QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATION

Q and A

Presented by
Dr. JEZREEL VICENTE, RC, CSP, CCS, CST, CSMS
Instructor, BFSci, BSCrim, MSCrim, PhDCrim
Program Head, Forensic Science, University of Baguio
VP for Luzon, PCAP

1. This refers to a person who, by reason of his special technical education, training,
and experience, can be permitted to express his opinion about scientific issues involved
in the examination.
A. Document Expert
B. Document examiner
C. Expert witness
D. Witness

2. The art of determining the CHARACTER or disposition of a person by analyzing his

handwriting?
A. Graphemics
B. Graphology
C. Grammatology
D. Grapho-analysis
Graphemics or graphematics - linguistic study of writing systems.
Grammatology – scientific study of writing systems or scripts (coined by the linguist
Ignace Gelbin)

3. The study of handwriting based on 2 fundamental strokes - the curve and the straight
strokes?
A. Bibliomancy
B. Graphology
C. Graphometry
D. Grapho-analysis
Bibliomancy – fortune-telling by book (bible)
Graphology – to determine the character
Graphometry - measurements

4. The art of beautiful writing is _____.

A. Uppercase/Majuscule/Big letters
B. Lowercase/Minuscule/Small letters
C. Calligraphy
D. Cacography
5. Paleography came from the Greek word ‘palaios’ which means ____.
A. Art writing
B. Writing
C. To write
D. Old writing
Old writings:
1. Crude writings – skeleton of animals
2. Pictographic writings – symbolic pictures
3. Alphabetic writings – ABC – Z (Alibata – Phil)
6. Which of the following is considered the earliest material that served as paper?
A. Vellum
B. Codex
C. Papyrus
D. Parchment
Papyrus - made of Reed Grass or Sedge
Parchment – Goatskin/Kidskin (young goat) and sheepskin
Vellum – Calfskin (leather from calf) and Lamb skin
Codex – Early form of book, bound sheaf of materials

7. This ink contains ink reservoir, where ink come from and passes to the synthesized
fibers before it reaches the writing material.
A. Stylographic pen
B. Quill pen
C. Fiber tip pen
D. Fountain pen
Stylographic pen – has several designs of its nib
Quill pen – Feather pen (no ink reservoir)
Fountain pen – known as “Sign pen”
Fiber tip pen – known as “Pentelpen”

8. Who was recognized as the inventor of paper, now the most commonly used writing
material?
A. Chinese and Arab Armies
B. Cai Lun or Tsai Lun
C. Emperor Ho Ti
D. Chester Carison
Chinese vs. Arab Armies War – Arab Armies won
Emperor Ho Ti – the emperor of China when paper was invented
Chester Carison – inventor of Xerox Machine

9. Which of the following is the oldest ink?

A. Iron Gallotanic ink
B. Logwood ink
C. Carbon, Chinese, and Indian ink
D. Nigrosine ink
Iron Gallotanic ink – blue/black ink (Henry Steven)
Logwood ink – from logs, trees
Nigrosine ink – synthetic dyes
10. Who is regarded as the “Grandfather of modern graphology?”
A. Ladislao Biru
B. Albert Osborn
C. Jean Michon
D. Milton Reynolds
Albert Osborn – father of QDE, most influential American examiner.
Ladislao Biru – one of the 1st inventors of “Ball Point Pen in 1943”
Milton Reynolds – invented Reynolds Pen in 1945.

11. Albert S. Osborn is to “Questioned Documents,” as to Wilson Harrison is to _____.

A. Evidential Document
B. Scientific Examination of QD
C. Suspect Identification
D. The Law of Disputed and Forged Documents
Evidential Document - James VP Conway
Scientific Examination of QD - Ordway Hilton
The Law of Disputed and Forged Documents - J. Newton Baker

12. These are materials which contain marks, signs or symbols, either visible or partially
visible, that may convey a meaning or message to someone.
A. Questioned documents
B. Disputed document
C. Documents
D. Handwritings

13. The legal classification of documents are the following, except –

A. Official document.
B. Questioned document.
C. Commercial and private document.
D. Public document.
Note:
Private and Public are the 2 general categories of documents

14. Any instrument executed in accordance with the mercantile law that contains
disposition of trade rights and obligations is classified as –
A. Public document
B. Commercial document
C. Private document
D. Official document

15. If a document is disputed by one or more persons because of the materials used in
their production, such document is considered ___.
A. questioned document
B. holographic documents
C. falsified document
D. all of the foregoing
The ff are also QD:
- Paper - Signatory
- Contents - Signature
- Format - Date

16. “The document examiner must decide within the limits of science” best means
_____.
A. The examiner must conduct examination immediately
B. The examiner must decide based from the findings
C. The examiner must examine all specimens
D. The examiner must do fair examination
Crime Lab Saying:
“If the law has made you a witness, remain a man of science, you have no victim to
avenge, no guilty person to ruin or save. You must bear witness within the limits of
science.”

