SUBJECT: COMPLETE FIELD INVESTIGATORS EXAM. FILE: UFO1572
MUFON Mutual UFO Network, Inc.
103 Oldtowne Road
Seguin, Texas 78155 U.S.A.
Walter H. Andrus, Jr. -------------- Telephone:
International Director (512) 379-9216
A Texas Non-Profit Corporation
Field Investigator Trainee:
The MUFON Board of Directors has adopted the attached Field
Investigator's Examination for ongoing use. Together with UFO
case experience and related organizational involvement, the exam
constitutes a primary means to evaluate the trainee's potential
for advancement to field investigator status.
The exam comprises one hundred questions in twelve specific
areas: light and optics, sound, electrical/magnetic properties,
physical traces, photography, radio and radar, celestial
objects, atmosphere and weather, conventional vehicles, witness
reactions, and the UFO experience.
In total there are sixty multiple-choice questions, thirty-one
true/false items, and nine to fill in the blank. In completing
the answer sheet on the reverse side, note the eleven spaces
amrked "see below". For efficiency of space, these multiple
response and fill in the balnk items are at the bottom of the
page.
This is a so-called "take home" exam. You may take as long as
necessary to complete it, and you may use any resource
available. The majority of answers can be readily found in a
dictionary or encyclopedia. The remainder are major findings of
one or more basic texts on the subject or are otherwise obtained
through direct observations. There is no minimum score.
Rather, your strengths as well as areas in need of improvement
will be taken into consideration along with the number correct.
In this manner, you state director will gain further insight
concerning your own and the organization's training needs.
When completed, please return the answer sheet for correction
and followup to
Mrs. Shirley A. Coyne
73 Borman
Flushing, MI 48433-9239
Thank you for taking part in this assessment of MUFON
investigative abilities, and good fortune in completing the
exam.
MUFON UFO JOURNAL
The Monthly Magazine of the Mutual UFO Network
DEDICATED TO THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
FIELD INVESTIGATOR'S EXAMINATION
Light and Optics:
1. All radiant energy is expressed within the visible color
spectrum True False
2. An object with a highly reflective metallic surface is NOT
properly described as:
(a) shining, (b) glowing, (c) gleaming, (d) glinting.
3. With the unaided eye, the greatest distance toward the
horizon that prominent objects can be identified is the:
(a) bearing, (b) nadir, (c) visibility (d) amplitude.
4. With uncorrected 20:60 vision, images are in clear focus at a
distance of: (a) 1,200 feet, (b) three times normal,
(c) one-third of normal, (d) none of these.
5. Uncorrected by prescription lenses, which eye condition
would least affect the person's ability to identify a distant
object? (a) near sightedness, (b) far sightedness,
(c) astigmatism, (d) cataracts
6. Older binocular lenses that are not color corrected may eliminate
the apparent coloration of stars and planets. True False
7. Through 7x50 binoculars, an image appears: (a) fifty times
closer, (b) 350 feet away, (d) 7/50 of the original distance.
Sound:
8. The velocity, pitch, and intensity of sound waves cal all be
affected by changing weather conditions. True False
9. When the source of a constant sound moves away from the observer,
the pitch is perceived as: (a) rising, (b) falling,
(c) wavering, (d) unchanged.
10. Decibel is a measurement of: (a) wave frequency,
(b) pitch, (c) megahertz, (d) wave intensity.
11. A decibel level of: (a) 13, (b) 130, (c) 1,300, (d) 13,000
..is painful to humans.
12. A sound resembling an explosion, produced when a shock wave is
formed at the nose of an aircraft exceeding the speed of sound, is
called a: _______________ _______________.
13. The human ear can detect sound waves beyond the upper and lower
ranges of all: (a) household pets, (b) birds, (c) insects, (d)
radio equipment. (e) none of these.
14. Sound associated with nearly all UFO events may be classified as
two types. True False
15. The angular distance east or west along the equator, from
Greenwich, England to a particular site, is the:
(a) latitude, (b) wavelength, (c) longitude, (d) elevation.
16. In relation to Coordinated Universal Time (Greenwich, England),
Eastern Standard Time is: (a) 2 hours behind, (b) 4 hours
behind, (c) 5 hours behind, (d) 8 hours behind.
17. The point directly overhead in the sky, measured as 90 degrees
from the horizon, is the: (a) parallax, (b) heliostat,
(c) zenith, (d) nadir, (e) none of these.
18. To determine the azimuth of an object relative to the witness,
one would use: (a) dead reckoning, (b) a calculator, (c)a compass,
(e) calligraphy.
19. With two fixed observation points a known distance apart, this
trigonometric procedure can determine the distance of a remote
object: (a) tangent, (b) triaxial, (c) triskelion, (d)
triangulation.
