FIS 201 – Exam 1 Study Guide and Practice Questions
An important ethical consideration for forensic scientists and crime scene investigators is being
aware and open about the possibility of error in our tools, techniques, or our interpretation
thereof. - correct answer ✔✔ True
During which phase of trial does a forensic expert working in a crime lab answer questions put
to them by the prosecution to establish the admissibility of their evidence? - correct answer
✔✔ Direct Examination
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 actively
vandalize the monument? - correct answer ✔✔ Collect several pieces of granite of similar shape
and thickness and hit each one with a different tool.
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 journal such as "Forensic Science International?" - correct answer ✔✔
To keep practitioners up to date
What was Alexandre Lacassagne's main contribution to forensic science? - correct answer ✔✔
he helped understand how people died and decomposed
,Which forensic specialty would handle a potential bite mark? - correct answer ✔✔
odonatologist
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 very large, urban
population? - correct answer ✔✔ violent crime case review
From its inception, Forensic science has moved more towards a generalist model in which
individual forensic scientists work across a variety of disciplines. - correct answer ✔✔ false
What term describes when a laboratory has agreed to operate according to a professional or
industry standard and has proven that it can and does operate this way? - correct answer ✔✔
accreditation
Match each term with the appropriate description or definition:
A.
A group of people who evaluate the preliminary evidence to determine if a full trial should
proceed
B.
The portion of a trial where jury members or forensic experts are evaluated for their ability to
participate in a trial
C.
A person who is accused of a criminal act
D.
A citizen who initiates civil legal action against another
E.
,The entity which evaluates evidence to determine the outcome of a trial - correct answer ✔✔
Defendant
C.
A person who is accused of a criminal act
Plaintiff
D.
A citizen who initiates civil legal action against another
Grand Jury
A.
A group of people who evaluate the preliminary evidence to determine if a full trial should
proceed
Trier of Fact
E.
The entity which evaluates evidence to determine the outcome of a trial
Voir dire
B.
The portion of a trial where jury members or forensic experts are evaluated for their ability to
participate in a trial
Which scientist or scientists are responsible for the first comprehensive book on hair analysis?
Albert Megnin
Victor Balthazard
Marcell Lambert
Alphonse Bertillon
Hans Gross
Edmund Locard - correct answer ✔✔ Victor Balthazard
Marcell Lambert
, Which pioneering forensic scientists made significant contributions in the area of firearms
evidence analysis?
Calvin Goddard
Edmund Locard
Victor Balthazard
Francis Galton
Alphonse Bertillon
Hans Gross - correct answer ✔✔ calvin
victor
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 developed
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
The federal rules of evidence address which of the following aspects of evidence? - correct
answer ✔✔ The weight or value that should be placed on an expert's qualifications.
Which statement(s) is/are true about the Daubert decision? - correct answer ✔✔ Scientific data
must be specifically relevant to the case at hand.
Evidence that is admissible under Frye is generally also admissible under Daubert
The judge is the sole arbiter of whether or not scientific evidence is admissible.
An important ethical consideration for forensic scientists and crime scene investigators is being
aware and open about the possibility of error in our tools, techniques, or our interpretation
thereof. - correct answer ✔✔ True
During which phase of trial does a forensic expert working in a crime lab answer questions put
to them by the prosecution to establish the admissibility of their evidence? - correct answer
✔✔ Direct Examination
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 actively
vandalize the monument? - correct answer ✔✔ Collect several pieces of granite of similar shape
and thickness and hit each one with a different tool.
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 journal such as "Forensic Science International?" - correct answer ✔✔
To keep practitioners up to date
What was Alexandre Lacassagne's main contribution to forensic science? - correct answer ✔✔
he helped understand how people died and decomposed
,Which forensic specialty would handle a potential bite mark? - correct answer ✔✔
odonatologist
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 very large, urban
population? - correct answer ✔✔ violent crime case review
From its inception, Forensic science has moved more towards a generalist model in which
individual forensic scientists work across a variety of disciplines. - correct answer ✔✔ false
What term describes when a laboratory has agreed to operate according to a professional or
industry standard and has proven that it can and does operate this way? - correct answer ✔✔
accreditation
Match each term with the appropriate description or definition:
A.
A group of people who evaluate the preliminary evidence to determine if a full trial should
proceed
B.
The portion of a trial where jury members or forensic experts are evaluated for their ability to
participate in a trial
C.
A person who is accused of a criminal act
D.
A citizen who initiates civil legal action against another
E.
,The entity which evaluates evidence to determine the outcome of a trial - correct answer ✔✔
Defendant
C.
A person who is accused of a criminal act
Plaintiff
D.
A citizen who initiates civil legal action against another
Grand Jury
A.
A group of people who evaluate the preliminary evidence to determine if a full trial should
proceed
Trier of Fact
E.
The entity which evaluates evidence to determine the outcome of a trial
Voir dire
B.
The portion of a trial where jury members or forensic experts are evaluated for their ability to
participate in a trial
Which scientist or scientists are responsible for the first comprehensive book on hair analysis?
Albert Megnin
Victor Balthazard
Marcell Lambert
Alphonse Bertillon
Hans Gross
Edmund Locard - correct answer ✔✔ Victor Balthazard
Marcell Lambert
, Which pioneering forensic scientists made significant contributions in the area of firearms
evidence analysis?
Calvin Goddard
Edmund Locard
Victor Balthazard
Francis Galton
Alphonse Bertillon
Hans Gross - correct answer ✔✔ calvin
victor
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 developed
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
The federal rules of evidence address which of the following aspects of evidence? - correct
answer ✔✔ The weight or value that should be placed on an expert's qualifications.
Which statement(s) is/are true about the Daubert decision? - correct answer ✔✔ Scientific data
must be specifically relevant to the case at hand.
Evidence that is admissible under Frye is generally also admissible under Daubert
The judge is the sole arbiter of whether or not scientific evidence is admissible.
