Questions & Answers
Browse all 25 questions from the
Pioneers and Milestones in Forensic Science study set below.
Each question shows the correct answer — select a study format above to practice interactively.
1
Who is credited with publishing the first scientific study of fingerprinting in 1892, titled 'Finger Prints'?
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A
Francis Galton
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B
Edmond Locard
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C
Alphonse Bertillon
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D
Hans Gross
2
In 1910, who established the first police crime laboratory in Lyon, France?
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A
Calvin Goddard
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B
Edmond Locard
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C
Alec Jeffreys
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D
Mathieu Orfila
3
Which forensic method was developed by Alphonse Bertillon in the 19th century to identify individuals based on precise body measurements?
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A
DNA profiling
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B
Anthropometry
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C
Ballistics
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D
Voiceprinting
4
Who is known as the 'Father of Toxicology' for his pioneering work in the detection of poisons, particularly arsenic?
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A
Mathieu Orfila
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B
Karl Landsteiner
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C
James Marsh
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D
Francis Galton
5
In 1984, which scientist developed the technique for DNA fingerprinting while working at the University of Leicester?
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A
Watson and Crick
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B
Alec Jeffreys
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C
Rosalind Franklin
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D
Kary Mullis
6
The first practical test for detecting arsenic in human tissue was developed in 1836 by which chemist?
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A
James Marsh
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B
Robert Bunsen
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C
Louis Pasteur
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D
Antoine Lavoisier
7
What invention by Calvin Goddard allowed forensic examiners to match a bullet to a specific firearm by comparing rifling marks?
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A
Scanning Electron Microscope
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B
Comparison Microscope
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C
Gas Chromatograph
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D
Infrared Spectrometer
8
Who proposed the principle that 'every contact leaves a trace,' which remains the fundamental tenet of forensic science?
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A
Hans Gross
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B
Edmond Locard
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C
Albert Osborn
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D
Henry Faulds
9
In 1901, Karl Landsteiner made a significant contribution to forensic serology by discovering which of the following?
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A
Blood types (ABO system)
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B
Rh factor
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C
DNA structure
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D
The presence of hemoglobin
10
What field of forensic science did Hans Gross pioneer with his 1893 publication, 'Handbuch für Untersuchungsrichter'?
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A
Criminalistics
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B
Digital Forensics
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C
Forensic Odontology
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D
Forensic Psychology
11
Which case, solved in 1986 using Alec Jeffreys' DNA technology, became the first criminal conviction based on DNA evidence?
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A
The Lindbergh Kidnapping
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B
The Colin Pitchfork Case
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C
The O.J. Simpson Trial
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D
The Boston Strangler Case
12
Before DNA, what was the primary biological method used to narrow down a suspect pool based on inherited proteins in blood?
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A
Blood typing
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B
Hair analysis
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C
Dental records
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D
Iris scanning
13
The first use of dental records for victim identification is historically attributed to the identification of which figure?
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A
Marie Antoinette
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B
Queen Victoria
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C
George Washington
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D
Abraham Lincoln
14
In 1923, what landmark legal standard established that scientific evidence must be 'generally accepted' by the scientific community to be admissible in court?
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A
The Daubert Standard
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B
The Frye Standard
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C
The Locard Principle
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D
The M'Naghten Rule
15
Who is considered the pioneer of questioned document examination, publishing 'Questioned Documents' in 1910?
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A
Albert S. Osborn
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B
Calvin Goddard
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C
Leone Lattes
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D
Oscar Heinrich
16
The first use of bullet comparison to solve a murder case in the United States occurred in 1835, involving which investigator?
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A
Henry Goddard
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B
John Browning
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C
Allan Pinkerton
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D
J. Edgar Hoover
17
Leone Lattes developed a method in 1915 that allowed for the blood typing of what type of evidence?
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A
Dried bloodstains
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B
Living tissue
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C
Hair follicles
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D
Saliva samples
18
What was the name of the first systematic identification system that relied on photographs and physical measurements?
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A
The Bertillon System
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B
The Galton System
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C
The Locard System
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D
The Orfila System
19
In 1932, which organization established a national forensic laboratory that would become the standard for US law enforcement?
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A
FBI
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B
CIA
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C
INTERPOL
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D
Scotland Yard
20
What technique for amplifying tiny amounts of DNA, revolutionizing forensics in the 1980s, was invented by Kary Mullis?
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A
PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)
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B
STR Analysis
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C
RFLP
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D
Gel Electrophoresis
21
Who is credited with the first recorded use of fingerprints as a means of identification in a murder case (the Rojas case in Argentina, 1892)?
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A
Juan Vucetich
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B
Francis Galton
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C
Henry Faulds
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D
William Herschel
22
In 1977, what invention allowed for the more efficient use of the comparison microscope in forensic firearms analysis?
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A
The firing pin impression match
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B
The ballistic imaging database
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C
The automated fingerprint identification system
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D
The infrared camera
23
Which nineteenth-century scientist was the first to use the microscope for the study of hair and fibers in a criminal investigation?
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A
James Marsh
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B
Mathieu Orfila
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C
Alphonse Bertillon
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D
James Reinsch
24
The first recorded use of forensic entomology to solve a murder case occurred in 13th-century China, as documented by whom?
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A
Sung Tz'u
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B
Confucius
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C
Laozi
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D
Sun Tzu
25
What is the 'Locard Exchange Principle' officially known for defining?
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A
The transfer of trace evidence
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B
The speed of chemical reactions
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C
The probability of DNA matching
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D
The decomposition rate of bodies
