A 30-year-old man is brought to casualty after a fight. A 5 cm linear wound over the scalp looks clean-cut at first glance, but a hand lens shows slightly bruised, abraded margins, and threads of tissue cross the floor of the wound. What weapon most likely caused it?

A firearm discharged from close range

A pointed weapon such as a dagger

A sharp-edged weapon such as a knife

During an autopsy at a medical college mortuary in Jaipur, a deformed bullet is found lodged in the body of the fourth thoracic vertebra. How should the autopsy surgeon remove and preserve it?

With gloved fingers or rubber-shod forceps

With toothed metal artery forceps

By leaving it in place for the police

In a bullet entry wound from a rifled firearm, what produces the abrasion collar around the hole?

The bullet rubbing the inverted skin edge

Flame from the burning propellant

Unburnt powder grains striking the skin

Mechanical injuries and firearm wounds

22 NEET-PG practice questions on Mechanical injuries and firearm wounds, part of Forensic Medicine. The first 22 are below; the first 5 with answers and explanations (tap Show answer after you have chosen), the rest in Learn with a free account.

Question 1 · Hard
A 30-year-old man is brought to casualty after a fight. A 5 cm linear wound over the scalp looks clean-cut at first glance, but a hand lens shows slightly bruised, abraded margins, and threads of tissue cross the floor of the wound. What weapon most likely caused it?
1. AA blunt weapon such as a lathi
2. BA firearm discharged from close range
3. CA pointed weapon such as a dagger
4. DA sharp-edged weapon such as a knife
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Answer: A · A blunt weapon such as a lathi
Blunt force over a bone close to the skin, such as the scalp, can split the skin in a straight line and mimic an incised wound. The bruised, abraded edges and the tissue bridges of nerves, vessels and fibres across the floor show that the tissues were torn, not cut, so it is a lacerated wound. Calling it incised would wrongly suggest a sharp weapon and change the police case. The injury report must describe the margins, bridging and dimensions exactly, as these support the legal classification of hurt under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
- B: A close-range firearm wound shows blackening or tattooing around a round defect.
- C: A pointed weapon makes a stab wound that is deeper than it is long.
- D: Sharp-edged weapons give clean, unbruised margins with no tissue bridges.
Question 2 · Medium
During an autopsy at a medical college mortuary in Jaipur, a deformed bullet is found lodged in the body of the fourth thoracic vertebra. How should the autopsy surgeon remove and preserve it?
1. AWith toothed metal artery forceps
2. BBy leaving it in place for the police
3. CAfter fixing it in formalin
4. DWith gloved fingers or rubber-shod forceps
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Answer: D · With gloved fingers or rubber-shod forceps
The fine striations left on a bullet by the lands and grooves of the barrel are what a ballistics expert compares to identify the weapon. Metal instruments add fresh scratches that can spoil this comparison, so the bullet is lifted out with gloved fingers or rubber-shod forceps, dried, wrapped in cotton or paper and sealed. The packet is labelled and handed to the police against a receipt, keeping the chain of custody intact. Formalin and other preservatives are not used.
- A: Metal forceps scratch the bullet and confuse the rifling marks.
- B: The autopsy surgeon must recover the bullet and hand it over; it cannot be left in the body.
- C: Fixatives are not used; the bullet is dried, wrapped and sealed.
Question 3 · Easy
In a bullet entry wound from a rifled firearm, what produces the abrasion collar around the hole?
1. AThe bullet rubbing the inverted skin edge
2. BFlame from the burning propellant
3. CUnburnt powder grains striking the skin
4. DSoot carried out of the muzzle
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Answer: A · The bullet rubbing the inverted skin edge
As a bullet enters, it pushes the skin inwards and rubs and scrapes the margin of the hole, leaving a narrow rim of abrasion around the defect. The collar is present at entry wounds fired from any range, so it identifies entry even when the gun was far away. When the bullet strikes obliquely the collar is wider on one side, which shows the direction of fire. Flame, powder and soot effects, unlike the collar, depend on how close the muzzle was.
- B: Flame causes burning and singeing only at contact or very close range.
- C: Unburnt powder grains cause tattooing, a separate zone of punctate marks.
- D: Soot causes blackening, which can be wiped off and appears only at close range.
Question 4 · Medium
A 45-year-old man in a village in Odisha is attacked with an axe. In casualty, there is an 8 cm gaping wound over the right parietal region with fairly clean but slightly bruised edges, and a CT scan shows a linear cut through both tables of the skull. What is this injury called?
1. AStab wound
2. BChop wound
3. CIncised wound
4. DSplit laceration
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Answer: B · Chop wound
