What is a mineral and how can minerals be important in the comparison of soil samples?
> Name two types of low explosives and list the ingredients of each.
> What characteristic of an explosive determines whether it is classified as a low explosive or a high explosive? How is this reflected in the type of pressure wave produced by the explosive?
> What is an oxidizing agent? Why is an oxidizing agent important to an explosion?
> What produces the violent physical disruption of the surrounding environment released in an explosion? Explain how this creates shrapnel when a bomb explodes.
> Describe the headspace technique for recovering accelerant residues. What instrument is most often used to detect and characterize recovered flammable residues?
> Why might an investigator conduct laboratory tests on unburned control material collected from a fire scene?
> Why are some traces of the accelerants used in an arson usually found even after intense fires?
> Where will an investigator usually locate the probable point of origin of a fire? What factors can cause a fire to deviate from normal behavior?
> While searching a murder scene, you find the following items that you believe may contain latent fingerprints. Indicate whether prints on each item should be developed using fingerprint powder or chemicals. a. A leather sofa b. A mirror c. A painted wood
> List three factors that make investigating arson and explosions particularly difficult for forensic scientists.
> What is multiplexing and why is it used in DNA profiling?
> List two advantages STRs have over restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP).
> What are short tandem repeats (STRs) and what is their significance to DNA typing?
> What are tandem repeats and how are they useful to forensic scientists?
> What is polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and how is it useful to forensic scientists?
> Describe the process of DNA replication. What is the importance of DNA replication?
> List three advantages gained from decoding the human genome.
> How are proteins formed? What determines the shape and function of a protein?
> List four steps an investigator should take to prevent contamination of DNA evidence.
> A description of the types of prints from the fingers of a criminal suspect appears below. Using the FBI system, determine the primary classification of this individual.
> How should packages containing DNA evidence be stored? Name one common exception and explain why it should be handled differently and how it should be stored.
> Name two advantages and two disadvantages of mitochondrial DNA analysis compared to nuclear DNA analysis.
> What are the three main differences between nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA?
> What characteristics are revealed by the amelogenin gene and Y-STRs?
> What is complementary base pairing? What is the importance of the order in which base pairs are arranged?
> What is the purpose of a precipitin test? Name three strengths of precipitin tests.
> List two commonly used color tests for blood. How does a luminol test differ from these tests?
> What three questions must the criminalist be prepared to answer when examining dried blood?
> What is the difference between monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies? Which type are more useful for the forensic scientist and why?
> For what other application do forensic scientists often use specific antigen–antibody reactions? What is the EMIT technique frequently used for, and what is its greatest limitation?
> Classify each of the prints shown in the figure as loop, whorl, or arch.
> What factor is most whole blood typed for? What is the most common blood type in the United States? Which is least common?
> What is an antibody, and what happens when an antibody reacts with its specific antigen?
> What is an antigen and how is it useful in individualizing blood?
> Why is it important for investigators to seek information about when and if voluntary sexual activity last occurred before a sexual assault?
> List three reasons why spermatozoa are often not found in seminal fluid collected at a crime scene.
> What is acid phosphatase and how is it used by forensic scientists?
> What is a genotype and how do parents’ genotypes affect the blood type of their offspring? In what area of the law does this information have important implications?
> What is the A-B-O system? Why is the system no longer used by forensic scientists?
> What is an isotope? List two ways in which isotopes differ from one another.
> What is measured in emission spectroscopy?
> Sequence of Insect Arrival in Forensic Entomology. The following images depict the sequence of events at the site of a decomposing body. Place the arrival events in order of occurrence from earliest to latest.
> What causes an electron to move to a higher energy level? What happens when an electron moves to a lower energy level?
> What is the net electrical charge of an atom? What does this indicate about the arrangement of subatomic particles in an atom?
> List the three basic subatomic particles and indicate whether each has positive, negative, or no electrical charge.
> Why do forensic scientists often use inductively coupled plasma (ICP) emission spectrophotometry to analyze mutilated bullets?
> Describe the difference between a continuous spectrum and a line spectrum. Which is most helpful in identifying a particular element and why?
> Why is soil collected from suspect automobiles left in lump form?
> What is the most important consideration when collecting soil samples from a crime scene? At what locations should soil standard/reference samples be collected?
> How can soil evidence be valuable even if the site of the crime has not been ascertained?
> Why should paint evidence from a hit-and-run accident be collected close to the area of the car suspected of being in contact with the victim?
> Creating a Forensic Anthropology Victim Profile. A nearly complete human skeleton has been found. The skeleton has the features shown in the accompanying table and image. Approximate the gender, ancestry, age range, and height of the individual based on
> Explain how the analysis of trace elements was important to the investigation of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
> Where is most paint evidence likely to be found?
