Criminal Law Chapter 19 What types of burn indicators can be examined

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Student name:__________

1) If arson is suspected, why should firefighters not disarrange the premises by mopping up

or overhauling the scene of the fire, especially at the point of origin?

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2) What is the “layer-checking” technique, and how can it assist in determining the cause

and origin of a fire?

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3) List some of the common causes of accidental or natural fires.

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4) What types of burn indicators can be examined by the arson investigator to assist in

determining whether a fire is accidental or incendiary in nature?

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5) What are some of the most commonly used ignition and timing devices employed in the

commission of arsons?

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6) Why should uncoated metal paint cans (or similar containers) and not plastic bags or

containers be used for the storage of material suspected of containing flammable liquids?

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7) There are basically two types of explosions. What are they? Briefly describe each type.

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8) What is the first duty of the investigator at the scene of an explosion?

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9) It is necessary that a temperature of_________blank be reached before furniture springs

collapse from their own weight.

9) ______

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10) Identifiable temperatures achieved in structural fires rarely remain above 1,900°F for long

periods of time. These temperatures are sometimes called_________blank, because they reflect

physical effects that can be defined by specific temperature ranges.

10) ______

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11) In a fire setting, a(n)_________blank refers to any “booster” such as gasoline that speeds

the progress of a fire.

11) ______

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12) In the context of spontaneous heating, moisture is a prime factor in_________blank

heating which is caused by bacterial action.

12) ______

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13) A(n)_________blank is used to spread a fire and is ignited by the blaze from a plant.

13) ______

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14) In a broad category of arson for profit, the beneficiary of the fire is not the owner-insured

but a(n)_________blank who arranges for the fire out of some economic incentive.

14) ______

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15) _________blank fires are set in retaliation for some injustice, real or imagined, perceived

by the offender.

15) ______

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16) The_________blank is as sensitive as any of the currently available detecting equipment,

but there are flammable liquids to which it is not sensitive.

16) ______

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17) The insurance industry maintains a modern computerized data bank, the_________blank,

to keep track of fire, burglary, and theft claims.

17) ______

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18) In_________blank explosions, high-pressure gas is produced by purely physical

reactions.

18) ______

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19) In December 2009, a bomber tried to use an IED (improvised explosive device) hidden in

his_________blank.

19) ______

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20) Which of the following statements is true about arson investigations?

20) ______

A) They are clearly the sole responsibility of the police department.

B) They are clearly the sole responsibility of the fire department.

C) They fall between police and fire department responsibilities.

D) They are clearly the sole responsibility of the insurance companies.

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21) In the context of the detection of fire accelerants, identify a true statement about chemical

color test detectors.

21) ______

A) The main advantage of this method is its simplicity.

B) They are used to detect solid accelerant residues.

C) Dyes are more sensitive to flammable liquids than other available methods of

detection.

D) The main disadvantage of this method is the high cost involved.

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22) Which of the following isnot involved in spontaneous heating and ignition?

22) ______

A) chemical action

B) matches

C) fermentation

D) oxidation

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23) Which of the following is most reliable for evaluating fire spread?

23) ______

A) analysis of the depth of char

B) establishing specific burn times

C) establishing the intensity of heat from adjacent materials

D) analysis of crazing pattern

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24) Which of the following are burn indicators?

24) ______

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A) alligatoring

B) depth of char

C) breaking of glass

D) All of these answers are correct.

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25) If flame suddenly contacts one side of a glass pane while the unexposed side is relatively

cool, a stress can develop between the two faces and the glass can fracture between the

faces._________blank is a term used in the fire investigation community to describe a

complicated pattern of short cracks in glass arising from this condition.

25) ______

A) charring

B) crazing

C) spalling

D) alligatoring

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26) Which of the following statements describes the term “spalling”?

26) ______

A) It refers to the breaking off the surface of concrete, cement, or brick due to intense

heat.

B) It refers to the boundary between charred and uncharred material.

C) It refers to the depth of the burning of wood.

D) It refers to the formation of irregular cracks in glass due to rapid, intense heat.

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27) The material placed around the ignition device to feed and accelerate the initial flame in

arson is referred to as a(n)

27) ______

A) trailer.

B) accelerant.

C) plant.

D) pyro-enhancement device.

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28) _________blank is a type of portable equipment available to an arson investigator for

detecting flammable liquids at fire scenes in which the sample gas is mixed with hydrogen, and

the mixture is burned.

28) ______

A) The gas liquid chromatograph

B) A flame ionization detector

C) Ultraviolet fluorescence

D) An infrared spectrophotometer

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29) Perhaps the most dangerous of the revenge-motivated arsonists is the one who

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29) ______

A) focuses on such institutions as government, education, religion, or any other entity

reflecting and representing the establishment.

B) uses fire to strike at an individual owing to a personal grievance.

C) feels they have been betrayed by society in general.

D) feels anger toward a religious, racial, or fraternal group or members of the group

collectively, rather than anger at a specific individual within the group.

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30) What is the technical name for the “sniffer”?

