PCS TEST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The express purpose of processing a scene is to...
a. recover physical evidence
b. arrest a suspect
c. document the scene as found
d. all of the above
e. A & C only - Answers -e. A & C only
T or F: In situ means the condition of the item once in the laboratory - Answers -False
(in situ means in its original place)
T or F: The six basic steps in the examination of a crime scene (assessing, observing,
documenting, searching, collecting, and analyzing) can be accomplished in any order -
Answers -False
(must be accomplished in that order, sometimes with going back to previous steps)
In a free society, the police have ____ basic goals
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4 - Answers -b. 2 (really five, but two in regards to crime scene)
Crime prevention refers to...
a. controlling general behavior patterns
b. active investigation and the identification of those responsible for the crime
c. efforts to keep crime from occurring
d. the scope of services provided by police - Answers -c. efforts to keep crime from
occurring
Crime repression refers to...
a. controlling general behavior patterns
b. active investigation and the identification of those responsible for the crime
c. efforts to keep crime from occurring
d. the scope of services provided by police - Answers -b. active investigation and the
identification of those responsible for the crime
Regulating non-criminal conduct refers to...
a. controlling general behavior patterns
b. active investigation and the identification of those responsible for the crime
c. efforts to keep crime from occurring
d. the scope of services provided by police - Answers -a. controlling general behavior
patterns
Provision of services refers to...
,a. controlling general behavior patterns
b. active investigation and the identification of those responsible for the crime
c. efforts to keep crime from occurring
d. the scope of services provided by police - Answers -d. the scope of services
provided by police
T or F: The protection of personal liberties is a Constitutional issues - Answers -True
Justice is defined by society in the form of..
a. judges
b. juries
c. judges and juries
d. the police
e. the victim - Answers -c. judges and juries
In order to be fair, justice considers the needs of these entities:
a. the victim
b. the accused
c. society
d. none of the above
e. all of the above - Answers -e. all of the above
T or F: Evidence can be defined as anything that tends to prove a fact in contention -
Answers -False
T or F: Testimonial evidence is more reliable than physical evidence - Answers -False
T or F: Physical evidence is always that which is collected - Answers -False
An example of a predictable effect is...
a. moving an item of evidence from one location to another
b. odors
c. onset of rigor mortis
d. the presence of ice in a glass - Answers -c. onset of rigor mortis
An example of an unpredictable effect is...
a. the haphazard opening of a revolver cylinder
b. the smell of burnt gunpowder
c. insect activity
d. the heat signature of a tire in the roadway - Answers -a. the haphazard opening of a
revolver cylinder
An example of a transitory effect is...
a. moving an item of evidence from one location to another
b. the presence of frozen ice cream in a bowl
c. onset of livor mortis
,d. the sequence of insects at a death scene - Answers -b. the presence of frozen ice
cream in a bowl
Through relational details, the investigator is able to establish a correlation between
various objects. Examples of these types of details are...
a. the presence of a void pattern on a wall surrounded by spatter
b. a clustering of shell casings on the ground
c. the presence of a weapon in close proximity to the victim
d. all of the above - Answers -d. all of the above
T or F: A functional detail is one that may manifest in the operating condition of items in
the scene. An example of this is whether the door was locked at the time of a break-in -
Answers -False
(functional detail = operating conditions of the scene, such as a working firearm)
T or F: If a wax paper roll is discovered in the kitchen of an arson scene, it would not be
necessary to evaluate its function since it is not unusual to find a wax paper roll in a
kitchen - Answers -False (wax paper rolls can be used to start fires)
T or F: Timing and sequencing are two distinct concepts - Answers -True
The forensic linkage triangle illustrates that items of evidence are used to establish links
between...
a. the victim and suspect only
b. the suspect and scene only
c. the victim and the scene only
d. the victim, the suspect, and the scene - Answers -d. the victim, the suspect, and the
scene
Any good crime scene processing methodology will demand which of the following?