17. Based on the Supreme Court rulings, which of the following legally constitute
document?
A. Pamphlet or book that do not establish any disposition or agreement
B. Draft of a payroll for a particular government agency
C. Blank forms of official documents
D. Neither A, B nor C

18. Which of these terms is used to describe a line, sentence or paragraph that is
inserted in between lines or paragraphs written in a document?
A. Addition
B. Superimposition
C. Substitution
D. Interlineations
SUBSTITUTION – you erase and write something.
INTERLINEATION – between lines
ADDITION – words/letters were just added (no erasure)

19. When investigating a QD, the examiner must follow the scientific method of
examination. The first official stage is _____.
A. Verification
B. Comparison
C. Evaluation
D. Analysis
A-C-E-V Method

20. When does official document becomes public document?

A. When a document was issued by an official and was notarized for legal
purposes.
B. When a notarized document was issued by an official of a government office.
C. When a receipt was issued and was certified as true copy.
 D. When a document is certified and notarized by a notary public.

21. In general, the act of examining two signatures and/or handwriting side by side is
_____.
A. Comparison
B. Collation
C. Juxtaposition
D. Examination
Comparison – to “weigh their identifying details”
Examination – to determine their “similarities and dissimilarities”
Juxtaposition – side by side exam (Forensic Ballistics)

22. What do you call the writings found on a paper pad after the top sheet has been
removed?
A. Disguised writing
B. Questioned writing
C. Invisible writing
D. Indented writing

23. Used to make the examiner discover or see minute physical details of the writings in
a document which would not be possible by merely using his naked eye?
A. Transmitted light examination
B. Infra-red light examination
C. Microscopic examination
D. Ultra-violet light examination

24. What technique should be applied in recording the original appearance of a charred
document that was discovered at the crime scene?
A. Microphotography
B. Infrared photography
C. Ultraviolet photography
D. The golden rule in crime scene investigation

25. Any document that has been darkened and brittle through exposure to fire or
excessive heat.
A. Paper document
B. Charred document
C. Destroyed document
D. Burned document

26. The characteristics that show the uniqueness of handwriting of a person that serve
as identifying detail is _____.
A. Class characteristics
B. Individual characteristics
C. Rare characteristics
D. Characteristics
27. As used in document examination, refers to blotting out or smearing over of writing
or printing to make the original unreadable.
A. Erasure
B. Obliteration
C. Retouching/ Retracing
D. Retracing
Obliterate is the same with erase and obscure.

28. What do you call the newest version of Philippine money?

A. Filipino Series
B. Bagong Lipunan Series
C. New Generation
D. New Series/ BSP Series
Banknotes issued by the BSP
1. English series (1949 to 1969)
2. Pilipino series (1970-1972)
3. Ang Bagong Lipunan series (1973 to 1985)
4. New Design/BSP series – Started June 12, 1985
5. New Generation Currency series – the money use today.

29. The system of printing and writing for the blind.

A. Brainwriting
B. Braille
C. Handwriting
D. Stenography

30. The process of converting a printed text to braille?

A. Some of these
B. Transforming
C. Interpretation
D. Transcribing

31. A person who can write either with his left or right hand is called
A. Ambidextrous
B. Analogous
C. Bicephalous
D. Dextrous or dexterous

32. Is not simply a signature but it is a signature, signed at a particular time  and place,
under particular conditions, while the signer was at particular age, in a particular
physical and mental condition, using particular implements, and with a particular reason
and purpose for recording his name.
A. Guided Signature
B. Fraudulent signature
C. Evidential Signature
 D. Assisted Signature
Signature is referring to the name of the person written by him/her
Stamped signature should be counter-signed in order to be valid
Thumbprint can be a signature for illiterate and sick person.

