Q 01/05

The word "forensic" comes from a Latin word meaning "of" what?

A) The forum

B) The body

C) The court

D) The law

Answer · why

A) The forum

Roman trials and hearings were held in the forum, which is also why "forensics" can mean public debate.

Q 02/05

In what year was Xi Yuan Lu, the first written account of forensic medicine, written?

A) 1248

B) 1348

C) 1448

D) 1548

Answer · why

A) 1248

Author Song Ci served as a judge in the Song dynasty's high courts and personally examined crime scenes.

Q 03/05

In Song Ci's famous case, every villager laid out his blade. What gave the killer away?

A) Blood was found on his blade

B) Flies gathered on his sickle

C) His sickle was freshly cleaned

D) His sickle matched the wound size

Answer · why

B) Flies gathered on his sickle

The investigator had already worked out the weapon type by testing blades on an animal carcass.

Q 04/05

What did suspects in ancient India have to spit out as a crude lie-detection test?

A) Salt water

B) Bitter herbs

C) Hot ash

D) Dried rice

Answer · why

D) Dried rice

The idea was that a nervous liar produces less saliva, so more of the grains would stick in the mouth.

Q 05/05

John Toms was convicted of murder in 1784 after a pistol wad matched what item in his pocket?

A) A torn newspaper

B) A page of a Bible

C) A love letter

D) A playing card

Answer · why

A) A torn newspaper

It is one of the earliest recorded uses of physical matching evidence in an English trial.