EA 147: Bodies of Evidence
Study Guide and example questions for Exam 1
The exam will consist of objective questions in a variety of formats: multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank, T/F and labeling. Exam questions will be drawn from the assigned readings, lecture material and case studies. The study guide below is intended to aid you in your preparation for the exam. Note: not all of the assigned reading material was covered in class, but unless this guide tells you that you won’t be tested on it, you will be expected to know it for the exam.
Word to the wise: bolded terms in the text are a good source of exam questions.
Unit 1: Introduction to medicolegal anthropology.
The material for this unit includes all of the lecture material (including case study 1 –
John Wayne Gacy) and the material on pp. 1-4 (up to “Historical Background”), 8-13 (from
“Forensic Anthropoogists and the Medicolegal Community” to “Methods in Forensic
Anthropology”) in Byers. You should know the historic case of Francisco Pizarro.
Note: you will not be tested on the reading on the history of forensic anthropology (from pages 4 to 8), or on the reading on methods in forensic anthropology (pp. 12-25). The material on methods will be covered in later classes, and you will be tested on it on later exams.
You will be responsible for knowing the John Wayne Gacy case, but only as we covered it in class. The supplemental reading on the Blackboard site was for your edification, and no exam questions will be drawn specifically from the supplemental reading.
Unit 2: Human osteology and odontology
You should know all of the lecture material and all of the reading material on basic osteology and odontology. You should know the anatomical terms of orientation and should be able to identify the bones of the skeleton and the major features on them (all of the bold terms in
Byers). You can expect the exam to include some diagrams like Figure 2.1, 2.6 to 2.11, 2.14,
2.26 and 2.33 on which you will be expected to identify bones or features. You should also know the dentition at a level covered in lecture and covered on pp. 48-51 in Byers.
Did I mention that you should know all the bold terms in Chapter 2? Well, you should.
Also, you should learn all the bold terms.
What you will not be tested on: osteometric landmarks (pp. 34-35); bone growth (p. 48) (this will appear on later exams).

Unit 3: Forensic context; body recovery methods
The material on forensic context includes the lecture material, case study 2, and Chapter
3 in Byers. You should know the basic means by which human material is distinguished from non-human remains, but you are not expected to know specific details of non-human anatomy
(e.g., that a sheep’s sacrum is T-shaped), nor are you expected to know the scientific names of animals mentioned in the text. All of the material from lecture and Chapter 3 on distinguishing contemporary from non-contemporary remains is relevant.
The material on body recovery includes the lecture material, case study 3, and Byers
Chapter 4 – excluding the material on mass disasters and genocide investigations on pp. 88-93
(this will appear on later exams).
Unit 4: Time since death
The material for this unit includes all of Chapter 5, lecture material, and case studies 4-7
(both as presented in class and as described in the supplemental reading). You are expected to know the basics of forensic entomology (e.g., the principle behind insect succession as an aid to determining PMI, the life cycle of necrophageous flies, etc) as presented in the book and lecture.
I also expect you to know the details of insect succession (what types of insects and at what stages of decomposition they appear) and the common names of the various insects that occupy a decomposing body during the various waves of succession. Again, details of case studies 4 and
5 not presented in class but found in the supplemental reading are fair game for the exam.
Unit 5: Forensic examination of skeletal material
There was no lecture material for this topic: All of Chapter 6 in Byers is fair game for exam questions.
Example exam questions:
Multiple choice:
A completely skeletonized body is recovered from a deep grave near Tuscon Arizona. A reasonable estimate for the minimum PMI is: a) 7 days b) 14 days c) 28 days d) 56 days e) > 1 year

In the John Wayne Gacy case, forensic anthropologists: a) made the initial determination that found remains were medicolegally significant. b) were called upon to estimate the post-mortem interval of the victims. c) made personal identifications of some but not all of the victims. d) testified in court as to the cause and manner of death of many of the victims. e) all of the above.
Which of the following findings would be inconsistent with a contemporary (medicolegally significant) case: a) flattening of the posterior cranium (cradleboarding). b) metal dental amalgams. c) heavy, yellow and greasy bones. d) an associated coin bearing the date 1957. e) orthopedic hardware.
Which of the following is not one of the named sutures of the cranial vault: a) coronal. b) xiphoidal. c) sagittal. d) lambdoid. e) squamosal.
The first insects to colonize a corpse in the outdoors are: a) rove and hister beetles (Staphylinidae and Histeridae). b) houseflies (Muscidae). c) blowflies and fleshflies (Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae). d) hide beetles (Dermestidae). e) carrion and carcass beetles (Silphidae and Trogidae).
Fill in the blank:
A pathologist specially trained in the medicolegal investigation of death is known as a(n)
____________________________________, while an elected official (who is not necessarily specially trained) who handles suspicious deaths is known as a(n)
____________________________________.
The anatomical name for the collar bone is the ________________________, while that of the shoulder blade is _________________________________.
Another name for the dens of the second cervical vertebra (C2) is
___________________________.
The chewing surface of a molar is known as the ____________________________ surface, while the surface adjacent to the cheek is known as the ____________________________ surface.