A chop wound is caused by a heavy weapon with a cutting edge, such as an axe, chopper or sickle, used with great force. It combines the features of an incised wound (fairly clean edges) with those of blunt force (bruised margins and damage to deeper structures, including cut fractures of bone). The size and shape of the wound and the cut in the bone may match the edge of the weapon. Such head wounds are often fatal and endanger life, making the hurt grievous.
- A: A stab wound is deeper than it is long, made by a pointed weapon.
- C: An incised wound is made by a light sharp edge and does not cut through bone.
- D: A split laceration has irregular torn margins with tissue bridges.
Question 5 · Medium
At the autopsy of a 35-year-old man stabbed during a land dispute in Bihar, a stab wound on the left side of the chest is 2.5 cm long. One end is sharp and acute; the other end is blunt and squared off. The track is 11 cm deep. Which weapon most likely caused it?
1. AA single-edged knife
2. BA double-edged dagger
3. CA heavy chopping weapon
4. DA pointed iron spike
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Answer: A · A single-edged knife
A stab wound copies the cross-section of the blade: a single-edged blade cuts one sharp angle while its blunt back leaves a squared or rounded end. A double-edged blade leaves two acute angles, and a pointed round rod tears a round or slit-like wound with bruised, abraded edges. The wound length approximates the blade width only after the skin edges are brought together, and the depth can exceed the blade length when soft parts are compressed. These measurements let the court match the wound to a seized weapon.
- B: A double-edged dagger leaves two sharp angles.
- C: A chopping weapon gives a gaping wound with bone damage, not a narrow deep track.
- D: A blunt-pointed spike gives a round or irregular wound with abraded, bruised margins.
Question 6 · Medium
A 22-year-old man is found dead in a sugarcane field in western Uttar Pradesh. Over the right temple is a stellate wound with split, ragged edges, a faint circular imprint of the muzzle, scorched margins and soot inside the wound; the skull beneath has a round hole. What range of fire does this wound indicate?
1. AIntermediate, within powder range
2. BContact, muzzle pressed on the skin
3. CDistant, beyond reach of powder
4. DClose range, within reach of the flame
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 7 · Hard
A 35-year-old businessman is found dead in his locked bedroom in Ludhiana, a country-made pistol firmly grasped in his right hand. On the right temple is a round wound with a muzzle imprint, scorched margins and soot inside the track, with no tattooing on the surrounding skin. A larger, irregular wound with everted edges lies over the left parietal region. The autopsy surgeon considers: 1. The right temple wound is a contact entry wound. 2. Bevelling of the outer table at the right temple would confirm it as the entry. 3. Absence of tattooing on the surrounding skin means the shot was fired from a distance. 4. The weapon held firmly in a cadaveric spasm supports suicide. Which statements are correct?
1. A2 and 3 only
2. B1 and 4 only
3. C1, 3 and 4 only
4. D1, 2 and 4 only
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 8 · Medium
A 33-year-old pedestrian was dragged along a tarred road under a car in Hyderabad. On the outer thigh is a long graze made of parallel linear scratches; at one end, the scraped epidermis is heaped up as small tags. What do the heaped epidermal tags show?
1. AThe direction of the abrading force
2. BThe time since the injury
3. CThat the graze was made after death
4. DThe exact shape of the object
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 9 · Medium
A 50-year-old man walking along the highway near Nashik is hit from behind by a car and dies at the scene. At autopsy, both tibiae are fractured at the same level, about 45 cm above the heels, one with a wedge-shaped bone fragment, and there are abrasions and bruises on the backs of both calves at that height. What is this injury called?
1. AToddler's fracture
2. BMarch fracture
3. CBumper fracture
4. DDashboard fracture
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 10 · Hard
A 30-year-old right-handed man comes with the police to a PHC in Karnataka, saying his neighbour attacked him with a knife. He has six shallow, parallel incised wounds of equal depth on the front of the left forearm and the left thigh; the face, eyes and lips are untouched. His shirt, which he says he wore during the attack, has no cut on the sleeve. He is calm and asks for a wound certificate. What is the most likely nature of these wounds?
1. AAccidental cuts from broken glass
2. BFabricated (self-inflicted) wounds
3. CHesitation cuts of attempted suicide
4. DDefence wounds from a knife attack
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 11 · Hard
The body of a 26-year-old man is found on a railway track near Vijayawada with the right leg severed at the knee and the head crushed. His family alleges that he was beaten to death elsewhere and placed on the track. At autopsy, which finding would best show that the train injuries were caused while he was alive?
1. AHypostasis over the back of the body
2. BClotted blood infiltrating the wound margins
3. CGaping of the skin edges of the wounds
4. DGrease and dirt within the wounds
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 12 · Medium