a. knowledge//flexibility
b. skills and tools
c. a methodological approach//coordinated effort
d. all of the above
e. A & C only - Answers -d. all of the above
T or F: A checklist is useful when processing a scene and should always be followed
step by step - Answers -False
(does not necessarily have to be followed step by step, as several of them may be
repeated)
The addition, destruction, and movement of material in the scene are considered to be
what kind of issues?
a. scene integrity
b. scene placement
c. constitutional
, d. collection - Answers -a. scene integrity
T or F: Probable cause is the investigative standard - Answers -False
(to the point of beyond a reasonable doubt)
T or F: It is appropriate to exclude exculpatory information from reports in the early
stages of an investigation - Answers -False
T or F: At trial, the investigator should state the facts even if it is not supportive of the
prosecution's arguments - Answers -True
Class characteristics best serve the forensic professional by...
a. placing an item within a group
b. linking a specific individual to the crime
c. eliminating possibilities
d. all of the above
e A & C only - Answers -e. A & C only
T or F: Individual characteristics are those that are unique based upon natural variation,
damage, or wear - Answers -True
T or F: If an item of evidence is individualized, there is no longer a need to consider its
context - Answers -False
Locard's Exchange Principle can be generally summarized as...
a. gunshot wounds result in high impact spatter patterns
b. every contact leaves a trace
c. insect succession can assist with time of death determinations
d. fingerprints are unique and permanent - Answers -b. every contact leaves a trace
Placing a victim in a chair for an interview then placing the suspect in the same chair
with no additional measures being taken can result in...
a. mechanical fit
b. cross contamination
c. an arrest of the wrong individual
d. the loss of a job - Answers -b. cross contamination
Mechanical fit is another term for...
a. the appropriate person for the job
b. the appropriate tools to do the job
c. fracture match
d. fitting a weapon into a wound - Answers -c. fracture match
T of F: Fracture matching is a class characteristic - Answers -False
(individual, as nothing ever breaks the same way)
The express purpose of processing a scene is to...
a. recover physical evidence
b. arrest a suspect
c. document the scene as found
d. all of the above
e. A & C only - Answers -e. A & C only
T or F: In situ means the condition of the item once in the laboratory - Answers -False
(in situ means in its original place)
T or F: The six basic steps in the examination of a crime scene (assessing, observing,
documenting, searching, collecting, and analyzing) can be accomplished in any order -
Answers -False
(must be accomplished in that order, sometimes with going back to previous steps)
In a free society, the police have ____ basic goals
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4 - Answers -b. 2 (really five, but two in regards to crime scene)
Crime prevention refers to...
a. controlling general behavior patterns
b. active investigation and the identification of those responsible for the crime
c. efforts to keep crime from occurring
d. the scope of services provided by police - Answers -c. efforts to keep crime from
occurring
Crime repression refers to...
a. controlling general behavior patterns
b. active investigation and the identification of those responsible for the crime
c. efforts to keep crime from occurring
d. the scope of services provided by police - Answers -b. active investigation and the
identification of those responsible for the crime
Regulating non-criminal conduct refers to...
a. controlling general behavior patterns
b. active investigation and the identification of those responsible for the crime
c. efforts to keep crime from occurring
d. the scope of services provided by police - Answers -a. controlling general behavior
patterns
Provision of services refers to...
,a. controlling general behavior patterns
b. active investigation and the identification of those responsible for the crime
c. efforts to keep crime from occurring
d. the scope of services provided by police - Answers -d. the scope of services
provided by police
T or F: The protection of personal liberties is a Constitutional issues - Answers -True
Justice is defined by society in the form of..
a. judges
b. juries
c. judges and juries
d. the police
e. the victim - Answers -c. judges and juries
In order to be fair, justice considers the needs of these entities:
a. the victim
b. the accused
c. society
d. none of the above
e. all of the above - Answers -e. all of the above
T or F: Evidence can be defined as anything that tends to prove a fact in contention -
Answers -False
T or F: Testimonial evidence is more reliable than physical evidence - Answers -False
T or F: Physical evidence is always that which is collected - Answers -False
An example of a predictable effect is...