20. Most witnesses understate the actual distance to a claimed UFO.
True False
21. At arm's length (about 2 feet), the full moon overhead is about
the same apparent size as: (a) an aspirin, (b) a nickel, (c) a
quarter, (d) a golf ball.
22. A concave surface bulges outward. True False
23.
Electrical/Magnetic Effects:
24. The magnetic field at a particular site is constant. True False
25. In determining compass readings during an investigation, shifts
of the magnetic north pole from the geographic north pole have only
a negligible effect. True False
26. Gamma rays, infra-red rays and microwaves are all
electromagnetic. True False
27. The highest frequencies of electromagnetic waves, contributing
to the radioactivity of a substance, are: (a) very long radio
waves, (b) gamma rays, (c) strobes, (d) ultra-violet.
28. Roentgen is a measurement of: (a) radience (b) radio frequency
(c) radiation (d) radar (e) none of these.
29. Which of the following could not be affected by a nearby magnetic
anomaly? (a) wind-up watch, (b) electronic watch, (c) battery,
(d) TV signal, (e) none of these.
Physical Traces:
30. At some alleged UFO landing sites, loose material such as sand
has been fused and vitrified from intense heat. The resulting
substance most closely resembles: (a) glass, (b) barium,
(c) granite, (d) vermilion, (e) triplite.
31. Ground vegetation at a verified UFO landing site is generally:
(a) stimulated, (b) scorched or swirled, (c) reddish, (d) oily or
greasy, (e) unaffected.
32. In a landing trace case, the chemical composition of the
vaporized matter can be detected by a: (a) spectrograph,
(b) cathode ray, (c) fish-eye lens, (d) radiograph.
33.______________ _______________ is a white, cobweb-like
substance seen in the air following reported sightings of
cylindrical or spherical objects.
34. Decaying vegetable matter in a marshy area is thought to
produce a gaseous methane mixture which can ignite into small flames
that hug the ground. This is known as: (a) ignis fatuus,
(b) jack-o-lantern, (c) swamp gas, (d) will-o-the-wisp,
(e) all of these.
35. Often mistaken as a UFO landing trace, the distinctive feature
of a _______________ ________________ is a roughly circular
configuration of a fungi growth.
Photography:
36. Camera film with an ASA/ISO of under 200 has a color balance
more readily suited to daylight use. True False
37. The area in a scene in which objects are in focus is the:
(a) lens barrel, (b) depth of field, (c) filter, (d) diffused
lighting, (e) latent image.
38. A telephoto lens: (a) narrows the viewing area, (b) increases
magnification, (c) admits less light, (d) has a longer focal length,
(e) all of these.
39. A camera's ________________ speed determines the timespan that
the film is exposed to light. If adjustable, it may range from a
thousandth of a second (shown as 1000) for a bright sky to one-half
second (shown as 2) or longer for approaching darkness.
40. Infinity on a camera's focusing ring is for distant objects.
True False
41. If the photographer is panning a moving object when the picture
is snapped, the background is more likely to be in focus than the
object. True False
42. Use of a lens shade reduces the chance of a flare on the film.
True False
43. Edging enhancement, color contouring and density averaging are
used to examine: (a) latent UFO auras, (b) radar plots, (c) UFO
photographs, (d) camera lenses.
Radio and Radar:
44. Radio waves continue through outerspace at the speed of light.
True False
45. Sunspots and solar flares greatly increase in number every:
(a) 11 days, (b) 11 months, (c) 11 years, (d) 11 decades. At such
times, radio and television signals are affected.
46. All of the following vary from one radar facility to another.
Which one would _not_ be a factor in radar detection? (a) lobe
pattern, (b) elevation angle, (c) beam width, (d) latitude,
(e) radar horizon.
47. An airport's radar antenna both radiates and receives
microwaves. True False
48. The maximum range of any radar facility is limited to the visual
horizon. True False
49. Which of the following would _not_ be expected to interfere with
radar detection? (a) ground clutter, (b) a transponder, (c) a
thunderstorm, (d) flocks of birds
Celestial Objects:
50. Other than the moon, this is generally the brightest celestial
object in the night sky when it is visible: (a) Saturn, (b) ITT's
satellite, (c) Mercury, (d) Venus, (e) Vega.
51. In the northern hemisphere, the brightest star in the night sky
is: (a) Sirius, (b) Vega, (c) Arcturus, (d) Capella.
52. Meteor showers comprise minute debris along the paths of comets.
True False
53. Most of the prominent meteor showers occur from mid-August to
early January. True False
54. During a meteor shower, the frequency of visible meteors is
usually greatest immediately after sunset. True False
55. These uncommon, longer burning meteors originate from the
Asteriod Belt between Mars and Jupiter. Witnesses variously abserve
a vapor trail, sparkling, coloration and explosive fragmenting:
(a) moondog, (b) bogey, (c) bolide, (d) subsun.