33. Which of these refers to the special way how various hand muscles work together to
produce written form of the ideas conceived by the mind of the writer?
A. Muscle coordination
B. Motor coordination
C. Rhythm
D. Handwriting movement

34. What group of muscles used in pushing the pen upward strokes of our handwriting?
A. Flexors
B. Extensors
C. Lumbricals
D. Biceps

35. What handwriting movement is usually used by children and barely literate people?
The thumb, index and middle finger are the ones in actual motion while the person is
writing.
A. Finger movement
B. Hand movement
C. Forearm movement
D. Whole arm movement
Hand movement - wrist
Forearm movement - elbow
Whole arm movement – no rest

36. What handwriting is made by a person with the intention of hiding his identity by
deliberate altering his normal habits of writing?
A. Forgery
B. Normal writing
C. Disguised writing
D. Tremulous writing

37. What do you call the invisible image on a banknote, same with the image that is
seen on it?
A. Thread
B. Vignette
C. Watermark
D. Portrait

38. If ink needs to be confirmed as INK and NOT any other stain, it must have to be
endorsed at the _____.
A. Forensic Chemistry Division
B. QD Division
C. Polygraphy Division
D. Physical Identification Division
Important terms
Drop Cap – an oversized capital letter used to start a paragraph.
Ligature – refers to characters that are combined or connected. For instance: following
(ff) and street (st.)
Ambidextrous –refers the situation when a person is able to use the right and the left
hand with equal skills in writing. From the Latin word “dexter” which means “right-
handed” and from its old Latin term “ambidexter” which means “right-handed on both
sides.”

CALLIGRAPHIC TERMS
1. ASCENDER LINE – the portion of the letter that rises above the waistline showing
the height of an ascending letter.
2. DESCENDER LINE –portion of a letter that falls below the baseline.
3. BASE LINE – where the small letters rest or sit.
4. WAISTLINE – the opposite of baseline, located on top of small letters.
5. X-HEIGHT – the height between baseline and waistline. It also refers to the height of
the lowercase letters.
6. CAP LINE – refers to the height of the capital or uppercase letters.
7. COUNTER – the space inside the loops of selected letters.
8. NIB – refers to the pen point.
9. PEN ANGLE – refers to the angle at which the nib meets the paper relative to the
baseline. It could be 90 or 45 degrees.
10. SERIFS – a small stroke that begins or ends a letter.
11. RETRACE – the part of connector that starts a letter.
12. SLANT – refers to the slope of a letter. The 3 kinds are slant to the right, left and
vertical slant.
13. BRANCHING STROKE (Junction Connection) – refers to the stroke which connects
the arch to the down stroke of a letter.
14. FLOURISHMENT (Embellishment) – added to a letter for beatification only, usually
found at the beginning or ending stroke.
15. SLANT LINE –the guideline showing the correct slant.
16. CROSS BAR – the horizontal stroke to complete letters t, and H and cedillas (ç an
ş).
17. FOOT - lower part which rest on the base line. The small letter "m" has three feet,
and the small letter "n" has two feet.
18. SHOULDER – the side out portion of the top curve of letters m, n, h.
19. HUMP – the top outside portion of letters m, n, & h the rounded outside or top of the
bend stroke  or curve in small letter.
20. ARCADE – inside curve
21. HABIT - any repeated elements or details, which may serve to individualize writing. It
is how a certain letter is written repeatedly.
22. HESITATION - the term applied to the irregular thickening of ink which is found
when writing slows down or stop while the pen take a stock of the position.
23. HOOK - It is a minute curve or a ankle which often occurs at the beginning or ending
of strokes. The  terminal curves  of the letters "a, d, n, m, p, u” are the hook. In small
letter "w" the initial curve is the hook.
24. LOOP - An oblong curve such as found on the small letter "f, g, l" and letters
stroke "f". A loop may be blind or open. A blind loop is usually the result of the ink
having filled the open space.
25. EYELET or EYELOOP - a small loop or curve formed inside the letters. This may
occur inside the oval of the letters "a, d, o"; the small loop form by stroke that extend
in divergent direction as in small letters.
26. COUNTER – the space which is enclosed or delimited that may be found in letters
O, P, Q, D, C, F and other letters.
27. BUCKLE or BUCKLE KNOT - a loop made as a flourish which is added to the
letters, as in small letters "k, b & p or in capital letters "A", "K.”
28. HIATUS or PEN JUMP - a gap occurring between a continuous stroke without lifting
the pen.
29. PEN LIFT - an act of interruption by the writer in a stroke caused by removing or
lifting the writing instrument (pen) from the paper.
30. TREMOR - a writing weakness portrayed by irregular shaky strokes that is found in
handwriting of a person.
31. RHYTHM – the harmonious appearance of characters, concerning its general style
and appearance. Such style or design of letters if found to be consistently used,
there is rhythm in writing.

