Firearm and Blast Injuries (Ballistics) MCQs

Forensic Medicine · 29 free questions with answers & explanations.

1. A contact gunshot wound to the right temple shows a stellate (star-shaped) laceration at the entry wound with a reddish halo, soot in the wound tunnel, and a 'muzzle stamp' imprint on the skin. The stellate shape is PRIMARILY due to:
2. Intermediate range (arm's length) gunshot wounds are characterised by stippling (tattooing) that CANNOT be wiped off. What constitutes the material responsible for tattooing in semi-jacketed or jacketed bullet wounds?
3. In terminal ballistics, the concept of 'temporary cavity' versus 'permanent cavity' is crucial to understanding wound severity. The temporary cavity is MOST significant in which type of projectile?
4. A bullet fired from a weapon creates a temporary cavity as it passes through soft tissue. The temporary cavity results from:
5. A gunshot wound to the scalp shows a circular entrance wound with an abrasion collar (marginal abrasion ring) and blackening/tattooing of the surrounding skin. No contact or star-shaped laceration is seen. This wound was fired at what range?
6. In external ballistics, the bullet travels in a curved path under the influence of gravity. Additionally, a spinning bullet may deviate laterally from the plane of fire due to the combined effect of spin and gravity. This lateral drift phenomenon is called:
7. On sectioning a bullet retrieved from a body, the core is found to be hard lead antimony alloy. The jacket is of copper-nickel alloy but does NOT completely cover the lead core — the nose is exposed. This bullet design is called:
8. A forensic expert examines an entrance gunshot wound that shows a circular defect with marginal abrasion collar, fouling (blackening) and gunpowder stippling around it. At what approximate muzzle-to-target range is this pattern MOST consistent with?
9. A high-velocity rifle bullet causes a wound track significantly wider than the bullet diameter, with temporary cavitation, extensive tissue destruction, and a large exit wound. The principal mechanism of tissue destruction unique to high-velocity projectiles is:
10. A rifled firearm bullet wound shows an entrance wound with an eccentric abrasion collar—wider on one side than the other. This finding MOST directly indicates:
11. The Locard exchange principle in firearm forensics is BEST applied when:
12. A wound of entrance from a rifle fired at 5 metres shows: circular punched-out margin, zone of abrasion collar (estimated <1 mm wide), no soiling/tattooing/singeing. The absence of a muzzle contusion ring and presence of small abrasion collar indicates:
13. In a contact gunshot wound to the skull, the wound of entrance typically shows a 'cruciate laceration' or star-shaped appearance. This is caused by:
14. In blast injuries from high-order explosives, primary blast injury characteristically affects which organ systems first?
15. The 'exit wound' of a gunshot is typically larger than the entry wound because:
16. A contact gunshot wound to the temple shows an oval entry wound with a torn, stellate lacerated margin, muzzle contusion ring around the wound, and soot within the wound canal. The stellate tearing is caused primarily by:
17. In a gunshot wound from intermediate range (15–60 cm), the zone of 'tattooing' (pseudo-tattooing) on the skin differs from 'blackening' or 'fouling' in that:
18. A shored exit wound in firearms ballistics is characterised by which of the following?
19. In terminal ballistics, 'yaw' and 'tumbling' of a bullet within body tissues is MOST responsible for:
20. In a contact gunshot wound to the head, the entry wound shows cruciate laceration and 'muzzle imprint' bruising. Which combination of factors explains the cruciate (cross-shaped) tearing specifically?
21. A contact gunshot wound to the right temple shows a stellate/cruciate laceration of the skin with carbon sooting inside the wound track but absent on the skin surface, along with muzzle contusion tattoo marks. The stellate shape of the skin wound is explained by:
22. A fired bullet recovered from a victim is submitted for ballistic comparison. The MOST forensically significant surface feature of a recovered bullet that allows comparison to a specific firearm is:
23. A blast injury victim is examined after a high-order explosive detonation in an enclosed space. She has tympanic membrane perforation, pulmonary contusions, and intestinal haemorrhage, but no visible external wounds. These injuries are BEST classified as:
24. A contact gunshot wound to the temple shows stellate laceration of the skin around the entrance hole, with smudging, blackening, and muzzle contusion pattern. The stellate laceration pattern at a hard-contact wound is caused by:
25. Temporary cavity formation is a critical concept in high-velocity rifle wound ballistics. It differs from the permanent cavity in that:
26. A contact gunshot wound to the temple is examined at autopsy. The entry wound shows a stellate laceration, inward beveling of the skull, and extensive blackening and singeing of wound margins with gun smoke deposits in the wound track. A 'cherry-red' discoloration of the skin around the wound is noted. What is the significance of the cherry-red color?
27. In a contact gunshot wound, the pathognomonic feature seen at autopsy is:
28. Tattooing (stippling) around a gunshot wound is produced by unburnt powder grains and cannot be washed away. It is seen when the range of fire is:
29. A bullet is recovered from a victim. The striations (land and groove engravings) on the bullet jacket are examined under a comparison microscope alongside test bullets fired from a suspect weapon. The number of lands and grooves, direction of twist (right or left), and width of lands are compared. This branch of forensic science is called: