3.05 Review Questions
Module Three: Text Questions
Review Questions
1. What are the four types of evidence in a criminal investigation?
Physical evidence, documentary evidence, demonstrative evidence, and a testimony.
2. What are individual characteristics? Give an example of an individual characteristic?
Individual characteristics are pieces of evidence with characteristics that can be traced back to an individual item or person, such as fingerprint patterns, blood samples, firearm markings, or markings on a fired cartridge.
3. What is the difference between individual characteristics and class characteristics?
Individual characteristics point to one single item or person, where class characteristics point to one group and not a single source.
4. What are physical and chemical properties? Give an example of each.
Physical properties describe a substance or object without referring to any other substance, and chemical properties describe what happens when a substance reacts with another substance.
5. What do forensic scientists do to collect and preserve soil samples?
They collect the soil found on an item and take the whole thing to the lab to be tested; for instance, if there’s soil on the bottom of a shoe, the whole shoe is taken to the crime lab, and if a piece of clothing has a dried mud spot, it has to be placed in a paper bag so the mud doesn’t fall off and get lost.
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Why do you think forensic scientists are so careful that the tests they do are sensitive, reproducible, and specific? What might happen if they were less careful about this?
If they were less careful about the tests, they could get poor/inaccurate results when they get them back. They have to be reproducible so in case they need to do another one as a just-in-case, it’s quick and easy to do.
2. Which type of evidence do you think is most useful in an investigation? Why?
I think that physical evidence is most useful in an investigation because it’s cold, hard proof that can be
Review Questions
1. What are the four types of evidence in a criminal investigation?
Physical evidence, documentary evidence, demonstrative evidence, and a testimony.
2. What are individual characteristics? Give an example of an individual characteristic?
Individual characteristics are pieces of evidence with characteristics that can be traced back to an individual item or person, such as fingerprint patterns, blood samples, firearm markings, or markings on a fired cartridge.
3. What is the difference between individual characteristics and class characteristics?
Individual characteristics point to one single item or person, where class characteristics point to one group and not a single source.
4. What are physical and chemical properties? Give an example of each.
Physical properties describe a substance or object without referring to any other substance, and chemical properties describe what happens when a substance reacts with another substance.
5. What do forensic scientists do to collect and preserve soil samples?
They collect the soil found on an item and take the whole thing to the lab to be tested; for instance, if there’s soil on the bottom of a shoe, the whole shoe is taken to the crime lab, and if a piece of clothing has a dried mud spot, it has to be placed in a paper bag so the mud doesn’t fall off and get lost.
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Why do you think forensic scientists are so careful that the tests they do are sensitive, reproducible, and specific? What might happen if they were less careful about this?
If they were less careful about the tests, they could get poor/inaccurate results when they get them back. They have to be reproducible so in case they need to do another one as a just-in-case, it’s quick and easy to do.
2. Which type of evidence do you think is most useful in an investigation? Why?
I think that physical evidence is most useful in an investigation because it’s cold, hard proof that can be