Deck 17: Document Examination

Question 1

Document examiners frequently uncover the original writing of words that have been crossed out with the aid of:

A) transmitted radiation.
B) color photography.
C) infrared radiation.
D) thin-layer chromatography
E) side lighting.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Questioned documents include:

A) petitions and lottery tickets.
B) rare books.
C) letters and checks.
D) contracts and passports.
E) all of the above

Answer 2

E

Question 3

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

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Writings on a charred document may be revealed by reflecting light off the paper's surface at different angles.
B) Any object that contains handwritten or typewritten markings whose source or authenticity is in doubt is a questioned document.
C) In the case of Gilbert v. California the court held that the taking of handwriting exemplars was not prohibited by the Fifth Amendment.
D) Once adulthood is reached, an individual's handwriting generally will not change with age.
E) An inconclusive finding by a document examiner may be due to an insufficient number of known writings available for comparison.

Question 5

Fax machines print a header known as the ___________ at the top of each fax page which may become a very important point of comparison.

A) HTTP
B) ELD
C) TTI
D) TLC
E) IP

Question 6

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.

Question 7

Defects that are reproduced by a photocopier onto a copied document may originate from defects in all of the following photocopier parts except:

A) feed tray
B) mechanical portions
C) glass plate
D) inner cover
E) none of the above

Question 8

If an investigator is to prepare standards from a suspect typewriter, the following procedure is recommended:

A) Partial copies of the suspect text are to be typed in light, medium, and heavy touches.
B) Each character should be typed without the ribbon.
C) Prepare at least one copy of the text in full word-for-word order.
D) Examine the type impressions left on the ribbon.
E) All of the above are recommended procedures.

Question 9

In the case of ___________, the Supreme Court held handwriting to be nontestimonial evidence not protected by Fifth Amendment privileges.

A) United States Secret Service v. Mara
B) Gilbert v. California
C) United States v. Mara
D) Carmichael v. Kumho Tire Co.
E) none of the above

Question 10

A data bank of ink dye patterns has been established by the U.S. Treasury Department using:

A) HPLC.
B) NAA.
C) TLC.
D) TTI.
E) MDMA.

Question 11

Infrared luminescence is used to:

A) reveal writing that has been erased.
B) detect if two different inks were used in the writing of a document.
C) both A and B
D) neither A nor B

Question 12

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

Question 13

Some inks, when exposed to blue-green light, absorb ___________ radiation and emit light.

A) infrared
B) visible
C) polarized
D) visible
E) ultra-violet

Question 14

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

Question 15

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

Question 16

___________ writings are partially visible impressions appearing on a sheet of paper underneath the one on which the visible writing was done.

A) indented
B) exemplar
C) charred
D) obliterated
E) questioned

Question 17

With regard to the constitutionality of obtaining handwriting exemplars, the courts have ruled all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Fifth Amendment privileges apply.
B) such action does not constitute unreasonable search and seizure of a person.
C) it is not in violation of Fourth Amendment rights.
D) handwriting is an identifying physical characteristic.
E) none of the above

Question 18

In dealing with fax machines, photocopiers and computer printers, which class characteristics might be examined?

A) type of paper
B) chemical composition of toner
C) brand of machine manufacturer
D) type of toner-to-paper fusing method
E) all of the above

Question 19

Inks on handwritten documents may be compared for their chemical composition by the technique of:

A) infrared spectrophotometry.
B) gas chromatography.
C) thin-layer chromatography.
D) ultraviolet spectrophotometry.
E) none of the above

Question 20

The ease with which one can find individual variations in a typewritten document is ________ the ease of finding such defects in documents produced by business and personal computers.

A) less than
B) the same as
C) greater than

Question 21

List and describe some of the class and individual characteristics of printers and photocopiers.

Question 22

When a suspect computer printer is not available, the examiner may need to analyze the document's ___________ to identify the make and model of the machine.

A) class characteristics
B) TTI
C) luminescence
D) handwriting
E) individual characteristics

Question 23

What are the common individual characteristics that are associated with handwriting?

Question 24

What is a questioned document?

Question 25

List and describe some of the techniques that document examiners use to uncover alterations, erasures, obliterations, and variations in pen inks.
Chapter 18
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Question 26

What guidelines should an investigator use when collecting known writing samples for comparison to a questioned document?