Chapter 7 Test Bank

I. Multiple Choice Questions:

1. A change in the physical appearance or meaning of something is known as a (an):
a) Authentication
b) Alteration
c) Addition
d) Eradication
e) Indentation
Answer: b

2. A document which is an illegal copy of something, made for the purpose of deception, is
known as a (an):
a) Extortion
b) Disguise
c) Forgery
d) Deception
e) Bribe
Answer: c

3. Although handwriting may evolve throughout our life, most individuals have developed
distinctive writing styles by the time they have:
a) Completed elementary school
b) Completed high school
c) Graduated from University
d) Turned 50 years old
e) Retired at 65
Answer: b

4. Day-to-day variations in a person’s handwriting are considered to be an example of:

a) Normal variation
b) Cursive writing
c) Skill level differences
d) Contemporaneous handwriting
e) Unusual
Answer: a

5. Which of the following would be an example of a transfer medium?

a) Copy machines
b) Paper
c) Pen Inks
d) Surface coatings
e) Fountain pens
Answer: c

6. What is the purpose of adding a surface coating to writing paper?

a) To roughen the surface
b) To hide the surface
c) To bleach the paper
d) To hide the watermark
e) To provide a smooth surface
Answer: e

7. Two inks of the same color may differ in which of the following components?
a) pigments
b) toner
c) dyes
d) All of the above
e) Both a and c
Answer: e

8. Inks which have a similar color can often be differentiated using a separation method
known as:
a) TLC
b) ESDA
c) PDQ
d) IAFIS
e) ACE-V
Answer: a

9. What is the best way to package and preserve a questioned document?

a) Between wax paper sheets
b) In a plastic sheet protector
c) In a druggist fold
d) In aluminum foil
e) In a paper bag
Answer: b

10. When collecting document evidence, it is important to carefully protect the document in
order to avoid:
a) Loss of fingerprints
b) Loss of trace evidence
c) Damage from any liquids
d) Adding new fingerprints
e) All of the above
Answer: e

11. The investigator should ensure that the control handwriting samples are:
a) Disguised
b) Handprinted
c) Contemporaneous
d) Aged
e) Requested
Answer: c

12. A document that is given a new appearance in order to hide its true form is termed a:
a) Difference
b) Disguise
c) Forgery
d) Deception
e) Bribe
Answer: b

13. Which of the following features reflect the skill level of the writer?
a) Smoothness & flow
b) Grammar
c) Spelling
d) Slant of letters
e) Ratio of letters
Answer: a

14. An example of a requested writing would be:

a) Letters
b) Job Applications
c) School records
d) Loan applications
e) None of the above
Answer: e

15. Which of the following represent the writing mechanics of an individual?

a) The start and endpoint of letters
b) Letter and word spacing
c) Letter connections within words
d) Marks such as “dots” and “crosses”
e) All of the above
Answer: e

16. What individualizing features may help to identify a particular copy machine?
a) Ink composition
b) Toner formulations
c) Paper composition
d) Accidental marks on the drum
e) The font characteristics
Answer: d

17. What instrument can be used to recover writings on a charred document?

a) Xerox machine
b) A spectral comparator
c) ESDA
d) HPLC
e) Light box
Answer: b

18. A production mark embossed on paper during its manufacture is known as a:

a) Watermark
b) Serial number
c) Surface coating
d) Sizing
e) Seal
Answer: a

19. The fluid that is used to decolorize ink on a document is called:

a) “White-out”
b) Ink eradicator
c) A dye
d) Toner
e) Surface coating
Answer: b

20. The instrument developed in England specifically for making indented writings visible is
known by its acronym:
a) EDTA
b) ESDA
c) EKG
d) EASY
e) EGTA
Answer: b

II. True or False Questions:

1. The major handwriting characteristics are set by the time a person reaches the teenage
years.
Answer: False

2. The normal variation within an individual’s handwriting is much less than the variation
between handwriting from two different individuals.
Answer: True