A 50-year-old farmer in Rajasthan is shot during a boundary dispute. There is one large ragged wound on his back surrounded by several small round holes. At autopsy, multiple spherical lead pellets and a felt wad are recovered from the wound. Which type of weapon was used?
1. AA rifled service rifle
2. BA spring air rifle
3. CA smooth-bore shotgun
4. DA rifled pistol
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 13 · Medium
A 19-year-old motorcyclist falls on a busy road in Chennai and the rear wheel of a bus passes over his thigh. The skin and subcutaneous fat of the thigh have been stripped off the underlying muscle as a large flap. Which type of laceration is this?
1. ASplit laceration
2. BCut laceration
3. CAvulsion (flaying) laceration
4. DStretch laceration
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 14 · Easy
A 32-year-old auto-rickshaw driver is punched in the mouth during a roadside quarrel in Kochi. Examination in casualty shows a fracture of the crown of an upper central incisor; his other injuries are minor bruises. How is the tooth injury classified under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita?
1. AGrievous hurt
2. BSimple hurt
3. CAttempt to murder
4. DAssault without hurt
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 15 · Easy
A 45-year-old pedestrian is brought dead after a lorry ran over him on the Mumbai-Pune highway. Across his abdomen is a band in which the epidermis has been scraped away in a zigzag pattern that matches the lorry's tyre tread; the raw surface is dry and brownish. What type of injury is this?
1. APatterned intradermal bruise
2. BImprint (pressure) abrasion
3. CGraze (sliding) abrasion
4. DSplit laceration
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 16 · Medium
At 11 pm, passers-by bring a 24-year-old man with a bleeding stab wound of the abdomen to the casualty of a private hospital in Lucknow. His BP is 80/50 mmHg and pulse 128/min. The resident on duty hesitates because the police have not yet arrived. What should the resident do?
1. ATreat only after a relative consents
2. BResuscitate at once and inform the police
3. CWait for the police before treating
4. DRefer him to the government hospital
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 17 · Easy
A 23-year-old engineering student is brought to casualty with a deep incised wound across the front of the left wrist. Beside it are several short, shallow, parallel cuts that barely break the skin. He is right-handed and says he did it himself after failing an exam. What are the shallow cuts called?
1. AAbraded lacerations
2. BChop wounds
3. CDefence wounds
4. DHesitation (tentative) cuts
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 18 · Medium
At the autopsy of a 30-year-old man shot once with a rifle, the bullet has passed straight through the body, leaving one wound on the front of the abdomen and one on the lower back. Which finding at the back wound would mark it as the exit wound?
1. AA neat round hole smaller than the bullet
2. BSoot and tattooing around the margin
3. CInverted edges with a grease collar
4. DEverted edges without an abrasion collar
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 19 · Medium
A 26-year-old shirtless shopkeeper is shot with a pistol in Kanpur. Around a 0.9 cm entry wound on his chest is a 6 cm zone of reddish-brown punctate marks embedded in the skin that do not wipe off with wet gauze. There is no blackening and no singeing of the chest hair. Within which range was he most likely shot?
1. ABeyond reach of unburnt powder
2. BWithin reach of the flame
3. CBeyond smoke but within powder range
4. DMuzzle pressed against the skin
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 20 · Medium
A 2-year-old girl is brought to a paediatric OPD in Delhi; her father says she fell from the bed this morning. She has several bruises on the back, upper arms and both cheeks: some are reddish-blue, while others are green or yellow. What pigment produces the green colour of the older bruises?
1. ABiliverdin
2. BMethaemoglobin
3. CHaemosiderin
4. DBilirubin
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 21 · Medium
A casualty intern in Pune is examining a 40-year-old man after a street fight, with a sharp-cut wound on the forearm and a split wound over the eyebrow. She lists four teaching points: 1. An incised wound bleeds more freely than a laceration of the same size. 2. Hair bulbs are crushed in a laceration but cut cleanly in an incised wound. 3. Tissue bridges cross the floor of an incised wound. 4. An incised wound is usually deeper than it is long. Which points are correct?
1. APoints 1 and 2 only
2. BPoints 1, 2 and 3 only
3. CPoints 2 and 3 only
4. DPoints 1, 2 and 4 only
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 22 · Medium
A 28-year-old woman is brought to a district hospital casualty in Telangana after a neighbour attacked her with a sickle. Besides a scalp wound, she has incised wounds across the palms and the palmar surface of the fingers, and on the back of the left forearm. What do the hand and forearm wounds most strongly indicate?
1. AShe was trying to ward off the weapon
2. BShe was attacked while unconscious
3. CShe fell on broken glass
4. DThe wounds were self-inflicted
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