a. moving an item of evidence from one location to another
b. odors
c. onset of rigor mortis
d. the presence of ice in a glass - Answers -c. onset of rigor mortis
An example of an unpredictable effect is...
a. the haphazard opening of a revolver cylinder
b. the smell of burnt gunpowder
c. insect activity
d. the heat signature of a tire in the roadway - Answers -a. the haphazard opening of a
revolver cylinder
An example of a transitory effect is...
a. moving an item of evidence from one location to another
b. the presence of frozen ice cream in a bowl
c. onset of livor mortis
,d. the sequence of insects at a death scene - Answers -b. the presence of frozen ice
cream in a bowl
Through relational details, the investigator is able to establish a correlation between
various objects. Examples of these types of details are...
a. the presence of a void pattern on a wall surrounded by spatter
b. a clustering of shell casings on the ground
c. the presence of a weapon in close proximity to the victim
d. all of the above - Answers -d. all of the above
T or F: A functional detail is one that may manifest in the operating condition of items in
the scene. An example of this is whether the door was locked at the time of a break-in -
Answers -False
(functional detail = operating conditions of the scene, such as a working firearm)
T or F: If a wax paper roll is discovered in the kitchen of an arson scene, it would not be
necessary to evaluate its function since it is not unusual to find a wax paper roll in a
kitchen - Answers -False (wax paper rolls can be used to start fires)
T or F: Timing and sequencing are two distinct concepts - Answers -True
The forensic linkage triangle illustrates that items of evidence are used to establish links
between...
a. the victim and suspect only
b. the suspect and scene only
c. the victim and the scene only
d. the victim, the suspect, and the scene - Answers -d. the victim, the suspect, and the
scene
Any good crime scene processing methodology will demand which of the following?
a. knowledge//flexibility
b. skills and tools
c. a methodological approach//coordinated effort
d. all of the above
e. A & C only - Answers -d. all of the above
T or F: A checklist is useful when processing a scene and should always be followed
step by step - Answers -False
(does not necessarily have to be followed step by step, as several of them may be
repeated)
The addition, destruction, and movement of material in the scene are considered to be
what kind of issues?
a. scene integrity
b. scene placement
c. constitutional
, d. collection - Answers -a. scene integrity
T or F: Probable cause is the investigative standard - Answers -False
(to the point of beyond a reasonable doubt)
T or F: It is appropriate to exclude exculpatory information from reports in the early
stages of an investigation - Answers -False
T or F: At trial, the investigator should state the facts even if it is not supportive of the
prosecution's arguments - Answers -True
Class characteristics best serve the forensic professional by...
a. placing an item within a group
b. linking a specific individual to the crime
c. eliminating possibilities
d. all of the above
e A & C only - Answers -e. A & C only
T or F: Individual characteristics are those that are unique based upon natural variation,
damage, or wear - Answers -True
T or F: If an item of evidence is individualized, there is no longer a need to consider its
context - Answers -False
Locard's Exchange Principle can be generally summarized as...
a. gunshot wounds result in high impact spatter patterns
b. every contact leaves a trace
c. insect succession can assist with time of death determinations
d. fingerprints are unique and permanent - Answers -b. every contact leaves a trace
Placing a victim in a chair for an interview then placing the suspect in the same chair
with no additional measures being taken can result in...
a. mechanical fit
b. cross contamination
c. an arrest of the wrong individual
d. the loss of a job - Answers -b. cross contamination
Mechanical fit is another term for...
a. the appropriate person for the job
b. the appropriate tools to do the job
c. fracture match
d. fitting a weapon into a wound - Answers -c. fracture match
T of F: Fracture matching is a class characteristic - Answers -False
(individual, as nothing ever breaks the same way)