30) ______

A) chemical color test detector

B) catalytic combustion detector

C) gas liquid chromatograph

D) infrared spectrophotometer

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31) Which of the following is a portable equipment available to an arson investigator for

detecting residues of flammable liquids at fire scenes that consists of illuminating the darkened

fire scene with an ultraviolet lamp?

31) ______

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A) ultraviolet fluorescence

B) infrared spectrophotometers

C) gas liquid chromatograph

D) flame ionization detector

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32) The insurance industry maintains a modern computerized data bank, the Property

Insurance Loss Register (PILR). Which of the following is maintained in this database?

32) ______

A) fire claims

B) burglary claims

C) theft claims

D) All of these answers are correct.

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33) In the context of detection of fire accelerants in arson investigations, which of the

following statements is true of infrared spectrophotometers?

33) ______

A) A disadvantage of this type of detector is that they do not achieve high specificity to

flammable liquids.

B) The presence of water vapor in the sample improves the identification of flammable

vapors.

C) A disadvantage of this type of detector is that it involves high cost.

D) This method requires extensive testing.

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34) A physical reaction characterized by the presence of four major elements—high-pressure

gas; confinement or restriction of the pressure; rapid production or release of the pressure; and

change or damage to the confining (restricting) structure, container, or vessel that is caused by

the pressure release—is a(n)

34) ______

A) arson.

B) explosion.

C) implosion.

D) violent arson eruption.

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35) The earliest explosive was_________blank, made of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium

nitrate.

35) ______

A) trinitrotoluene

B) dynamite

C) nitroglycerin

D) gunpowder

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36) _________blank is the standard for measuring the destructive power of other compounds

and weapons.

36) ______

A) Trinitrotoluene (TNT)

B) Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN)

C) Dynamite

D) Nitroglycerin

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37) Which of the following statements is true about chemical explosions?

37) ______

A) These are explosions in which high-pressure gas is produced by purely physical

reactions.

B) The most common type of explosions in this category is the bursting of steam pipes.

C) The most common type of explosions in this category is caused by the burning of

combustible hydrocarbon fuels.

D) All of these answers are correct.

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38) Which of the following statements is true about the scene of an explosion?

38) ______

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A) Explosion scenes are often larger and more disturbed than fire scenes.

B) Explosion scenes are almost never as large as fire scenes.

C) The investigative objectives of the explosion scene are quite different than those of a

regular fire.

D) As a general rule, the outer perimeter of the incident scene should be established at

five times the distance of the farthest piece of debris.

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39) Which of the following precautions should be followed when encountering a suspicious

package or letter?

39) ______

A) If delivered by carrier, inspect for lumps, bulges, or protrusions, without applying

pressure.

B) If delivered by carrier, do a balance-check to determine if package is lopsided or

heavy-sided.

C) If there is a handwritten address or label from a company, check to see if the company

exists and if it sent the package or letter.

D) All of these answers are correct.

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40) Because of the potentially dangerous nature of suspicious letters and packages, police

have started to use which of the following methods for handling and disposal?

40) ______

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A) rookie officers

B) robots

C) firefighters

D) None of these answers is correct.

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41) The fire service has taught firefighters that fire loss is less and public relations are better

if they clean the premises; but if arson is suspected, moving debris, even window glass, may

destroy valuable physical evidence.

41) ______

⊚ true

⊚ false

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42) During a fire investigation, it should be borne in mind that a fire always has three causes:

a source of heat, material, and ignition.

42) ______

⊚ true

⊚ false

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43) Spontaneous heating is produced in three major ways: chemical action, fermentation, and

oxidation (the most common way).

43) ______

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⊚ true

⊚ false

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44) Spontaneous ignition is fairly common in residences and small businesses.

44) ______

⊚ true

⊚ false

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45) Burn indicators are the effects of heat or partial burning that indicate a fire’s rate of

development, points of origin, temperature, duration, and time of occurrence, as well as the

presence of flammable liquids.

45) ______

⊚ true

⊚ false

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46) Contrary to previous and erroneous assumptions, the presence of large, shiny blisters is

strong evidence that a liquid accelerant was present during a fire or that a fire spread rapidly or

burned with greater intensity.

46) ______

⊚ true

⊚ false

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47) Spalling is the breakdown in the surface tensile strength of concrete, masonry, or brick

that occurs when exposure to high temperatures and rates of heating produces mechanical forces

within the material.

47) ______

⊚ true

⊚ false

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48) Spalling is characterized by distinct lines of striation and the loss of surface material,

resulting in cracking, breaking, and chipping or in the formation of craters on the surface.

48) ______

⊚ true

⊚ false

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49) An incendiary mechanism may be mechanical or chemical, and consists of an ignition

device, possibly a timing device, one or more “plants” to feed or accelerate the initial flame, and,

frequently, “trailers” to spread the fire about the building or from plant to plant.

49) ______

⊚ true

⊚ false

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50) Most chemical ignition units leave some residue, have a distinctive odor, or both.

50) ______

⊚ true

⊚ false

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51) Trinitrotoluene or TNT and dynamite are the same things.

51) ______

⊚ true

⊚ false

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Answer Key

Test name: chapter 19

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