocarbons.
C) purines.
D) polysaccharides.
E) amino acids.
Q2) How should blood-containing clothes from a victim be packaged?
A) in breathable paper after blood has dried
B) in an airtight clear plastic container
C) in an airtight metal container
D) in breathable paper while blood is still wet
E) in a metal paint can
Q3) In DNA replication, polymerases:
A) enable the strands to unwind from the helix.
B) help assemble the new DNA strands in proper base sequence.
C) separate the strands of the double helix.
D) all of the above
E) B and C only.
Q4) Diagram the complementary strand for the following DNA segment ATAGCCGTA.
Q5) Define and explain the forensics value of CODIS.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
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Q1) ___________ transfer patterns are produced when the object makes contact with the surface and the object is removed without any movement.
A) flow
B) imprint
C) contact
D) void
E) simple
Q2) The removal of an object or surface that was located between the origin of blood and the target surface during the bloodstain deposition leaves behind:
A) a void.
B) expirated blood.
C) an unidentifiable pattern.
D) a transfer pattern.
E) blowback spatter.
Q3) Diagram and describe the three types of impact spatter and how these patterns can be used at a crime scene.
Q4) Explain how the texture of a surface, directionality and the angle of impact can impact the shape of the individual bloodstains.
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Chapter 11: Drugs
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Q1) The presence of sheath cells on hair that has been pulled quickly from the head is ________ the presence of sheath cells on hairs that have been removed slowly from the scalp.
A) greater than
B) the same as
C) less than
Q2) The rate of human hair growth per month is:
A) 1 inch.
B) 1 dm.
C) 1 cm.
D) 1 mL.
E) so variable as to be forensically worthless.
Q3) The layers of the hair shaft are the ___________, the ___________, and the ___________.
A) cortex; mitochondria; pigment
B) cuticle; cortex; medulla
C) pigment; cortex; pigment
D) cuticle; root; medulla
E) root; medulla; scale pattern
Q4) Label the cuticle, cortex and medulla on the following hair sample.
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Chapter 12: Forensic Toxicology
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Q1) In most cases, the ___________ layer(s) of soil is/are picked up during the commission of a crime.
A) wet
B) clay
C) silt
D) organic
E) top
Q2) Briefly describe what an isotope is.
Q3) List and explain the important forensic properties of soil.
Q4) Which coat represents the "eye appeal"?
A)electrocoat primer
B)primer surface
C)basecoat
D)clearcoat
Q5) List and explain the most useful examinations that forensic scientists use in a paint comparison.
Q6) Describe the proper collection and preservation techniques for paint evidence.
Q7) Explain how elements can be made into radioactive isotopes.
Q8) Define the following: Proton, Neutron and electron.
Q9) Describe the proper collection and preservation techniques for soil evidence. Page 14
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Chapter 13: Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers
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Sample Questions
Q1) Complex chromatographic patterns can be simplified by passing the components emerging from the gas chromatographic column through a(n):
A) TLC
B) SEM-EDX
C) capillary column
D) infrared microspectrophotometer
E) mass spectrometer
Q2) Gasoline residues are best characterized by:
A) emission spectroscopy.
B) ultraviolet analysis.
C) infrared spectrophotometry.
D) gas chromatography.
E) atomic absorption.
Q3) Materials that have electrons firmly attached to their molecules
A) transfer heat by radiation.
B) are usually metals.
C) are poor conductors of heat.
D) are excellent conductors of heat.
E) transfer heat by convection.
Q4) List and explain the telltale signs that a fire has been accelerant initiated.
Page 16
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Chapter 14: Trace Evidence Ii: Paint, Glass, and Soil
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Q1) What is NOT true about taggants?
A) They can help the bomb-scene investigator recover useful evidence.
B) They are widely used to help trace an explosive to its last legal possessor.
C) They are color-coded chips that can survive explosions.
D) They carry information regarding where, when and for whom an explosive was manufactured.
E) They are magnetic sensitive and fluorescent.
Q2) ___________ explosives detonate almost instantaneously to produce a smashing or shattering effect.
A) low explosives
B) dentoating explosives
C) instantaneous explosives
D) high explosives
E) corrosive explosives
Q3) For each of the following provide an example of a common type of explosive; commercial, homemade and military.
Q4) At the crime lab, what procedures to they use to detect and identify explosive residues?
Q5) Briefly explain the classification of explosives.
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Chapter 15: Biological Stain Analysis: DNA
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Q1) In the primary classification system, a finger is assigned numerical value if its pattern is a(n):
A) whorl.
B) thumb.
C) arch.
D) loop.
E) ulnar loop.
Q2) Which person listed below attempted to destroy his fingerprints with corrosive acid?
A) John Dillinger
B) Carlo Gambino
C) William West
D) James Gotti
E) Jimmy Hoffa
Q3) Fingerprints are formed:
A) during fetal development.
B) by the time a child is two years old.
C) at birth.
D) during first six months after birth.
E) at conception.
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Page 18
Chapter 16: Forensic Aspects of Fire and Explosion Investigation
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Q1) Gun powder residue patterns can be detected by:
A) the Greiss test.
B) IR photograph.
C) both A and B
D) neither A nor B
Q2) Tools and tool marks are often found at burglary scenes and can be useful evidence.
Proper evidence collection by the field investigator would include:
A) making test marks with the suspected tool onto a soft metal surface at the crime scene.
B) taking a photograph and cast of the marks, if necessary.
C) reporting whether a tool found at the scene fit into the tool marks.
D) immediately dusting the tool for fingerprints.
E) packing of tool and tool mark evidence together so that the crime lab personnel knows they are thought to be a matched set.
Q3) Explain the concept of the NIBIN database.
Q4) Explain how a comparison microscope is used to compare bullets and cartridge cases.
Q5) List and diagram the class characteristics and individual characteristics that are found on a spent bullet.
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Chapter 17: Document Examination
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Q1) 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
Q2) The writing characteristics of a person may be altered by whether:
A) a significant amount of time has passed between writing of exemplar and the questioned document.
B) the posture or stance of the author varies between writings.
C) pencil, ballpoint or fountain pen is used.
D) paper is ruled or unruled.
E) all of the above
Q3) List and describe some of the techniques that document examiners use to uncover alterations, erasures, obliterations, and variations in pen inks.
Q4) What is a questioned document?
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20
Chapter 18: Computer Forensics
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Q1) A(n) ___________ is placed on a hard disk drive by a website to track certain information about its visitors.
A) e-mail
B) cache
C) phish
D) IP address
E) cookie
Q2) Which of the following actions taken at the crime scene involving a computer are incorrect?
A) upon arrival, sketching the overall layout as well as photographing it
B) photographing any running monitors
C) placing corresponding labels on cords from peripheral devices and the port to which each cord was connected
D) removing the plug from the back of the computer, not from the wall
E) none of the above
Q3) What are the areas of the computer that forensic examiners will examine to retrieve forensic data.
Q4) List and describe the hardware and the software components of a computer.
Q5) Describe the difference between read-only memory and random-access memory.
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