Forensic Ballistics Quiz Crafted by -
Dr. Pankaj Kumar Pandey
Scientific Officer,
State Forensic Science Laboratory,
Home(Police) Dept.,
Govt. of MP SAGAR
Here is the List of Questions with Answers along with explanation
Que 1. The
study of the behaviour and effect of a projectile when it hits a target is
called-
(a)
External ballistics
(b) Terminal
ballistics
(c)
Internal ballistics
(d)
Intermediate ballistics
Answer – (b) Terminal ballistics
Explanation: Terminal ballistics is the study of how
a projectile behaves when it hits its target and transfers its kinetic energy
to the target. The bullet’s design, as well as its impact velocity, plays a
huge role in how the energy is transferred.
Que 2. Which
of the following is the correct chronological order of the development of
firearms-
(a) Flint
lock > Match lock > Wheel lock > Percussion lock
(b) Match
lock > Wheel lock > Flint lock > Percussion lock
(c) Percussion
lock > Wheel lock > Match lock > Flint lock
(d) Wheel
lock > Match lock > Flint lock > Percussion lock
Answer – (b) Match lock > Wheel lock > Flint lock > Percussion lock
Que 3. A
Firearm which is not manufactured as per standard design and parameters is
called-
(a) Shotgun
(b) Revolver
(c) Improvised
Firearm
(d) Pistol
Answer – (c) Improvised Firearm
Explanation: Improvised
firearms (sometimes called zip guns or pipe guns) are firearms manufactured
other than by a firearms manufacturer or a gunsmith,
and are typically constructed by adapting existing materials to the purpose.
They range in quality from crude weapons that are as much a danger to the user
as the target to high quality arms produced by cottage industries using salvaged
and repurposed materials.
Que 4. Who
designed AK-47 assault rifle?
(a) Mike
Kalashnikov
(b) Patrick Ferguson
(c)
Col. Calvin Goddard
(d) Mikhail Kalashnikov
Answer – (d) Mikhail Kalashnikov
Explanation: Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov was a Russian lieutenant general, inventor, military engineer, writer, and small
arms designer. He is most famous for developing the AK-47 assault
rifle and its improvements,
the AKM and AK-74, as well as the PK
machine gun and RPK light
machine gun.
Que 5. What
is the ratio of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulphur in black gun powder-
(a) 75:10:15
(b) 10:75:15
(c) 75:15:10
(d) 10:15:75
Answer – (c) 75:15:10
Explanation: The
term black powder was coined in the late 19th century,
primarily in the United States, to distinguish
prior gunpowder formulations from the new smokeless powders and semi-smokeless
powders. Black powder is a granular mixture of a nitrate, typically potassium nitrate (KNO3), which
supplies oxygen for the reaction; charcoal,
which provides carbon and other fuel for the reaction, simplified as carbon
(C); sulfur (S),
which, while also serving as a fuel, lowers the temperature required to ignite
the mixture, thereby increasing the rate of combustion. The current standard composition
for the black powders that are manufactured by pyrotechnicians was adopted as
long ago as 1780. Proportions by weight are 75% potassium nitrate (known as
saltpeter or saltpetre), 15% softwood charcoal, and 10% sulfur.
Que 6. In
modern ammunition smokeless gunpowder is used. Which
of the following composition is used in smokeless gunpowder-
(a) Nitrocellulose and
nitroglycerin
(b) Potassium nitrate and
sulphur
(c) Lead styphnate and charcol
(d) Barium nitrate and antimony
sulphide
Answer – (a) Nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin
Explanation: In 1884, Paul
Vieille invented a smokeless powder
called Poudre B (short
for poudre blanche—white powder, as distinguished from black
powder) made from 68.2% insoluble nitrocellulose, 29.8% soluble nitrocellulose gelatinized with ether and 2% paraffin. Besides generating a
lot less smoke, smokeless powder burns much cleaner and more efficiently than
black powder, greatly reducing powder fouling and increasing the performance of
the shotgun, handgun, and rifle cartridges in which it is used. It is also much
safer to produce than black powder, which has saved many lives over the years.
Que 7. The
empty shell of a round is called-
(a) Casing
(b) Bullet
(c) Cartridge
(d) None
of the above
Answer – (a) Casing
Explanation: A
shell casing is a piece of ammunition that is made of metal. It is often brass,
but it can be made of other metals as well. Shell casings can be made from any
kind of ammunition that is fired from a pistol, rifle or shotgun. It is not a
bullet but it is a piece of the larger ammunition mechanism that is loaded into
the chamber to be shot.
