Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Practice Exam

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Which method should never be used to identify an unknown substance?

Smell
Touch
Taste
Visual inspection

The correct answer is: Taste

Using taste to identify an unknown substance is highly discouraged due to significant safety risks. Taste testing can lead to ingestion of harmful, toxic, or even lethal substances, posing severe health threats. Unlike other methods, such as visual inspection or smell, which can provide initial clues about a substance's identity without direct risk to the individual, tasting an unknown substance can have immediate and dangerous consequences. The other options, while potentially useful in certain contexts, also carry their own risks but are generally more acceptable than tasting. For instance, visual inspection can reveal color, texture, and other physical properties; smell can indicate certain characteristics of volatile compounds; and touch might be used with caution when identifying solids. However, none of these methods substitute the need for proper analysis in a controlled environment, especially when dealing with substances of unknown origin or composition.