56. To the unaided eye, a comet has the same apparent motion as
constellations. True False
57. Nocturnal lights described as red and white may in actuality be:
(a) an advertising plane, (b) a helicopter, (c) Mars, (d) a TV
tower, (e) all of these.
Atmosphere and Weather:
58. The light of celestial objects near the horizon is distorted and
magnified by atmospheric turbulence. This effect is: (a) a sundog,
(b) a reflection, (c) scintillation, (d) a fireball, (e) none of
these.
59. An atmospheric lens effect that occurs most prominently over
sun-heated ground or water is a __________, which is usually
reported as several hundred yards to a few miles away.
60. This luminosity in northern latitudes results from electrical
discharges of solar wind in the upper atmosphere. It is usually
reported as a shimmering curtain or wavy bands of light: (a) St.
Elmo's Fire, (b) aurora borealis, (c) a neutrino, (d) a nebula.
61.That portion of the Earth's atmosphere, from about 50 to 250
miles altitude, whose charged particles propagate ham radio waves
great distances, is the: _____________________________.
62. The distance from the ground to the lowest layer of cloud cover,
when over half the sky is obscured, is termed the: (a) ground
cover, (b) ceiling, (c) vista, (d) bearing.
63. On the ______________ scale, water freezes at zero degrees and
boils at 100 degrees.
64. Thin, high-altitude ice clouds that may appear to glow at
sunrise or sunset are: (a) cumulus, (b) alto-cumulus, (c) cirrus,
(d) cumulo-nimbus, (e) nimbo-stratus.
65. A temperature ______________, in which a layer of warm air
overlies a cooler air mass, can cause an uncorrelated radar target.
66. Wind direction is substantially related to the incidence of UFO
reports. True False
67. In a majority of UFO reports, the weather is: (a) subfreezing,
(b) changed immediately after the incident, (c) cloudy and humid,
(d) clear or mostly clear, (e) unseasonably warm.
68. This luminous discharge, usually occurring after a bolt of
lightning, may hover, roll, along a fence or telephone wire, or
explode with a loud report: (a) fission, (b) a nebula, (c) a light
trap, (d) ball lightning, (e) a magnetic flux
69.The glowing appearance of some UFOs, it is theorized, results
from a field of ionized air known in physics as: (a) molecular
weight, (b) plasma, (c) tachlyte, (d) a magnetron.
Conventional Vehicles:
70. All airplanes must have, as a minimum, tree nonflashing running
lights - one on each wingtip and one at the rear. The arrangement
is: (a) right-green, left-red, rear white, (b) right-green,
left-green, rear-red, (c) right-red, left-white, rear-green,
(d)none of these.
71. No commercial/private aircraft may have more than one green
running light. True False
72. Helicopters have the same basic configuration of running lights
as small airplanes. True False
73. A weather or research balloon can appear self-luminous: (a)
before dawn, (b) at high altitude, (c) on a sunny day, (d) after
sunset, (e) all of these.
74. All man-made satellites visible from the ground travel west to
east. True False
75. The flights and reentries of satellite vehicles and sizable
debris are tracked by: (a) NICAP, (b) NORAD, (c) CUFOS, (d) FAA,
(e) none of these.
76. Rocket launch debris or an obsolete satelitte, when reentering
the atmosphere, may show: (a) sparkling, (b) fragmenting, (c) capor
trail(s), (d) coloration, (e) all of these.
Witness Reactions:
77. Typically, witnesses to a UFO event overestimate its duration.
True False
78. After a few moments of watching a star or planet, the observer's
eye may spasm slightly, causing an apparent darting movement. This
is called: (a) bioluminescense, (b) autokinesis, (c) the blind
spot, (d) a nebula, (e) none of these.
79. An orbiting satellite may appear to halt momentarily on its
path. This is an example of: (a) autostatis, (b) telekinesis, (c)
auxesis, (d) a visitant, (e) ultra-high frequency.
80.Companions may support the misidentification of a conventional
aircraft as being animalous. This is an example of: (a)
psychotronics, (b) paraufology, (c) fortean phenomena, (d) group
reinforcement.
81. Heart pounding, inability to concentrate, confusion, faintness,
memory lapse and nausea may _all_ be symptoms of: (a) euphoria, (b)
cognition, (c) fear, (d) precognition.
82. Most children show less acceptance of a UFO observation than
adults. True False
83. An alleged UFO witness under hypnosis may substitute past
fantasies for reality. True False
84. A tape recorded voice, it is claimed, can be verified as
truthful via: (a) polygraph, (b) interrogation, (c) hypnosis, (d)
psychological stress evaluator, (e) sodium pentathol.
