ABMDI COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW SHEET Questions with
Correct Answers (Grade A+)
Question 1: Bereavement
Answer: Sorrow following the death of a loved one
Question 2: Brain death
Answer: Final cessation of activity in the central nervous system, as indicated by a flat
electroencephalogram (EEG) or absence of cerebral blood flow for a predetermined period of time
Question 3: Cardiac death
Answer: Final cessation of activity in the cardiovascular system involving the heart and blood vessels
Question 4: Cessation
Answer: The final stoppage of action
Question 5: Coroner
Answer: Typically an elected official who decides whether a death occurred under circumstances that
require an autopsy, either by law or to determine manner or cause. A coroner can determine the scope of an
autopsy and who will perform it if the elected coroner is not qualified. Only Kansas, Louisiana, North
Dakota, and Ohio require, without exception, that coroners be medical doctors
Question 6: Jurisdiction
Answer: The power or authority a court or office has over individuals or trauma
Question 7: Legal next-of-kin
Answer: The person from whom the medicolegal death investigator must secure consent before initiating
any procurement activity
Question 8: Medical examiner
Answer: Usually a medical doctor, although not necessarily a highly trained pathologist. Like a coroner, a
medical examiner decides whether a death occurred under circumstances that may require an autopsy and
who will perform it if the medical examiner is not qualified. A medical examiner is usually appointed to the
position and may have jurisdiction for a county, district, or state
Question 9: OPO (organ procurement organization)
Answer: The agency responsible for identifying potential donors, obtaining consent, and procuring organs
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,Question 10: Postmortem changes
Answer: Alterations of the body following death, including decomposition and environmental resuscitative
injuries
Question 11: Statutes
Answer: Laws enacted by the legislative branch of government
Question 12: Vital statistics
Answer: A governmental agency responsible for maintaining a system of registration and release of records
for the public, including birth, marriage, divorce, and death
Question 13: Algor mortis
Answer: Cooling of the body to ambient temperature
Question 14: Antemortem blood sample
Answer: An initial blood sample that usually is obtained when the subject arrives at the hospital emergency
room, before additional diagnostic or therapeutic treatment is initiated
Question 15: Authorization
Answer: Official permission granted by a superior
Question 16: Common-law marriage
Answer: A marriage that is recognized because the couple have been cohabiting for a determined length of
time, yet a legal marriage ceremony has not been performed
Question 17: Confidential
Answer: Revealed in confidence (trust, assurance), to be kept secret
Question 18: Cremation
Answer: The reduction of a dead human body to inorganic bone fragments by intense heat in a specially
designed chamber
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, Question 19: Demographic information
Answer:
1. Personal identifying and specific information regarding an individual's age
2. social security number
3. gender
4. address
5. and so on
Question 20: Disinterment
Answer: The opening of a grave and removal of the body for the purpose of reexamination or removal to
another site
Question 21: Embalmer
Answer: An individual licensed by the state to disinfect, preserve, and cosmetically restore dead human
bodies
Question 22: Euphemism
Answer: A mild or inoffensive term or phrase that is substituted for another, more explicit term
Question 23: Funeral director
Answer: An individual or corporation licensed by a state to prepare dead human remains, other than by
embalming, for interment or other means of disposal. The person also conducts funeral services and
counsels the decedent's families
Question 24: Guardianship or power of attorney
Answer: Legal authorization to act on another individual's behalf. This authority usually ceases after death,
so be sure to check the law in your state
Question 25: Interrogation
Answer: The formal act of examining a person by asking questions, usually a law enforcement function
Question 26: Interview
Answer: A formal face-to-face conversation between a reported (the medicolegal death investigator) and a
person from whom information is sought (the witness)
Question 27: Legal next-of-kin
Answer: The hierarchical succession of survivors established by law
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Correct Answers (Grade A+)
Question 1: Bereavement
Answer: Sorrow following the death of a loved one
Question 2: Brain death
Answer: Final cessation of activity in the central nervous system, as indicated by a flat
electroencephalogram (EEG) or absence of cerebral blood flow for a predetermined period of time
Question 3: Cardiac death
Answer: Final cessation of activity in the cardiovascular system involving the heart and blood vessels
Question 4: Cessation
Answer: The final stoppage of action
Question 5: Coroner
Answer: Typically an elected official who decides whether a death occurred under circumstances that
require an autopsy, either by law or to determine manner or cause. A coroner can determine the scope of an
autopsy and who will perform it if the elected coroner is not qualified. Only Kansas, Louisiana, North
Dakota, and Ohio require, without exception, that coroners be medical doctors
Question 6: Jurisdiction
Answer: The power or authority a court or office has over individuals or trauma
Question 7: Legal next-of-kin
Answer: The person from whom the medicolegal death investigator must secure consent before initiating
any procurement activity
Question 8: Medical examiner
Answer: Usually a medical doctor, although not necessarily a highly trained pathologist. Like a coroner, a
medical examiner decides whether a death occurred under circumstances that may require an autopsy and
who will perform it if the medical examiner is not qualified. A medical examiner is usually appointed to the
position and may have jurisdiction for a county, district, or state
Question 9: OPO (organ procurement organization)
Answer: The agency responsible for identifying potential donors, obtaining consent, and procuring organs
Page 1
,Question 10: Postmortem changes
Answer: Alterations of the body following death, including decomposition and environmental resuscitative
injuries
Question 11: Statutes
Answer: Laws enacted by the legislative branch of government
Question 12: Vital statistics
Answer: A governmental agency responsible for maintaining a system of registration and release of records
for the public, including birth, marriage, divorce, and death
Question 13: Algor mortis
Answer: Cooling of the body to ambient temperature
Question 14: Antemortem blood sample
Answer: An initial blood sample that usually is obtained when the subject arrives at the hospital emergency
room, before additional diagnostic or therapeutic treatment is initiated
Question 15: Authorization
Answer: Official permission granted by a superior
Question 16: Common-law marriage
Answer: A marriage that is recognized because the couple have been cohabiting for a determined length of
time, yet a legal marriage ceremony has not been performed
Question 17: Confidential
Answer: Revealed in confidence (trust, assurance), to be kept secret
Question 18: Cremation
Answer: The reduction of a dead human body to inorganic bone fragments by intense heat in a specially
designed chamber
Page 2
, Question 19: Demographic information
Answer:
1. Personal identifying and specific information regarding an individual's age
2. social security number
3. gender
4. address
5. and so on
Question 20: Disinterment
Answer: The opening of a grave and removal of the body for the purpose of reexamination or removal to
another site
Question 21: Embalmer
Answer: An individual licensed by the state to disinfect, preserve, and cosmetically restore dead human
bodies
Question 22: Euphemism
Answer: A mild or inoffensive term or phrase that is substituted for another, more explicit term
Question 23: Funeral director
Answer: An individual or corporation licensed by a state to prepare dead human remains, other than by
embalming, for interment or other means of disposal. The person also conducts funeral services and
counsels the decedent's families
Question 24: Guardianship or power of attorney
Answer: Legal authorization to act on another individual's behalf. This authority usually ceases after death,
so be sure to check the law in your state
Question 25: Interrogation
Answer: The formal act of examining a person by asking questions, usually a law enforcement function
Question 26: Interview
Answer: A formal face-to-face conversation between a reported (the medicolegal death investigator) and a
person from whom information is sought (the witness)
Question 27: Legal next-of-kin
Answer: The hierarchical succession of survivors established by law
Page 3