3. A person’s signature is almost always much more distinctive than the person’s normal
handwriting.
Answer: True

4. The thin coating known as sizing that is found on the surface of writing paper is usually
made from cotton or linen fibers.
Answer: False

5. Questioned document examiners prefer to work with copies of a questioned document in

order to avoid damage to the original material.
Answer: False

6. The skill level of a writer is represented by the slant of the letters and the ratio of small to
tall letters.
Answer: False
7. Requested writings are usually obtained by asking the suspect to copy a typed or printed
exemplar.
Answer: False

8. A pigment is any deeply colored material that dissolves in a solution to give it a desired
color.
Answer: False

9. A spectral comparator is an instrument used to compare spectrophotometer data.

Answer: False

10. The Electrostatic Detection Apparatus is used to help visualize indented writings.
Answer: True

III. Short Answer:

1. What is a Questioned Document?
Answer:
A questioned document (QD) is any means of communication that is suspect as to its
authenticity or origin.

2. What is the fundamental basis for the existence of class characteristics in handwriting and
what potential forensic value do they have?
Answer:
Our basic handwriting styles were learnt in early schooling by a copying process, either from
the teacher's handwriting or from a copybook. Thus, a large group of students learned the
same basic style of writing. These class features persist in individual’s writing making it
possible to recognize writing from a particular school, region, or country.

3. List some of the factors that can affect a person’s handwriting in addition to an aging effect.
Answer:
Sickness, infirmed, alcohol, and some drugs have the potential of influencing the features of
a person’s handwriting.

4. Name three basic components of the writing process that can provide useful information to
a QD examiner. Provide an example for each.
Answer:
i) The writing surface - paper
ii) The writing instrument - pen or pencil
iii) The transfer medium - ink or pencil lead

5. Why do QD examiners need original writings and not copies to work with?
Answer:
The QD examiner is interested in the way the handwriting was written, such as the stop and
start of letters, letter connections, and pressure points. These subtle features can be
ascertained from the original document but do not show up very well on copies.
6. What is the difference between a threatening letter and an extortion note?
Answer:
A threatening letter is a communication usually threatening harm to an individual or
individuals, whereas an extortion note is a communication usually demanding some form of
payment to prevent the writer from carrying out some sort of threat.

7. Why is a person’s signature much more distinctive than the person’s normal handwriting?
Answer:
The distinctive nature of signatures arises because people do not have to think about forming
each letter of each word when they write. Since individuals sign their names more often than
performing other writing functions, our brains have been “programmed” to write our
signatures without conscious thought about how to form each letter.

8. When obtaining a handwriting standard from a suspect, why is it important to dictate the
text of the evidentiary document rather than have the suspect handwrite from a typed or
printed exemplar?
Answer:
Dictation is critical because it allows one to gain information on important characteristics such
as spelling, page layout, and the mechanics of writing. If the suspect is asked to copy from a
typed or printed exemplar, most of that information is lost as the writing characteristics will
tend to follow what is shown on the template.

9. What is the basic difference in solubility properties between a dye and a pigment used in
the manufacture of ink?
Answer:
Dyes are deeply colored materials that dissolve readily in a solution to give a desired color
Pigments are finely divided, highly colored material that do not dissolve, but are suspended in
a solution or dispersed through an object to give a desired color.

10. What is a spectral comparator?

Answer:
A spectral comparator is an instrument that uses a variety of light sources, filters, and a video
camera to examine documents, helping to visualize written and printed material that may be
essentially nonvisible to the naked eye.

IV. Essay Questions:

1. What distinguishing characteristics are associated with the writing surface, the writing
instrument, and the transfer medium that can be evaluated by a QD examiner and be of
potential value to an investigation?
Answer:
i) Writing surface - One can evaluate the quality of the paper, the fiber content, the surface
treatments, and how it was manufactured. The surface coatings are clay or starch based and
formulations differ between the paper manufacturers. Variations may help to determine
whether or not two papers were manufactured by the same company or at the same plant.
ii) Writing instruments - can be divided into a number of different mechanical types. The
writing from a ballpoint pen, a razor point, or a nylon tip can look quite different when
examined with a stereomicroscope. Determining the type and nature of the writing
instrument can provide the investigator with helpful information in the case.
iii) Transfer medium - Manufacturers of different writing instruments often use different ink
compositions. Two pens that appear to produce the same color of ink may have quite
different chemical compositions. Finding a different mix of dyes in ink samples can
conclusively prove that two writings were not written with the same pen.