> What is PDQ and how is it used in identifying paint samples?
> How is pyrolysis gas chromatography used to distinguish one paint binder formulation from another?
> Why is layer structure important for evaluating the significance of paint evidence? What is the greatest shortcoming in using layer structure to analyze paint evidence?
> What three features of paint does a forensic scientist compare using a microscope?
> How does the way most automobile manufacturers paint their cars help in the forensic comparison of automobile paint?
> What is the main advantage and the main weakness of neutron activation analysis?
> Describe the process of neutron activation analysis. How does the process allow a forensic scientist to identify an isotope?
> How does a nuclear reactor generate radioactive elements?
> In cooperation with the medical examiner or coroner, evidence retrieved from a deceased victim and sent to the crime lab should include which items?
> What causes radioactivity? List and define the three types of radiation.
> What is a trace element and why are trace elements important in analyzing physical evidence?
> What is a divided-attention task? Name and describe two divided-attention tasks often administered during field sobriety tests.
> What is the key to the accuracy of a breath tester? Describe two steps the operator takes to ensure that this key requirement is met.
> Describe how a fuel cell detector measures blood alcohol.
> What was the first successful breath-test device and what did it measure to determine blood-alcohol concentration? What is the main difference between this device and the breath-test devices currently in use?
> Why is a blood test for alcohol taken shortly after drinking more advantageous for the suspect than one taken 30 minutes or more after drinking?
> Name and describe the process by which most alcohol is eliminated from the body. How is the remaining alcohol eliminated, and how is this useful in testing for alcohol?
> List at least three factors that determine the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream.
> What are the requirements of a suitable test for alcohol intoxication?
> Identify a reasonable manner of death for each of the following situations: a. A contact wound to the back of the head b. An elevated carboxyhemoglobin blood level in a fire victim c. A fractured hyoid bone d. Death by overdose of a first-time user of al
> What is the DRE program? What are its main strengths and weaknesses?
> Why is knowledge of an individual’s history of drug use important in evaluating drug concentrations found by a toxicologist?
> A body is found at a fire scene but investigators are not sure whether the victim was alive when the fire began. How can measuring the level of carbon monoxide in the victim’s blood help determine this?
> Why is it necessary to follow a positive screening test for drugs with a confirmation test? What is the confirmation test of choice?
> What is metabolism and how does it complicate the task of the forensic toxicologist?
> List two significant challenges a forensic toxicologist faces when attempting to identify drugs present in a body.
> At what blood-alcohol level is a typical driver in the United States considered legally intoxicated? At what blood-alcohol level is a commercial truck or bus driver in the United States considered legally intoxicated?
> Why is it best to collect blood samples from different body sites for postmortem alcohol determination?
> What substances are typically added to blood that is collected from a subject before it is sent to a toxicology lab, and why are they added?
> What is horizontal gaze nystagmus and how does the test for it reveal blood-alcohol levels?
> What kind of forensic expert would most likely be asked to help identify human remains in each of the following conditions? a. A body that has been decomposing for a day or two b. Fragmentary remains of a few arm bones and part of a jaw c. A skeleton tha
> What is the primary duty of a forensic toxicologist?
> Name two club drugs that are associated with drug-facilitated sexual assault, rape, and robbery. Why are these drugs relatively easy to administer to an unsuspecting victim?
> Name the two most commonly abused illegal stimulants and the smokable forms of each. Why does smoking provide a more intense drug experience than inhaling, or “snorting,” stimulants?
> How can excessive use of depressants cause death?
> What is the most widely abused drug in the United States? Under what class of drugs is it listed, and what are its short-term physical and psychological effects at low to moderate doses?
> What is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States? Under what class of drugs is it listed and what are its short-term physical and psychological effects at low to moderate doses?
> What opium derivative is most widely used by addicts? How is it typically administered? Give two reasons why this route of administration is popular.
> What is the source of most narcotic drugs? From what plant is this substance derived?
> In what area does mass spectrometry currently have its greatest application for forensic scientists?
> What major advantage does infrared spectrophotometry enjoy over ultraviolet spectrophotometry?
> Rigor mortis, livor mortis, and algor mortis are all used to help determine time of death. However, each method has its limitations. For each method, describe at least one condition that would render that method unsuitable or inaccurate for determining t
> What is the main strength and main weakness of ultraviolet spectrophotometry?
> Briefly describe the basic process of spectrophotometry.
> What is Beer’s law and what analytical technique is based on it?
> How are ultraviolet spectrophotometry and infrared spectrophotometry used in drug analysis?
