HOSA Forensic Science Questions and Answers with Complete Solution Graded A+
Who helped advance fingerprint, firearms, and hair analysis? -✔✔ Victor Balthazard
Who was credited with developing a probablility model that showed fingerprints are unique (10^60 chance of 2 people having same patterns)? -✔✔ Victor Balthazard
Who developed an advanced photographic method of comparing markings on bullets? -✔✔ Victor Balthazard
What is the identification of suspects using 11 body measurements? -✔✔ Anthropometry/bertillonage
Who created anthropometry? -✔✔ Alphonse Bertillon
When was anthropometry popular? -✔✔ 1883-1900s
Who was the first forensic scientist that used fingerprints to solve a case? -✔✔ Alphonse Bertillon
Who was the cousin of Charles Darwin? -✔✔ Sir Francis Galton
Who developed the first classification for fingerprints? -✔✔ Sir Francis Galton
What is used to describe one of the features found in fingerprints in the US? -✔✔ Galton Ridge
Who is credited with establishing examination of firearms evidence in US? -✔✔ Galvin Goddard
Who coined the term of "criminalistics"? -✔✔ Hans Gross
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What does criminalistics refer to? -✔✔ The forensic analysis of physical evidence
Who wrote Kriminologie? -✔✔ Hans Gross
What is Locard's exchange principle? -✔✔ Every contact leaves a trace
Who created Locard's exchange principle? -✔✔ Edmond Locard
Who is the founder of forensic toxicology? -✔✔ Mathieu Orfila
Who spent a good deal of their time studying poison? -✔✔ Mathieu Orfila
What poison did Mathieu Orfila spend the most time studying? -✔✔ Arsenic
What is the adversarial system? -✔✔ Two positions arguing for acceptance
What is a judge and jury also called? -✔✔ Finder of fact/trier of truth
What is the scientific method? -✔✔ Data based and founded on concepts taken collectively through a series of steps
What is the first step of the scientific method? -✔✔ Formulate hypothesis
What is the second step of the scientific method? -✔✔ Test hypothesis using observation or experimentation
What is the third step of the scientific method? -✔✔ Based on results, revise hypothesis and repeat previous steps
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What is the fourth step of the scientific method? -✔✔ Continue until the data is in agreement with hypothesis
What is the first thing a forensic scientist should do? -✔✔ Distinguish evidence from coincidence
What is the second thing a forensic scientist should do? -✔✔ Rank alternative results based on the basic principles in applied sciences
What is the third thing a forensic scientist should do? -✔✔ Allow for certainty and probabilistic considerations wherever appropriate through this ranking
What is the fourth thing a forensic scientist should do? -✔✔ Disallow hypotheses more extraordinary than facts
What is the fifth thing a forensic scientist should do? -✔✔ Pursue specific details
What is the sixth thing a forensic scientist should do? -✔✔ Pursue testing by addressing smallest logical component of the hypothesis one at a time
What are the opinions of Charles Sander Pierce? -✔✔ Contrite Fallibilism
What is contrite fallibilism? -✔✔ The awareness of how much we do not know and the humility to acknowledge the possibility of making mistakes
Who normally works as private consultants? -✔✔ Forensic anthropologists/engineers
What are public laboratories? -✔✔ Laboratories funded by governments
What are private laboratories? -✔✔ Businesses designed to make a profit
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What do most private laboratories specialize in? -✔✔ DNA and forensic toxicology
What is the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner tasked with? -✔✔ Death investigations and houses laboratories associated with performing autopsies
What will the office of the Chief Medical Examiner also have? -✔✔ Toxicology laboratories to analyze postmortem samples
What do full-service laboratories cover? -✔✔ DNA, drug analysis, firearms and toolmarks, trace evidence, fingerprints
What is an example of a full-service laboratory? -✔✔ FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia
What is a small branch laboratory? -✔✔ Laboratory that focuses on one type of evidence
What are the jobs of a forensic scientist that is also a police officer? -✔✔ Respond to crime scenes, process and collect evidence, deliver evidence for further testing
What is accreditation? -✔✔ A laboratory that agrees to work according to professional standards and proves that it can and does operate this way
What does accreditation also require? -✔✔ Re-accreditation on a set schedule
What is certification? -✔✔ A forensic scientist that has completed a written test covering their discipline
What board covers the most diverse set of forensic disciplines? -✔✔ American Board of Criminalistics
How does certification begin? -✔✔ Passing a multiple-choice test
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