2. What factors need to be considered when collecting known (control) samples?

Answer:
i) A sufficient number of control writings are needed to show natural variation, which is
influenced by the speed of writing and the type of writing instrument used.
ii) It is critical that the control writing be reliably attributed to the writer. The QD examiner
must know unequivocally that the sample came from the party in question.
iii) The QD examiner must know the source and the circumstances of collection of both
evidence and known control samples.
iv) The known standards should represent about the same time frame as the questioned
materials. Otherwise the QD examiner will have to make some allowances for differences in
writing mechanics due to age if the samples are not contemporaneous.

3. What writing characteristics are evaluated by a QD examiner when determining how a

document was written?
Answer:
i) Appearance on the page - The first area of interest is the appearance of the writing on the
page. This includes the actual location of the writing on the page; word and letter spacing;
word usage; spelling and grammar; margins; and whether lines run parallel to the top of the
page.
ii) Writing mechanics - how each letter is made; where it starts and ends; where the pen
pressure is heavy; the general flow of the writing; word and letter spacing; letter connections
within words; marks such as the dot in the "I" and the cross in the "t"; the size ratios of the
large and small letters; and the size ratios of the upper and lower cases of the same letter.

4. Describe several different approaches that are used by QD examiners to detect the
presence of alterations and erasures on paper documents.
Answer:
i) Stereomicroscope - one of the simplest ways to detect an alteration is to examine it
carefully using good lighting and a stereomicroscope, to detect differences in the alignment of
the written material, the color, or pressure differences. With erasures, a stereomicroscope
may help to see disturbances or removal of the sizing layer on the paper surface.
ii) Spectral Comparator - alterations are almost always done after the original writing, thus,
there may be differences in the writing instrument (type of pen used) and transfer medium
(ink). Inks which look alike using visible light may differ in appearance when examined using
other wavelengths of light, such as UV or IR light. A spectral comparator instrument can be
used to examine documents with various wavelengths of light.
iii) Light Box - A light box (i.e. backlighting) may show areas that are lighter than the
surrounding paper if some of the opaque sizing material was removed or disturbed during the
erasing process.
iv) Mechanical methods - dusting the paper surface with powders such as fingerprint or
lycopodium powder. The fine powders to be trapped by the disturbed surfaces thus making
the erased areas "visible." This approach also works for writing that has been treated with
ink eradicator fluids.
5. Describe three different approaches that can be used to determine the age of a questioned
document and their value to an investigation.
Answer:
The type of paper, brand markings (watermarks) on the paper, and the ink composition can
all be used to provide information to help date a document.
i) Paper - the types of fibers, brighteners, pigments and sizing material usually differ between
the paper manufacturers and can be used to estimate the age of documents. If the writing or
printing is on paper that was manufactured later than the purported date of the document, it
would suggest that the document was not authentic.
ii) Watermarks - watermarks are distinctive designs placed on the paper at the time of
manufacture. Companies may change watermarks annually or include codes which can be
used to date the paper. If the paper was manufactured after the document was suppose to
have been written or printed, the authenticity of the document would be suspect.
iii) Ink composition - Analyzing the combination of dyes and pigments contained in the ink can
be used to estimate when a document was written or printed. With a document, a sample of
ink is obtained by punching out small circles of writing. A solvent is used to dissolve the ink
and the ink solution is then separated into its components using either thin-layer
chromatography (TLC) or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). If the examiner
can show that the particular ink formulation that was used in a document was not
manufactured until a number of years after the document was suppose to have been written,
the authenticity of the document would be suspect.