FIS 201 Final Exam (Forensic Investigation) | Complete Exam Guide
with Questions and Answers
T/F: From it's inception, Forensic science has moved more towards a generalist model in which
individual forensic scientists work across a variety of disciplines - correct answer False
Which term best describes when a laboratory has agreed to operate according to a professional
or industry standard and has proven that it can and does operate that way - correct answer
Accreditation
A person who is accused of a criminal act - correct answer Defendant
A citizen who initiates civil legal action against another - correct answer Plaintiff
A group of people who evaluate the preliminary evidence to determine if a full trial should
proceed - correct answer Grand Jury
The entity which evaluates evidence to determine the outcome of the trial - correct answer
Trier of fact
The portion of the trial where jury members or forensic experts are evaluated for their ability to
participate in a trial - correct answer Voir dire
Which scientist or scientists are responsible for the first book on hair analysis - correct answer
Victor Balthazard and Marcell Lambert
Which pioneering forensic scientists made significant contributions in the area of firearms
evidence analysis - correct answer Victor Balthazard and Calvin Goddard
The set of rules that governs the proper, acceptable, and honest behavior of a forensic scientist
are called the - correct answer ethics
The main significance of Sherlock Holmes to the history of forensics was that Holmes invented a
new test for blood - correct answer False
Which specialist would be responsible for identifying the voice of someone who has left a
threatening phone call on the governor's voice mail - correct answer Digital examiner
Which statement(s) is/are about the Daubert decision - correct answer The judge is the sole
arbiter of whether or not scientific evidence is admissible, scientific data must be specifically
relevant to the case at hand, and evidence that is admissible under Frye is also admissible
under Daubert
T/F: Evidence with class characteristics can be associated with a particular suspect - correct
answer False
,T/F: A significant reason that the admissibility of all forensic evidence must be considered is to
weed out "junk science" - correct answer True
T/F: Historical investigations using proxy data are by definition forensic - correct answer False
Evidence that is accepted as true until proven otherwise - correct answer Prima Facie Evidence
Evidence which cannot be presented to the court due to its method of collection - correct
answer Tainted evidence
Evidence which tends to contradict the prosecution's hypothesis of guilt - correct answer
Exculpatory evidence
Evidence which shows either guilt or innocence in conjunction with other evidence - correct
answer Corroborating evidence
Evidence based on logical inference, not direct observation - correct answer Circumstantial
evidence
Evidence that 100% stands as offered - correct answer Conclusive evidence
T/F: I look at an image and decide that it depicts the specific individual known as Superman. I
have just performed the task of identification - correct answer False
T/F: A negative control is a sample of material evidence is found upon. When analyzed, we
expect it to give a negative result - correct answer True
T/F: An important ethical consideration for forensic scientists and crime scene investigators is
being aware and open about possibility of error in our tools, techniques, and our interpretation
thereof - correct answer True
For small police departments, which form of forensic education is currently the most common
for crime scene investigators - correct answer A police officer with additional training
How does the general or idealized scientific method differ from the way it is typically
implemented by forensic scientists - correct answer Forensic scientists usually start from
observations before developing a hypothesis
How should we test the idea that some form of tool or other force was used to vandalize a
monument - correct answer Collect several pieces of granite of similar shape and thickness and
hit each one with a different tool
T/F: In a civil trial, the offense is called a "tort", whereas in criminal trials it is either a
misdemeanor or a felony - correct answer True
What is the purpose of a scientific journal such as "Forensic Science International" - correct
answer To keep practitioners up to date
,What was Alexander Lacassagne's main contribution to forensic science - correct answer He
helped people understand how people died and decomposed
Which forensic specialty would handle a potential bite mark - correct answer Odontologist
Which group is the ultimate destination for physical evidence and forensic information - correct
answer District attorneys
Which section would you only expect to find in a crime lab that served a large, urban
population - correct answer Violent crime case review
T/F: A difference of opinion between two experts indicates that one of the experts is unethical -
correct answer False
A person is found cut into little pieces. Blood from the victim is found on my chainsaw. What is
logically the defensible conclusion - correct answer The chainsaw was the tool used to cut up
the victim
Someone has sprayed "Go Pitt" in grey paint all over Woodburn hall. Based on video footage
from the night, Alice Trumbull is arrested. Police find flecks of grey paint on a pair of shoes in
her car.
Based on this scenario, choose the accurate descriptors for each component of the crime, given
the hypothesis that Alice is our culprit.
