Question 1

If a body shows no visible rigor, it has probably been dead:

Accepted Answer

Rigor mortis, the stiffening of the muscles after death, typically begins within 2 to 6 hours and can last up to 48 hours. Before and after this period, a body would not show visible rigor, making option A correct.

Question 2

The underlying cause of death is called the:

Accepted Answer

The proximate cause of death refers to the underlying cause that leads to death, setting off a chain of events resulting in death.

Question 3

To take a corpse's temperature, forensic investigators insert a thermometer into the:

Accepted Answer

The liver or rectum are common sites for forensic investigators to insert a thermometer to measure a corpse's temperature, as these areas provide a more accurate internal body temperature, which is crucial for determining the time of death.

Question 4

Factors affecting rigor include:

Accepted Answer

All of these choices affect rigor. Temperature influences the speed of rigor mortis onset and resolution; activity before death can deplete ATP, affecting rigor development; and body weight can influence the distribution and visibility of rigor mortis.

Question 5

Pooling of blood in the body, known as lividity, provides a clue as to how long the person has been dead.Lividity first begins about:

Accepted Answer

Lividity, or the pooling of blood in the body, begins approximately two hours after death, providing important clues for forensic investigations regarding the time of death.

Question 6

A man with a heart condition is attacked and dies from a heart attack during the attack.In this case, the manner of death is:

Accepted Answer

The manner of death is considered homicide because the heart attack was induced by an external attack, making the assailant's actions directly responsible for the death.

Question 7

Medical examiners help determine the time of death by studying the stomach contents.In general, it takes:

Accepted Answer

It generally takes four to six hours for the stomach to empty its contents into the small intestine and another twelve hours for the food to leave the small intestine.

Question 8

In the 17th century, before the stethoscope was invented, anyone in a coma or with a weak heartbeat was presumed dead, and buried.

Accepted Answer

Before the invention of the stethoscope, it was difficult to determine if someone was alive or dead, leading to premature burials.

Question 9

Death stiffness is roughly defined as:

Accepted Answer

Death stiffness is defined as rigor mortis, which is the stiffening of the muscles after death.

Question 10

Natural death is caused by interruption and failure of body functions due to age or disease.This is the least common manner of death.

Accepted Answer

Natural death is actually the most common manner of death, as it results from the body's aging process or from diseases, which are widespread causes of death.

Question 11

An elderly woman dies after being kept from receiving proper health care by her children.The manner of her death would be:

Accepted Answer

The manner of death is considered homicide because it involves the intentional act of another person (in this case, her children) that resulted in her death, even if the act was not directly violent but involved preventing her from receiving necessary medical care.

Question 12

Dual lividity could occur if the body was kept in one position:

Accepted Answer

Dual lividity occurs when a body is moved to a second position before lividity becomes permanent, which typically happens within the first 6-12 hours after death. Therefore, moving a body two hours after death and before lividity becomes permanent can result in dual lividity.

Question 13

The reason someone dies is called the:

Accepted Answer

The cause of death refers to the specific injury or disease that leads to death, explaining the medical reason behind the loss of life.

Question 14

The specific change in the body that brought about the cessation of life is called the:

Accepted Answer

The mechanism of death refers to the specific physiological, physical, or chemical event that stops life. For example, a heart attack (myocardial infarction) is a mechanism of death, where the heart's inability to pump blood leads to the cessation of life.

Question 15

Algor mortis means roughly:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Algor mortis means roughly:
...

Question 16

Rigor mortis is:

Accepted Answer

Rigor mortis is a temporary postmortem condition where the muscles of the body stiffen due to chemical changes within muscle tissue. It typically begins within a few hours after death and can last up to 72 hours before dissipating as the body begins to decompose.

Question 17

There are three ways a person can die, referred to in official terms as the manner of death: natural death, accidental death, and homicidal death.

Accepted Answer

There are actually five main manners of death officially recognized: natural, accidental, suicidal, homicidal, and undetermined.

Question 18

Liver mortis means roughly, the:

Accepted Answer

Liver mortis refers to the purplish-red discoloration of the skin that occurs after death, due to the settling of blood in the lower parts of the body. This term is derived from the Latin words for "death" (mortis) and "blue" (livor), indicating the color change associated with this postmortem phenomenon.

Question 19

A homicide is the death of one person caused by a minimum of two or more persons.

Accepted Answer

A homicide refers to the death of a person caused by another person or persons, and it can involve just one perpetrator or multiple.

Question 20

Experts cannot agree on a single definition for death.

Accepted Answer

The definition of death can vary, especially between medical, legal, and philosophical perspectives, leading to disagreements among experts on a single, unified definition.

Quiz 12: Death: Manner, Mechanism, Cause