BSFS General 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which blood pattern is typically associated with a high-velocity impact such as a gunshot wound?
- Transfer stain
- Medium-velocity spatter with droplets 1–3 mm
- Fine mist-like spatter with droplets less than 1 mm (Correct answer)
- Large pooling with irregular edges
Correct answer: Fine mist-like spatter with droplets less than 1 mm
High-velocity impacts like gunshots produce very fine, mist-like spatter with droplets typically smaller than 1 mm in diameter.
Question 2: What does the term 'manner of death' mean in forensic pathology, and how does it differ from 'cause of death'?
- They are synonymous terms used interchangeably by medical examiners
- Cause of death is the injury or disease that led to death; manner classifies circumstances (homicide, suicide, accident, natural, undetermined) (Correct answer)
- Manner of death describes the mechanism; cause classifies the legal circumstances
- Cause of death is determined by the court; manner is determined by the pathologist
Correct answer: Cause of death is the injury or disease that led to death; manner classifies circumstances (homicide, suicide, accident, natural, undetermined)
Cause of death is the specific injury or disease (e.g., gunshot wound), while manner of death categorizes the circumstances (e.g., homicide or accident).
Question 3: In forensic entomology, which insect is typically the FIRST to colonize a human corpse?
- Dermestid beetle
- Blowfly (Calliphoridae) (Correct answer)
- Flesh fly (Sarcophagidae)
- Rove beetle (Staphylinidae)
Correct answer: Blowfly (Calliphoridae)
Blowflies are usually the first insects to arrive at a body, often within minutes of death, attracted by gases released during early decomposition.
Question 4: What is 'polymerase chain reaction' (PCR) used for in forensic DNA analysis?
- Separating DNA fragments by size using gel electrophoresis
- Amplifying small amounts of DNA to produce enough for analysis (Correct answer)
- Comparing DNA profiles visually on an autoradiograph
- Extracting DNA from degraded bone samples using acid
Correct answer: Amplifying small amounts of DNA to produce enough for analysis
PCR amplifies tiny DNA samples exponentially, making it possible to analyze DNA from trace biological evidence that would otherwise be insufficient.
Question 5: Which type of fingerprint is left on a surface by natural skin secretions without any additional substances?
- Patent fingerprint
- Plastic fingerprint
- Latent fingerprint (Correct answer)
- Exemplar fingerprint
Correct answer: Latent fingerprint
Latent fingerprints are invisible impressions left by sweat and oils from skin, requiring development techniques such as powder or chemical reagents to be visualized.
Question 6: What is the purpose of 'skeletal age estimation' in forensic anthropology?
- Determining how long bones have been exposed to the environment
- Estimating a deceased individual's age at time of death from bone morphology (Correct answer)
- Identifying whether skeletal remains belong to a human or animal
- Reconstructing the facial features of an unknown individual
Correct answer: Estimating a deceased individual's age at time of death from bone morphology
Forensic anthropologists examine bone density, epiphyseal fusion, dental eruption, and other markers to estimate a person's biological age at death.
Question 7: In digital forensics, what does 'write blocking' accomplish during evidence acquisition?
- Encrypts the suspect's drive to prevent tampering
- Prevents any data from being written to the original evidence drive during imaging (Correct answer)
- Blocks network traffic to isolate the device
- Removes write permissions from the forensic copy
Correct answer: Prevents any data from being written to the original evidence drive during imaging
A write blocker is a hardware or software tool that prevents any modification to the original evidence drive while allowing data to be read and copied.
BSFS General 4
Which blood pattern is typically associated with a high-velocity impact such as a gunshot wound?