Forensic Chemistry
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
Forensic Chemistry is a specialized course that explores the principles and applications of chemical analysis in the context of criminal investigations and legal proceedings. Students will learn about the identification and quantification of physical evidence such as drugs, explosives, trace toxins, and fibers using a variety of analytical techniques, including chromatography, spectroscopy, and microscopy. Emphasis is placed on proper collection, preservation, and interpretation of evidence, as well as the role of chemistry in crime scene investigation and courtroom testimony. The course integrates case studies and laboratory exercises to provide hands-on experience in forensic chemical methods.
Recommended Textbook
Forensic Science An Introduction 2nd Edition by Saferstein Richard
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Chapter 1: Introduction
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Sample Questions
Q1) Who established the first workable crime laboratory?
A) Galton
B) Doyle
C) Locard
D) Osborn
E) Bertillon
Answer: C
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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Sample Questions
Q1) Physical evidence at a hit-and-run scene could include:
A) glass fragments.
B) fabric impressions.
C) paint chips.
D) fiber and tissue.
E) all of the above
Answer: E
Q2) The crime scene notes must accurately record:
A) the tasks assigned each investigator.
B) personnel arrivals and departures from the scene.
C) descriptions of evidence present at the crime scene.
D) arrival and departure times of media personnel and on-lookers.
E) A, B, and C.
Answer: E
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) ___________ is a national fingerprint and criminal history system maintained by the FBI and launched in 1999.
A) PDQ
B) NIBIN
C) AFIS
D) IAFIS
E) SICAR
Answer: D
Q2) Evidence with individual characteristics can lead to a determination of common origin (single source). Which type of evidence CANNOT yield such results?
A) fingerprints
B) single-layer paints
C) DNA
D) wear patterns on tires
E) random striations on tools
Answer: B
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Collection of Crime-Scene Evidence
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) A(n) ___________ property describes the behavior of a substance without reference to any other substance while a(n) ___________ property describes the behavior of a substance when it reacts or combines with another substance.
A) optical; birefringent
B) physical; biological
C) chemical; biological
D) optical; chemical
E) physical; chemical
Q3) 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.
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Chapter 5: Physical Evidence
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT derived from opium?
A) heroin
B) morphine
C) codeine
D) marijuana
E) none of the above
Q2) Which of the following are considered to be "club drugs"?
A) GHB
B) Rohypnol
C) MDMA
D) ketamine
E) all of the above
Q3) Drugs deemed to have the highest potential for abuse and having a current medical use are listed in which schedule of the Controlled Substances Act?
A) V
B) IV
C) III
D) I
E) II
Q4) Explain the difference between a qualitative and quantitative test.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Death Investigation
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Sample Questions
Q1) Of the following, which is an acid drug?
A) PCP
B) cocaine
C) methamphetamine
D) methadone
E) aspirin
Q2) There is a(n) ________ relationship between the amount of alcohol in the blood and that in the alveolar breath.
A) direct
B) indirect
C) punctuated
D) undetermined
E) variable
Q3) The following drug is not typically found in blood or urine:
A) amobarbital.
B) morphine.
C) amphetamine.
D) heroin.
E) methadone.
Q4) Explain how alcohol is released by the lungs.
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Chapter 7: Crime-Scene Reconstruction
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Sample Questions
Q1) A transparent specimen is viewed through a microscope using ___________ light while an opaque object requires ___________ illumination.
A) confocal; transmitted
B) transmitted; vertical
C) vertical; horizontal
D) transmitted; stereoscopic
E) vertical; reflected
Q2) As the magnifying power of the compound microscope increases, the depth of focus:
A) increases.
B) remains the same.
C) decreases.
Q3) When using a compound microscope, the areas above and below the depth of focus are best viewed by adjusting the:
A) eyepiece lens.
B) intensity of the illumination.
C) fine or coarse adjustment.
D) objective lens.
E) numerical aperture.
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Fingerprints
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Sample Questions
Q1) Create a table showing the four blood types, their antigens and their antibodies.
Q2) List the lab tests that are used to characterize seminal stains.
Q3) In the United States, the rarest blood type is:
A) A.
B) B.
C) O.
D) AB.
E) Rh positive.
Q4) To determine whether a bloodstain is of human or animal origin, the serologist will perform:
A) an analysis with Hemastix strips.
B) the luminol test.
C) EMIT.
D) RIA.
E) a precipitin test.
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) Describe how blood and semen are to be properly preserved.
Q8) Diagram and describe the antibody antigen reaction.
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Chapter 9: Firearms, Toolmarks, and Other Impressions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Restriction enzymes:
A) reduce the time required for PCR.
B) limit the amount of protein produced in a cell.
C) cut DNA at specific sites.
D) reduce the DNA replication rate.
E) inhibit DNA replication.
Q2) During gel electrophoresis the DNA is:
A) extracted from the cell nuclei.
B) visualized using x-rays.
C) cut into fragments.
D) undergoing hybridization.
E) separated by fragment size.
Q3) Which nitrogenous base is NOT found in DNA?
A) cytosine
B) uracil
C) guanine
D) adenine
E) thymine
Q4) List and briefly describe the process of PCR.
Q5) Define and explain the forensics value of CODIS.
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Chapter 10: Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
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Q1) An expirated blood pattern at a crime scene is identified by:
A) bubbles of oxygen within the pattern.
B) skeletonized edges.
C) lighter color than other patterns.
