Answers to Practice Test 1

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Answers and explanations appear in blue, below the original question.

1. Which of the following are bones of the skull?

   1. Frontal, nasal, zygoma

   2. Parietal, atlas, mandible

   3. Frontal, parietal, atlas

   4. Occipital, temporal, lunate

   5. Frontal, lunate, zygoma

   Answer A is correct.  Answers B and C are wrong because the atlas is the first cervical vertebra, not part of the skull.  Answers D and E are wrong because the lunate is a bone of the wrist (a carpal bone).

2. Based on Burns, Chapter 10 on Dentition, which of the following tooth types is absent in the primary dentition (first set of teeth)?
   
   

   1. Canine

   2. Molar

   3. Incisor

   4. Premolar

   5. Cuspid

   Answer D is correct.  Answers A, B, and C are wrong because those tooth types are present in the primary dentition.  Answer E is wrong because cuspid is another name for canine, and it is present  in the primary dentition.  See Burns page 114.

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3. In Chapter 11, Burns discusses the nature of physical evidence.  All of the following are examples of typical physical evidence from a human burial EXCEPT:

   1. decomposing human remains

   2. clothing

   3. perimortem trauma (e.g., gunshot wounds, knife marks)

   4. handwriting

   5. projectile

   Answer D is correct.  Handwriting is part of what constitutes physical evidence from a crime scene, but is not typically found with a buried body.  See Burns pages 137-138.

4. In Chapter 1, "Everyday is Halloween,"  Maples describes a headstone that very early on piqued his interest in forensic science.  The headstone was of which famous person?
   
   

   1. Francisco Pizarro (Spanish conquistador)

   2. Bonnie Parker (of "Bonnie and Clyde" fame)

   3. Billy the Kid

   4. Elvis

   5. Davey Crockett

   Answer B is correct.  See Chapter 1, Maples. 

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5. Algor mortis is:

   1. postmortem cooling

   2. postmortem blood pooling

   3. postmortem decomposition

   4. instantaneous rigor

   5. time since death

   Answer A is correct.  Answer B is livor mortis.  Answer C is wrong because algor mortis is not part of decomposition (decomposition is not referred to as "postmortem" because it's generally a given that it occurs after death).  Answers D is wrong because this is a type of rigor mortis.  Answer E is wrong because time since death is not the same thing as algor mortis--they're not synonymous.. 
   
   

6. Why is photographing a death scene important?

   1. photographs are mandatory exhibits during trials

   2. a case may not come to trial for years and memories fade

   3. photographs provide better, more reliable information than mapping a site

   4. photographs are more convenient than note-taking

   5. photographs are more accurate than note-taking

   Answer B is correct.  Answer A is wrong because it's not true.  Answer C is wrong because photographs do not necessarily provide better or more reliable information than mapping a site.  Both techniques are useful and informative in similar and different ways.  Answer D is wrong because while it may be more convenient, it isn't more important.  Answer E is wrong because it's not necessarily more accurate. 

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7. During a body search, which of the following is the best evidence of a possible clandestine grave?
   
   

   1. a mound

   2. disturbed soil with new plant growth

   3. old, dying vegetation

   4. insect activity

   5. the body

   Answer B is correct.  While Answer A (a mound) could indicate a shallow burial, it does not necessarily mean something is buried under it.  A mound alone is not enough evidence to say with certainty a body is buried under it; however, it could be enough to warrant an excavation.  It should not be overlooked.  Answer B is best because the disturbed soil (lower layers mixed with top layers) and new plant growth indicate the ground was altered, as is the case in a burial.  Fluids from decomposition often provide nutrients for the soil, thus fostering plant growth.  Answer C alone does not necessarily mean anything suspicious, particularly because there is no indication of disturbed soil or broken or damaged vegetation.  Answer D is not likely in a burial--blowflies, maggots and beetles are more commonly seen on bodies on the surface of the ground, not in burials.  Answer E is not the best answer because the term "clandestine grave" usually means the body is not visible.

    

8. The metacarpals are bones of:

   1. wrist

   2. hand

   3. fingers

   4. A and B

   5. B and C

   Answer B is correct.  Answer A is wrong because bones of the wrist are called carpals (of which there are 8 you should know in name only; not how they articulate or how to recognize them).  Answer C is wrong because bones of the fingers and toes are called phalanges.  Answers D and E are both wrong.

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9. Which of the following is true of rigor mortis?

   1. it is immediate

   2. once it peaks, it lasts about 12 hours, then fades

   3. it is permanent

   4. it often doesn't occur

   5. it begins about 2-4 hours after death

   Answer B is correct.  Answer A is wrong, unless cadaveric spasm is indicated, which it is not in the question.  Answer C is wrong because rigor fades over time.  Answer D is wrong because rigor mortis often does occur.  Answer E is wrong because rigor begins earlier.

    

10. George Dorsey is important in the history of forensic anthropology because:

    1. his courtroom testimony was an early example of the significance of human identification for legal purposes

    2. he was the first forensic anthropologist to positively identify over 100 homicide victims

    3. his work on identifying repatriated military personnel is still greatly admired

    4. he wrote the now famous Guide to the Identification of Human Skeletal Remains during the late 1800's, which propelled the development of forensic anthropology

    5. he trained numerous anthropologists who later became noted forensic scientists

    Answer A is correct.  Answers B, C, D and E are wrong because they aren't true.  Regarding Answer choice D, Wilton Marion Krogman wrote the Guide in 1939.

     

11. To locate a burial Burns, in Chapter 13 discusses what to look for.  Which of the following best indicates a possible burial?

    1. Regularities in ground surface patterns

    2. Compact (dense) soil 

    3. Vegetation changes

    4. Uneven topography

    5. Plowed field

    Answer C is best.  Irregularities, loose soil and changes in vegetation point are more likely associated with a shallow grave.  Uneven topography doesn't necessarily mean there's a burial.  Hills, mounds and such are found naturally.  Plowed fields may indicate recent agricultural activity and do not automatically imply a burial.  See Burns page 184.

     

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