The examination of a corpse to determine the cause of death is known as what?

• A. Necropsy
• B. Forensic examination
• C. Postmortem analysis
• D. Autopsy

Answer: (A)

This question tests the term for examining a body after death to determine the cause of death. The best answer is necropsy. A necropsy is a systematic postmortem examination that includes external inspection, opening body cavities, and inspecting organs to uncover injuries, disease, or toxins that explain how death occurred. It also involves collecting tissue samples for laboratory analyses to clarify the cause and mechanism of death and to identify contributing conditions. Although autopsy is the more familiar term in human medicine, necropsy is widely used in forensic and general scientific contexts, and fits the wording about a corpse. The other terms are related but either broader or less specific: forensic examination describes applying forensic methods to evidence, postmortem analysis is a general description of studying death after it occurs, and autopsy is the common human medicine term, whereas necropsy aligns with the phrasing used here.