D) both A and B
E) all of the above.
Q2) List and briefly describe the information that can be gained from bloodstain pattern analysis.
Q3) The intersection of straight lines through the long axis of several individual bloodstains in an impact spatter pattern illustrates the ___________ of the pattern:
A) drying time
B) void pattern
C) velocity classification
D) area of origin
E) area of convergence
Q4) Diagram and describe the three types of impact spatter and how these patterns can be used at a crime scene.
Q5) Using the following diagrams, calculate the angle of impact of each individual bloodstain.
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Chapter 11: Drugs
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) List and explain the three phases of hair growth.
Q3) A fiber whose microscopic appearance includes being ribbon-like in shape (flat) with twists at irregular intervals is:
A) silk.
B) linen.
C) polyester.
D) kapok.
E) cotton.
Q4) When examining human hair, what features are compared?
Q5) Describe the correlation between hair analysis and DNA typing.
Q6) Describe how to properly collect fiber evidence.
Q7) Explain how a forensic scientist can differentiate between animal and human hair.
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Chapter 12: Forensic Toxicology
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which coat represents the "eye appeal"?
A)electrocoat primer
B)primer surface
C)basecoat
D)clearcoat
Q2) Which property imparts paint with its most distinctive forensic characteristics?
A) color-layer sequence
B) color
C) pigment particles
D) gloss
E) texture
Q3) Paint as physical evidence is most frequently encountered in:
A) burglary.
B) a hit-and-run.
C) assault.
D) car theft.
E) both A and B
Q4) Briefly describe what an isotope is.
Q5) Explain how elements can be made into radioactive isotopes.
Q6) Explain the difference between the atomic number and the atomic mass number.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Trace Evidence I: Hairs and Fibers
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) A fuel can only achieve combustion in:
A) the solid state.
B) in a liquid-solid phase.
C) the liquid state.
D) the gaseous state.
E) none of the above
Q3) A natural heat-producing process that may give rise to a fire is:
A) a chain reaction.
B) spontaneous combustion.
C) flash point.
D) ignition point.
E) glowing combustion.
Q4) List and explain the telltale signs that a fire has been accelerant initiated.
Q5) Describe the three mechanisms of heat transfer.
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Chapter 14: Trace Evidence Ii: Paint, Glass, and Soil
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is NOT true about x-ray diffraction?
A) It can be applied to all types of materials.
B) It can be used in tandem with other inorganic analysis techniques.
C) It provides information as to how elements are combined in compounds.
D) It provides unique "fingerprints" for each compound analyzed.
E) all of the above
Q2) At the crime lab, what procedures to they use to detect and identify explosive residues?
Q3) An initiating explosive often used in detonators is:
A) PETN.
B) nitrocellulose.
C) lead azide.
D) dynamite.
E) TNT.
Q4) The most widely used low explosive is:
A) potassium chlorate and sugar.
B) black powder.
C) smokeless powder.
D) all of the above
E) B and C
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Chapter 15: Biological Stain Analysis: DNA
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Sample Questions
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) Will West was the man who:
A) had a virtual "double" with a similar name.
B) invented Superglue.
C) was identified generations later by DNA analysis.
D) mutilated his fingerprints with acid.
E) devised the fingerprint classification system used in Spanish-speaking countries.
Q3) The FBI's IAFIS became fully operational in:
A) 1999.
B) 1991.
C) 1971.
D) 1977.
E) 1989.
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Chapter 16: Forensic Aspects of Fire and Explosion Investigation
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Sample Questions
Q1) Distinctive markings of shells and cartridges can be made by the:
A) firing pin.
B) extractor and ejector mechanism.
C) magazine.
D) breech lock.
E) all of the above
Q2) Generally speaking, the amount of gun powder particles found around a bullet hole is ________ to the distance from which the weapon was fired.
A) indirectly related
B) directly related
C) not related
Q3) Shoe and tire marks impressed into soft earth can be best preserved by:
A) photographing and casting with dental stone.
B) photographing and then use of the electrostatic lifting technique.
C) casting with dental stone and then attempting the electrostatic lift technique.
D) It is not possible to accurately preserve such markings.
E) both A and B
Q4) Explain the concept of the NIBIN database.
Q5) Describe the various techniques that are used to rifle a barrel.
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Chapter 17: Document Examination
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Sample Questions
Q1) When dictating to a person in order to obtain samples of handwriting, one should not:
A) allow the suspect to view the questioned document before dictating it.
B) use a pen similar to that of the questioned document.
C) use similar or the same letter and word grouping as used in the questioned document
D) dictate the contents of the text at least three times.
E) use paper similar to that of the questioned document.
Q2) The ease with which a child's handwriting can be individualized is ________ the ease with which one can individualize an adult's handwriting.
A) less than B) greater than C) the same as
Q3) List and describe some of the class and individual characteristics of printers and photocopiers.
Q4) What are the common individual characteristics that are associated with handwriting?
Q5) What guidelines should an investigator use when collecting known writing samples for comparison to a questioned document?
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Chapter 18: Computer Forensics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the difference between read-only memory and random-access memory.
Q2) 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
Q3) One should not search for "visible" data in:
A) unallocated space.
B) swab files.
C) windows.
D) Quicken.
E) temporary files.
Q4) Sectors are typically ___________ bytes in size.
A) 512
B) 256
C) 126
D) 2050
E) 1024
Page 20
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