Mechanical injuries and firearm wounds

A 30-year-old man is brought to casualty after a fight. A 5 cm linear wound over the scalp looks clean-cut at first glance, but a hand lens shows slightly bruised, abraded margins, and threads of tissue cross the floor of the wound. What weapon most likely caused it?

During an autopsy at a medical college mortuary in Jaipur, a deformed bullet is found lodged in the body of the fourth thoracic vertebra. How should the autopsy surgeon remove and preserve it?

In a bullet entry wound from a rifled firearm, what produces the abrasion collar around the hole?

A 45-year-old man in a village in Odisha is attacked with an axe. In casualty, there is an 8 cm gaping wound over the right parietal region with fairly clean but slightly bruised edges, and a CT scan shows a linear cut through both tables of the skull. What is this injury called?

At the autopsy of a 35-year-old man stabbed during a land dispute in Bihar, a stab wound on the left side of the chest is 2.5 cm long. One end is sharp and acute; the other end is blunt and squared off. The track is 11 cm deep. Which weapon most likely caused it?

A 33-year-old pedestrian was dragged along a tarred road under a car in Hyderabad. On the outer thigh is a long graze made of parallel linear scratches; at one end, the scraped epidermis is heaped up as small tags. What do the heaped epidermal tags show?

A 50-year-old farmer in Rajasthan is shot during a boundary dispute. There is one large ragged wound on his back surrounded by several small round holes. At autopsy, multiple spherical lead pellets and a felt wad are recovered from the wound. Which type of weapon was used?

A 19-year-old motorcyclist falls on a busy road in Chennai and the rear wheel of a bus passes over his thigh. The skin and subcutaneous fat of the thigh have been stripped off the underlying muscle as a large flap. Which type of laceration is this?

A 32-year-old auto-rickshaw driver is punched in the mouth during a roadside quarrel in Kochi. Examination in casualty shows a fracture of the crown of an upper central incisor; his other injuries are minor bruises. How is the tooth injury classified under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita?

A 45-year-old pedestrian is brought dead after a lorry ran over him on the Mumbai-Pune highway. Across his abdomen is a band in which the epidermis has been scraped away in a zigzag pattern that matches the lorry's tyre tread; the raw surface is dry and brownish. What type of injury is this?

At 11 pm, passers-by bring a 24-year-old man with a bleeding stab wound of the abdomen to the casualty of a private hospital in Lucknow. His BP is 80/50 mmHg and pulse 128/min. The resident on duty hesitates because the police have not yet arrived. What should the resident do?

At the autopsy of a 30-year-old man shot once with a rifle, the bullet has passed straight through the body, leaving one wound on the front of the abdomen and one on the lower back. Which finding at the back wound would mark it as the exit wound?

A 2-year-old girl is brought to a paediatric OPD in Delhi; her father says she fell from the bed this morning. She has several bruises on the back, upper arms and both cheeks: some are reddish-blue, while others are green or yellow. What pigment produces the green colour of the older bruises?