Que 8. Effect
of reduction in barrel length of a shotgun on the dispersion of pellets is
(a) To decrease the spread
(b) To increase the spread
(c) No effect on the spread
(d) None of the above
Answer – (b) To increase the spread
Explanation: Shortening
the barrel by sawing off the muzzle end does have some effect on the spread of
shot. It is, however, not as great as popular tradition has. What effect
exists, however, is mainly due to the high-pressure gases disrupting the shot
column as it exits from the barrel. Shotgun propellants are very fast-burning,
giving rise to a very sharp rise in pressure during the first few moments of
ignition. In full "length barrels, the overall pressure within the barrel
drops very considerably as the shot nears the muzzle and the volume of gas
between the over-powder wad and the standing breech of the weapon increases. As
the barrel is progressively shortened, the pressure being exerted on the base
of the shot column as it exits the barrel becomes progressively greater.
Que 9. Choke
in the shotgun barrel is used
(a) To decrease the pellet spread
(b) To increase the pellet spread
(c) To increase the muzzle velocity
(d) To decrease the muzzle velocity
Answer – (a) To decrease the pellet spread
Explanation: In firearms, a choke is a
tapered constriction of a gun barrel at
the muzzle end. Chokes are most commonly
seen on shotguns,
but are also used on some rifles, pistols,
or even airguns.
Its purpose is to shape the spread of the shot to gain better range and
accuracy. Chokes are implemented as either screw-in chokes, selected for
particular applications, or as fixed, permanent chokes, integral to the shotgun
barrel.
Que 10. Which
of the following is individual characteristics marks on a fired bullet-
(a) Firing pin marks
(b) Ejection marks
(c) Striations marks
(d) number of lands and grooves
Answer – (c) Striations marks
Explanation: When a gun is fired, and the bullet blasts down the barrel,
it encounters ridges and grooves that cause it to spin, increasing the accuracy
of the shot. Those ridges dig into the soft metal of the bullet, leaving
striations. By
examining unique striations, scratches left behind on the bullet and
weapon, individual fired rounds can be, but not always are, linked back to a
specific weapon.
Que 11. In case of a rifled firearm the degree of
twist is referred to-
(a) Caliber
(b) Bore
(c) Choke
(d) Pitch
Answer – (d) Pitch
Explanation: The term pitch refers
to the angle at which the rifling is cut in the barrel.
Que 12. The
distance measured between two opposing lands inside the
rifled barrel is
known as-
(a) Twist
(b) Helix
(c) Choke
(d) Caliber
Answer – (d) Caliber
Explanation: The term “caliber” refers
to the diameter of a rifle or handgun's bore.
It can also refer to the diameter of a bullet. Firearm calibers are
usually measured in millimeters, hundredths of an inch or thousandths of an
inch.
Que 13. Dirt ring can be seen around the gunshot entry
hole at a distance-
(a) upto 3-inch
(b) upto 3-4 feet
(c) at any range
(d) none of the above
Answer – (c) at any range
Explanation: Bullet wipe-off/''ring of dirt''
Wounds from distant gunshots characteristically display a
surrounding discoloration, a so-called ''ring of dirt''
(residue (oil, black powder, dirt) rubbed off as the projectile
passed through the skin).
Que 14. To estimate range of fire which of the
following are taken into consideration-
(a) Dirt ring
(b)
Scorching, Blackening, Tattooing
(c) Abrasion collar
(d) All of the
above
Answer – (b) Scorching, Blackening, Tattooing
Explanation: Scorching is caused by the incandescent gases as
they emerge from the muzzle of the weapon. The scorched skin, when it is
available, it identifies the entry wound. The blackening is caused by the smoke
deposits. The smoke particles are light. They do not travel afar. Therefore,
smoke deposit i.e. blackening is limited to a short range. The colour of smoke
is grey to black in black powder and light grey to dark grey in smokeless
powder. The tattooing is also known as peppering or stippling. It is the
deposit of unburnt or semi-burnt powder particles under the skin. Tattooing,
ordinarily, cannot be removed with a swab.
Que 15. The range over which the trajectory of a
bullet is so flat that it can hit the target without the need to
compensate for bullet drop is called-
(a) Near contact range
(b) Intermediate range
(c) Point blanke range
(d) Distant range
Answer – (c) Point blanke range
Explanation: Point-blank range is any distance
over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate
for bullet drop. Like any object in flight, a bullet is
pulled downwards by gravity, so for distant targets, the shooter must point the
firearm above the target to compensate. Otherwise, the bullet will hit the
ground in front of the target. But if the target is close enough, bullet drop
will be negligible so the shooter can aim the gun straight at the target.
Point-blank range will vary by a weapon's external ballistics characteristics
and the size of the target; the flatter the bullet's trajectory or the larger
the target, the longer the point-blank range will be.