1. The fact the there are grey flecks of paint on the shoes and grey paint was used at the scene
2. Alice is a fine arts major at WVU currently taking a painting class
3. Surveillance footage of the night of the act, showing Alice in the act - correct answer 1.
Incriminating, corroborating, and circumstantial
2. Exculpatory, conflicting, and circumstantial
3. Incriminating, corroborating, and prima facie
T/F: Eyewitness testimony is a form of admissible evidence - correct answer True
Most fingerprints are invisible until they have been developed using fingerprint powder,
superglue fuming, or other techniques. What stage of evidence analysis would these generally
be identified with - correct answer Detection
Steps of evidence analysis in order - correct answer Detection, preservation, identification,
association, and reconstruction
Which of the following conditions would tend to lead to eyewitness error by the victim - correct
answer A man is carjacked at knifepoint by someone of a different race
, Linkage of persons, scenes or objects is based on what - correct answer Edmond Locard's
exchange principle
Duties of a first responder - correct answer Detain the witnesses and secure the boundaries of
the crime scene
A good example of a fixed point for sketching a crime scene would be - correct answer Utility
pole
T/F: A crime scenes boundaries are set and cannot be changed once defined - correct answer
False
When should documentary notes be taken - correct answer During the on-scene investigation
When taking notes for documentation, "scene description information" consists of which of the
following - correct answer Weather information and major structures
___ sketching is a method using a line between two fixed points. Evidence is measured at right
angles to the line - correct answer Baseline
Which stage of crime scene reconstruction is this: "After scene examination and observation,
physical evidence such as fingerprints or impression pattern evidence is used to create a
working idea of how the crime happened - correct answer Hypothesis formation
This type of search is usually only effective on crime scenes with no physical
boundaries/obstacles or regular boundaries - correct answer Spiral
T/F: One of the advantages of digital imaging is that it enables many more photos to be taken of
a given crime scene - correct answer True
T/F: If the contents need to air dry, evidence packing may only be partially sealed with tape, as
long as the contents aren't accessible - correct answer False
Videography of a crime scene should include: - correct answer Sn opening segment showing the
general orientation of the scene and a focus on the potential entry/exit methods of the
perpetrator
On sketches, the portion containing the case number, offense type, victim name, location, etc.
is known as the - correct answer Documentation block
Describe the relationship between videography, still photography, and sketching on a crime
scene - correct answer The three are complimentary, each serving a slightly different purpose
T/F: The main weakness of the crime scene technician model is that they lack a broad
perspective on the crime - correct answer True
Which of the following types of evidence would be particularly useful for crime scene
reconstruction - correct answer A palm print on a windowpane
with Questions and Answers
T/F: From it's inception, Forensic science has moved more towards a generalist model in which
individual forensic scientists work across a variety of disciplines - correct answer False
Which term best describes when a laboratory has agreed to operate according to a professional
or industry standard and has proven that it can and does operate that way - correct answer
Accreditation
A person who is accused of a criminal act - correct answer Defendant
A citizen who initiates civil legal action against another - correct answer Plaintiff
A group of people who evaluate the preliminary evidence to determine if a full trial should
proceed - correct answer Grand Jury
The entity which evaluates evidence to determine the outcome of the trial - correct answer
Trier of fact
The portion of the trial where jury members or forensic experts are evaluated for their ability to
participate in a trial - correct answer Voir dire
Which scientist or scientists are responsible for the first book on hair analysis - correct answer
Victor Balthazard and Marcell Lambert
Which pioneering forensic scientists made significant contributions in the area of firearms
evidence analysis - correct answer Victor Balthazard and Calvin Goddard
The set of rules that governs the proper, acceptable, and honest behavior of a forensic scientist
are called the - correct answer ethics
The main significance of Sherlock Holmes to the history of forensics was that Holmes invented a
new test for blood - correct answer False
Which specialist would be responsible for identifying the voice of someone who has left a
threatening phone call on the governor's voice mail - correct answer Digital examiner
Which statement(s) is/are about the Daubert decision - correct answer The judge is the sole
arbiter of whether or not scientific evidence is admissible, scientific data must be specifically
relevant to the case at hand, and evidence that is admissible under Frye is also admissible
under Daubert
T/F: Evidence with class characteristics can be associated with a particular suspect - correct
answer False
,T/F: A significant reason that the admissibility of all forensic evidence must be considered is to
weed out "junk science" - correct answer True
T/F: Historical investigations using proxy data are by definition forensic - correct answer False
Evidence that is accepted as true until proven otherwise - correct answer Prima Facie Evidence
Evidence which cannot be presented to the court due to its method of collection - correct
answer Tainted evidence
Evidence which tends to contradict the prosecution's hypothesis of guilt - correct answer
Exculpatory evidence
Evidence which shows either guilt or innocence in conjunction with other evidence - correct
answer Corroborating evidence
