Deck 1: Introduction

Question 1

Forensic science is the application of science to:

A) civil laws.
B) crime scene reconstruction.
C) speech making.
D) both criminal and civil laws.
E) criminal laws.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which unit has the responsibility for the examination of body fluids and organs for the presence of drugs and poisons?

A) biology unit
B) toxicology unit
C) evidence collection unit
D) trace evidence unit
E) physical science unit

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which area of science is NOT involved in criminalistics?

A) geology
B) chemistry
C) biology
D) metallurgy
E) none of the above

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which would not be included in the work of the biology unit of a crime lab?

A) DNA profiling
B) comparison of hairs
C) semen stains
D) fingerprint analysis
E) blood typing

Question 5

The oldest forensic laboratory in the United States is that of the:

A) Los Angeles Police Department.
B) DEA.
C) Secret Service.
D) FBI.
E) NYC Police Department.

Question 6

Who devised a technique for determining the blood group of a dried bloodstain, which he applied to criminal investigations?

A) Landsteiner
B) Bertillon
C) Gross
D) Locard
E) Lattes

Question 7

Who established the first workable crime laboratory?

A) Galton
B) Doyle
C) Locard
D) Osborn
E) Bertillon

Question 8

Which entity maintains the largest crime laboratory in the world?

A) FBI
B) Scotland Yard
C) Royal Canadian Mounted Police
D) LAPD
E) ATF

Question 9

Who postulated the exchange of evidence principle?

A) Gross
B) Bernoulli
C) Locard
D) Galton
E) Osborn

Question 10

In the case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court advocated that a "gatekeeper" determine the admissibility and reliability of scientific evidence. This gatekeeper is the:

A) prosecutor.
B) court clerk.
C) trial judge.
D) expert witness.
E) jury.

Question 11

The fictional character of Sherlock Holmes was created by:

A) Darwin.
B) Dalton.
C) Denton.
D) Boyle.
E) Doyle.

Question 12

Who wrote the first treatise describing the application of science to the field of criminal investigation?

A) Landsteiner
B) Locard
C) Vidocq
D) Gross
E) Osborn

Question 13

Which of the following can be rightfully cited as an explanation for the rapid growth of crime labs during the last 25 years?

A) advent of DNA profiling
B) increase in drug-related arrests
C) staggering increase in crime rates in the United States
D) Supreme Court decisions in the 1960s
E) all of the above

Question 14

Who established the comparison microscope as the indispensable tool of the modern firearms examiner?

A) Goddard
B) Lattes
C) Galton
D) Gross
E) Osborn

Question 15

The concept of "general acceptance" of scientific evidence relates to the:

A) Miranda warnings.
B) Frye standard.
C) exclusionary rule.
D) First Amendment.
E) John's Law.

Question 16

Approximately how many operating crime labs are there in the United States (federal, state and country) ?

A) 200
B) 300+
C) 250
D) 75
E) 150

Question 17

Who is known as the "father of forensic toxicology"?

A) Vidocq
B) Lattes
C) Locard
D) Osborn
E) Orfilia

Question 18

Who undertook the first definitive study of fingerprints as a method of personal identification?

A) Goddard
B) Lattes
C) Gross
D) Galton
E) Locard

Question 19

Who developed the system known as anthropometry?

A) Galton
B) Bertillon
C) Goddard
D) Gross
E) Boaz

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT true? An expert witness must be able to demonstrate:

A) working knowledge of the subject matter.
B) skill in trade or profession of interest to the court.
C) education in his/her area of expertise.
D) significant experience in a relevant field.
E) formal degree in forensic science.

Question 21

The _______________ unit applies principles and techniques of chemistry, physics, and geology to the identification and comparison of crime-scene evidence.

A) physical science
B) toxicology
C) biology
D) forensic geology
E) none of the above

Question 22

Which of the following individuals was not an earlier contributor to the field of forensic toxicology?

A) Mathieu Orifila
B) Alphonse Bertillon
C) Carl Wilhelm Scheele
D) Valentin Ross
E) James Marsh

Question 23

Which specialized area of forensic science examines the relationship between human behavior and legal proceedings?

A) forensic psychology
B) forensic jury selection
C) forensic psychiatry
D) jurisprudence
E) behavioral criminalistics

Question 24

The ten sections of The American Academy of Forensic Science include all of the following except:

A) Arson/Explosives
B) General
C) Jurisprudence
D) Toxicology
E) Criminalistics

Question 25

The scientific method requires that scientific evidence be validated by:

A) formulating pertinent questions.
B) formulating hypotheticals.
C) performing experiments.
D) All of the above.
E) Just A and B.

Question 26

Bite marks would be LEAST likely to be found in cases involving:

A) child abuse.
B) assault.
C) arson.
D) sexual abuse.
E) murder.

Question 27

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.

Question 28

A crime scene which involved the collapse of a structure would be analyzed by specialists in the area of:

A) criminalistics
B) forensic entomology
C) forensic engineering
D) forensic error analysis
E) forensic computer and digital analysis

Question 29

The wide variation in which services are offered in different crime laboratories is due to:

A) the competition among crime laboratories for speed in case processing
B) variations in local laws
C) budgetary and staffing limitations
D) B and C only
E) all of the above

Question 30

The case of Coppolino v. State highlights issues dealing with:

A) the admissibility of the polygraph.
B) search and seizure.
C) the evidential value of confessions.
D) warrantees searches.
E) the acceptability of new scientific tests.

Question 31

Forensic odontology refers to the study of:

A) drugs.
B) pollen.
C) rocks.
D) teeth.
E) bones.

Question 32

What factor(s)do(es) the court usually take into consideration as sufficient grounds for qualification as an expert witness?

A) experience
B) training
C) education
D) A and B only
E) all of the above

Question 33

The final evaluator of forensic evidence is the:

A) prosecutor.
B) jury.
C) media.
D) police.
E) accused.

Question 34

Specially trained personnel called _______________ are employed by some crime laboratories on 24-hour call to retrieve evidence and have all the proper tools and supplies for proper collection and packaging of evidence at their disposal.

A) crime scene investigators
B) evidence technicians
C) police officers
D) forensic pathologists
E) evidence officers

Question 35

What is the LEAST important consideration in the gathering of evidence at a crime scene?

A) competent collection of materials
B) completion of the chain of custody documents
C) proper recognition of the evidence
D) guilt of the suspect(s)
E) adequate preservation of samples

Question 36

What is the major problem facing the forensic DNA community?

A) backlog of unanalyzed DNA samples
B) lack of recent advancements in DNA technology
C) mistrust of DNA profiling results by the public
D) contamination of DNA samples by evidence collectors
E) existence of computerized DNA databases

Question 37

Which of the following services are typically provided to law enforcement by crime laboratories?

A) odontology
B) criminalistics
C) psychology
D) polygraph
E) pathology

Question 38

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