39.This is the interruption in a stroke caused by removing the writing instrument from
the paper.
A. Pen hold
B. Pen lift
C. Pen Pressure
D. Pen Jump or Hiatus
Pen hold – the style of holding a writing instrument
Pen Pressure – the amount of pressure
Pen Jump or Hiatus – a gap between letters

40.The ruled or imaginary line where the letters in the handwriting rests is called _____.
A. Baseline
B. Waistline
C. X-height
C. Capline
Waistline – the opposite of baseline
X-height – the height of small characters from baseline to waistline
Capline – the height of big letters from the baseline to ascender line.

41. The top portion of a letter forming an upper loop

A. Ascender
B. Descender
C. Buckle knots
 D. Diacritics
Descender – the lowest line that a character can reach.
Buckleknot – can be observed only for cursive writers
Diacritics – j and I dots; A,T,H crossing; Peso sign, Dollar sign, Centavo sign, Tilde in
an Ň.

42. In the MLQSAPS acronym, what do you mean by the last “S”?
A. Spreading
B. Spacing
C. Slant
D. Stroke structure
Movement
LQ – line quality
Slant
Alignment
Proportion or ratio
Stroke structure

43. Preliminary embellished initial stroke which usually occurs in capital letters
A. Ascender
B. Beaded
C. Bucklenot
D. Eyeloop

44. It is the relative height of one letter to another letter found in different writing. It is the
hidden features of writing that is unknown even to the writer.
A. Lateral spacing
B. Proportion or Ratio
C. Tremor
D. Whirl

45. The bottom part of the letter which rests on the base line
A. Foot
B. Hiatus
C. Ligature
D. Stem

46. Due to brain infection and neurological damage caused by a head injury, Pedro lost
the ability to write in an orderly fashion although he can still manage to manipulate
writing materials. Pedro is suffering from –
A. Agraphia
B. Dyslexia
C. Dyscalcula
D. Maysakitsia
Related Terms to Ponder
1. Dysgraphia – difficulty of writing
 2. Dyslexia – the inability to learn to read fluently.
3. Dyscalcula – difficulty in computation/numbers
4. Dyspraxia – poor coordination of brain and body parts that function during
writing.

47. A genuine or a copy of the genuine signature which has been used to prepare
imitated or traced signature.
A. Exemplars
B. Standard signature
C. Model signature
D. Formal signature

48. A signature which is executed while the writer's hand or arm is steadied by another
person.
A. Model signature
B. Disguised signature
C. Fraudulent signature
D. Guided signature

49. Legally speaking, what is the description of the act of passing, delivering, or giving a
counterfeit coin to another person?
A. Counterfeiting
B. Falsification
C. Reproduction
D. Uttering

50. In legal language, it refers to the document Examiner's conclusion.

A. Opinion
B. Qualification
C. Result
D. Resolution

USING FICTITIOUS NAME

Art 178, RPC

FICTITIOUS NAME is any other name which a person publicly applies to himself
without authority of law.
Elements of Using Fictitious Name:
1. That the offender uses a name other than his real name;
2. That he uses the fictitious name publicly;
3. That the purpose of the offender is:
a. to conceal a crime;
b. to evade the execution of a judgment;
c. to cause damage to public interest.

CONCEALING TRUE NAME

Art 178, RPC
Elements:
1. That the offender conceals
his true name
All other personal circumstances
1. That the purpose is to conceal only his identity.

NOTE: NOT punishable if purpose is for concealing true name for the purpose of screen
play (Movies) usually done by people in the Show Business Industry. SCREEN NAME
refers to a name of a person used for show business.

ELEMENTS OF FALSE TESTIMONY

a. is under oath
b. gave testimony in court
c. that the testimony was untrue

FORMS OF FALSE TESTIMONY

1. Criminal cases (Arts 180-181 RPC)
2. Civil cases (Art 182 RPC)
3. Other cases (Art 183 RPC)

PERJURY
It is the willful and corrupt assertion of falsehood under oath or affirmation
administered by authority of law on a material matter.

Elements:
1. That the accused made a statement under oath or executed an affidavit upon a
material matter;
2. That the statement of affidavit was made before a competent officer;
3. That the accused made a willful and deliberate assertion of falsehood; and
4. That the sworn statement or affidavit containing the falsity is required by law.
(People vs Bautista CA., 40 O.G. 2491)
What is Subornation of Perjury?
This is committed by a person, who knowingly and willfully procures another to
swear falsely.
The witness suborned does testify under the circumstances rendering him guilty
of perjury.

Presented by
Dr. JEZREEL VICENTE, RC, CSP, CCS, CST, CSMS
Instructor, BFSci, BSCrim, MSCrim, PhDCrim
Program Head, Forensic Science, University of Baguio
VP for Luzon, PCAP