Name at least two possible
sources of ignition:
Match
Electrical
Sparks
Chemical

A Forensic Document Examiner must have a
license. T or F

False
 Once
adulthood is reached,
an individual’s handwriting
generally will not change
with age. T or F?

False
 True
or False – Writings on
a charred document may be
revealed by reflecting light
off the paper’s surface at
different angles.
 True
How are gas residues best
characterized by?
 Gas
Chromatography
True or False – Accelerants
are usually consumed
completely in a fire.
False

The chemical reaction that occurs during a
fire is called _________________.
 Oxidation
In terms of energy conservation, what type of
reaction is “fire”?
Exothermic
How is evidence at an arson
crime scene collected?
In an airtight container such
as a paint can. There should
be space left at the top for
air.
Margins, spacing and
crowding are all different
types of ____________ habits.
 Personal
What is pyrolysis?
Pyrolsis occurs when an
organic solid is hot enough
to decompose into gaseous
products.
How long does it take for a
body to be cremated? At
what temperature?
Two hours at 1600 degrees
Fahrenheit.
What is the difference
between a graphologist and a
forensic document examiner?
A graphologist attempts to
predict character traits of
handwriting while a forensic
document examiner
identifies the authorship and
origin of the document.
What are the components of
black powder?
 75%
potassium nitrate
 15% charcoal
 10% sulfur
The minimum temperature at
which liquid fuel produces
enough vapor to burn is
called the fuel’s
________________________.
Flash point
What are the three
components needed for a fire
to burn?
Fuel
Oxygen
Heat
When is the best time to start
an arson investigation?
 Right
after the fire has been
extinguished.
Describe the behavior of fire.
It moves up and away from
its origin.
Is a warrant needed to search
a crime scene after a fire?
No
Although spontaneous
combustion is rare for
humans, it has been known
to occur in remote villages
located near the equator.
True or False?
False, no one has ever
witnessed a human
spontaneous combustion.
Minimum temperature to
spontaneously ignite fuel is
known as ___________.
Ignition temperature.
Fuel will achieve a reaction
rate with oxygen sufficient to
produce a flam only when it
is in the ______________ state.
Gaseous
What type of behavior is
handwriting?
Projected.
Handwriting can not predict
behavior – true or false?
True, it can show correlation
between personality and
handwriting, but can not
predict behavior.
What method physically
separates mixtures of gases,
liquids and dissolved salts?
Gas chromatography
Spalling is only left by an
accelerant being poured and
then ignited. True or Fasle?
False
Can the conscious
handwriting of two
individuals be identical? Yes
or No
Yes! – only the UNconscious handwriting of
two individuals CAN NOT
be identical.
What type of explosive is
insensitive to heat, shock or
friction and will normally
burn rather than detonate if
ignited in small quantities in
the open air?
Secondary explosives
What must an examiner be
able to recognize that is an
attempt to change the
original meaning of a
document?
Erasures and Overwriting
Who investigates cyber
crimes?
A Computer Crime Analyst
What is the number (or value)
that represents how fast a
compound travels in a
particular solvent?
The retention factor or Rf
value
True or False?
Fraud investigation is the
verification of age and value
of a document or object.
False, fraud investigation is
used to determine the
authenticity of a document,
not how much it is worth.
Which of the following is
NOT a questioned
document?
a. Letters
b. Checks
c. Bumper Stickers
d. Wills
 Bumper
Stickers
Name at least one of the two
different methods of writing.
Palmer Method or ZonetBlosser
True or False- Oxidations
are chemical reactions that
give off heat.

True

The offender’s pattern of operation

A motive, or the modus operandi
Another word for the rapid combination of
oxygen with another substance accompanied
by the production of heat and light

combustion

A chemical transformation in which heat
energy is liberated.

Exothermic reaction

A chemical transformation in which heat
energy is absorbed from the surroundings.

Endothermic reaction

What is smoldering?

Burning at the fuel-air interface

The intentional ________________ of writing by
blotting out or smearing is seldom used for
fraudulent purposes because of its
obviousness.

Obliteration

_____________ _____________ is sometimes
successfully used to reveal the contents of a
charred or obliterated document.

Infrared photography