The UFO Experience:
85. The term "flying saucer" is attributed to this private pilot
who, in 1947, observed a formation of unconventional objects neat Mt
Tainier, Washington: (a) Arthur Godfrey, (b) Kennoth Arnold, (c)
James MsDivitt, (d) Gordon Cooper.
86. In January 1953, this group of scientists convened by the CIA
recommended that intelligence agencies "strip the Unidentified
Flying Objects of the special status they have been given and the
aura of mystery they have unfortunately acquired: (a) Roberson
Panel, (b) Project Sign, (c) SETI, (d) Condon Committee, (e) none of
these.
87. What former president claims to have had a UFO sighting? (a)
Theodore Roosevelt, (b) Dwight Eisenhower, (c) Gerald Ford, (d)
Jimmy Carter
88. Of the 12,618 UFO reports by the USAF Project Bluebook, only 1.7
percent were concluded to be: (a) IFOs, (b) other-dimensional, (c)
extra-terrestrial, (d) hoaxes.
89. This came to be known as the "year of the humanoid" because of
the high incidence of UFO occupants reportedly seen: (a)1948, (b)
1955, (c) 1961, (d) 1973, (e) 1980.
90. Which of the following responses would be unlikely from nearby
animals during a UFO incident? (a) indifference, (b)drowsiness,
(c) agitation, (d) cowering.
91. Thousands of classified government UFO documentshave been
released to the public by means of this federal law, abbreviated as
FOIA: _______________ _____ __________________.
92. The term debunker refers to an individual who claims multiple
contacts with an alien intelligence. True False
93. It is safe to assume that most UFO witnesses have no opinion on
the subject prior to their own experience. True False
94. A marked increase in UFO sightings within a localized area or
definite time span is referred to as a: (a) rush or cresendo,
(b) assembly or climax, (c) flap or wave, (d) bogey or specter.
95. As defined by Hnek, the terms nocturnal light, daylight disc,
and radar-visual describe: (a) close encounters, (b) atmospheric
phenomena, (c) distant encounters, (d) magnetic fluxes.
96. The terms huminoid, entity, and extra-terrestrial are
interchangeable. True False
97. A claimed form of nonverbal communication, reported as a result
of some close-encounter cases, is called: (a) telemarking,
(b) telepathy, (c) telecommunication, (d) telekinesis.
98. "Was the UFO disc-shaped or cylindrical?" is an example of:
(a) an omission, (b) an open-ended question, (c) a leading question,
(d) a rebuttal.
99. Anonymity forbids the investigator from identifying the UFO
witness publicly, while confidentiality further forbids public
mention of the incident itself. True False
100. Researchers estimate that the following percentage of all UFO
incidents is never reported: (a) 30 percent (b) 50 percent
(c) 70 percent (d) 90 percent.
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FIELD INVESTIGATOR`S EXAMINATION
ANSWER SHEET
1. _________ 21._________ 41. ________ 61.see below 81. ______
2. ____ 22. _______ 42. ________ 62. ___ 82. ______
3. ____ 23.see below 43. ____ 63.see below 83. ______
4. ____ 24. ________ 44. ________ 64. ____ 84. ___
5. ___ 25. ________ 45. ___ 65.see below 85. ___
6. ________ 26. ________ 46. ___ 66. ________ 86. ___
7. ___ 27. ___ 47. _______ 67. ___ 87. ___
8. _______ 28. ___ 48. _______ 68. ___ 88. ___
9. ___ 29. ___ 49. ___ 69. ___ 89. ___
10. ___ 30. ___ 50. ___ 70. ___ 90. ___
11. ___ 31. ___ 51. ___ 71. _________ 91.see below
12.see below 32. ___ 52. ________ 72. _________ 92. ________
13. ___ 33.see below 53. ________ 73. ___ 93. ________
14. ________ 34.___ 54. ________ 74. _________ 94. ___
15. ___ 35.see below 55. ___ 75. ___ 95. ___
16.___ 36. ________ 56. ________ 76. ___ 96. ________
17. ___ 37. ___ 57. ___ 77. _________ 97. ___
18. ___ 38. ___ 58. ___ 78. ___ 98. ___
19. ___ 39.see below 59.see below 79. ___ 99. ________
20._________ 40. ________ 60. ___ 80. ___ 100. ___
*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*-
12. ___________ _______ 35. ___________ _______ 63. ___________
23. i ___ ii ___ iii ___ 39. ____________ 65. _______________
iv ___ v ___ iv ___ 59. __________ 91. ____________ ______
33. ___________ ______ 61. ______________ ______________________
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