Evidence based on logical inference, not direct observation - correct answer Circumstantial
evidence
Evidence that 100% stands as offered - correct answer Conclusive evidence
T/F: I look at an image and decide that it depicts the specific individual known as Superman. I
have just performed the task of identification - correct answer False
T/F: A negative control is a sample of material evidence is found upon. When analyzed, we
expect it to give a negative result - correct answer True
T/F: An important ethical consideration for forensic scientists and crime scene investigators is
being aware and open about possibility of error in our tools, techniques, and our interpretation
thereof - correct answer True
For small police departments, which form of forensic education is currently the most common
for crime scene investigators - correct answer A police officer with additional training
How does the general or idealized scientific method differ from the way it is typically
implemented by forensic scientists - correct answer Forensic scientists usually start from
observations before developing a hypothesis
How should we test the idea that some form of tool or other force was used to vandalize a
monument - correct answer Collect several pieces of granite of similar shape and thickness and
hit each one with a different tool
T/F: In a civil trial, the offense is called a "tort", whereas in criminal trials it is either a
misdemeanor or a felony - correct answer True
What is the purpose of a scientific journal such as "Forensic Science International" - correct
answer To keep practitioners up to date
,What was Alexander Lacassagne's main contribution to forensic science - correct answer He
helped people understand how people died and decomposed
Which forensic specialty would handle a potential bite mark - correct answer Odontologist
Which group is the ultimate destination for physical evidence and forensic information - correct
answer District attorneys
Which section would you only expect to find in a crime lab that served a large, urban
population - correct answer Violent crime case review
T/F: A difference of opinion between two experts indicates that one of the experts is unethical -
correct answer False
A person is found cut into little pieces. Blood from the victim is found on my chainsaw. What is
logically the defensible conclusion - correct answer The chainsaw was the tool used to cut up
the victim
Someone has sprayed "Go Pitt" in grey paint all over Woodburn hall. Based on video footage
from the night, Alice Trumbull is arrested. Police find flecks of grey paint on a pair of shoes in
her car.
Based on this scenario, choose the accurate descriptors for each component of the crime, given
the hypothesis that Alice is our culprit.
1. The fact the there are grey flecks of paint on the shoes and grey paint was used at the scene
2. Alice is a fine arts major at WVU currently taking a painting class
3. Surveillance footage of the night of the act, showing Alice in the act - correct answer 1.
Incriminating, corroborating, and circumstantial
2. Exculpatory, conflicting, and circumstantial
3. Incriminating, corroborating, and prima facie
T/F: Eyewitness testimony is a form of admissible evidence - correct answer True
Most fingerprints are invisible until they have been developed using fingerprint powder,
superglue fuming, or other techniques. What stage of evidence analysis would these generally
be identified with - correct answer Detection
Steps of evidence analysis in order - correct answer Detection, preservation, identification,
association, and reconstruction
Which of the following conditions would tend to lead to eyewitness error by the victim - correct
answer A man is carjacked at knifepoint by someone of a different race
, Linkage of persons, scenes or objects is based on what - correct answer Edmond Locard's
exchange principle
Duties of a first responder - correct answer Detain the witnesses and secure the boundaries of
the crime scene
A good example of a fixed point for sketching a crime scene would be - correct answer Utility
pole
T/F: A crime scenes boundaries are set and cannot be changed once defined - correct answer
False
When should documentary notes be taken - correct answer During the on-scene investigation
When taking notes for documentation, "scene description information" consists of which of the
following - correct answer Weather information and major structures
___ sketching is a method using a line between two fixed points. Evidence is measured at right
angles to the line - correct answer Baseline
Which stage of crime scene reconstruction is this: "After scene examination and observation,
physical evidence such as fingerprints or impression pattern evidence is used to create a
working idea of how the crime happened - correct answer Hypothesis formation
This type of search is usually only effective on crime scenes with no physical
boundaries/obstacles or regular boundaries - correct answer Spiral
T/F: One of the advantages of digital imaging is that it enables many more photos to be taken of
a given crime scene - correct answer True
T/F: If the contents need to air dry, evidence packing may only be partially sealed with tape, as
long as the contents aren't accessible - correct answer False
Videography of a crime scene should include: - correct answer Sn opening segment showing the
general orientation of the scene and a focus on the potential entry/exit methods of the
perpetrator
On sketches, the portion containing the case number, offense type, victim name, location, etc.
is known as the - correct answer Documentation block
Describe the relationship between videography, still photography, and sketching on a crime
scene - correct answer The three are complimentary, each serving a slightly different purpose
T/F: The main weakness of the crime scene technician model is that they lack a broad
perspective on the crime - correct answer True
Which of the following types of evidence would be particularly useful for crime scene
reconstruction - correct answer A palm print on a windowpane
