UNIT 3 TEXT QUESTIONS 

Review​ Questions 

1. What is a questioned document? Describe at least one example of something 

that might be a questioned document. 

a. A questioned document is any document with handwritten or typewriting 

that is in question as to its authority. An example would be a passport. 

2. What is an exemplar? What are the best types of exemplars? 

a. Exemplars are authentic samples that are compared with questioned 

documents. The best type of example would be the ones that look similar 
to the questioned documents 

3. What are natural variations? Describe how these may happen. 

a. Natural variations are any small differences that appear in only repeated 
samples of a person's handwriting. This could happen because over time 

our handwriting is never the same, it changes over time. 

4. How are stamped signatures different from written signatures? 

a. Stamped signatures are always the same and written signatures change 

every time that you write them. 

5. What are some of the typescript machines that document examiners may have 

to investigate? Choose one of these machines and describe what document 

examiners may look for when comparing the machine to a questioned 

document. 

a. Some of the typescript machines are called Daisy Wheel Printer and the 

Dox Matrix Printer. A Daisy Wheel Printer is very similar to a call-head 

 typewriter. They may look for a disc which is either made up of plastic or 
metal, which is where the characters stand out. 

Critical Thinking​ Questions 

1. Why are questioned documents important in forensic science? What is one 

example of a situation where a questioned document might be an important part 

of a criminal case? 

a. Questioned documents are important in forensic science because they 

can help figure out if a signature is forged or not. For example, if someone 
steals a check book, they examine the signature to see if it is forged 

2. What are some of the ways that a document examiner might try to match a 

questioned document to a specific typewriter? What aspects might they look at? 

a. Some of the ways that a documented examiner might try to match a 

questioned document to a specific typewriter would be to match the 

handwriting and look at the different changes made in handwriting. 

3. Imagine that you have been asked to determine whether a signature on a check 

is authentic or a forgery. What steps would you take in doing this? What aspects 
would you examine? 

a. If I were to determine whether a signature is genuine of a forgery I would 

closely examine the strokes and curves of the handwriting. 

4. Imagine that you have been asked to determine whether a will written fifty years 

ago is authentic or a modern-day forgery. How would you go about doing this? 

What aspects would you examine to help you make your determination? 
 a. To determine whether the will was a forgery or an authentic document I 
would collect examples to compare with the original document. I would 

closely compare the two and look for suspicious similarities or 

differences. 

5. A law enforcement agent is in charge of getting a writing sample from an 

uncooperative suspect. The agent puts the suspect in a comfortable room and 

has the person choose from a bunch of pencils and ink pens. The agent takes 
the questioned document and dictates the information to the suspect, having 

the suspect write down what she says as she reads from the questioned 
document. After several paragraphs, the agent stops and has the suspect 

rewrite the material two more times. What did the agent do wrong in this 

situation? What did the agent do right? 

a. The agent should not have given the suspect the free range of writing 

materials but was correct in the material that they had the suspect write 

down.