BC Private Investigator Practice Test 5

All 25 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

1. How can a PI keep lawful surveillance from becoming criminal harassment?

   1. Watch the subject's home around the clock for several weeks in a row
   2. Follow the subject openly so they know who it is
   3. Leave notes so the subject knows they are watched
   4. Keep a lawful purpose and avoid conduct that would cause fear

2. A PI's client wants to use a video file in court. Who must prove it is authentic?

   1. Nobody, since files are presumed real
   2. The party seeking to admit it
   3. The opposing party, by disproving it
   4. The judge, before the trial starts

3. A suspect confesses after a PI promises the client will not report them to police. What is the risk?

   1. A confession induced by a promise may be inadmissible
   2. None, because PIs are not police officers and the rules do not apply
   3. None, if the confession is written down
   4. Only that the client might be upset

4. Which right does section 10 (b) of the Charter give a person who is arrested?

   1. To demand the arrester's home address
   2. To retain and instruct counsel without delay
   3. To refuse to be photographed in public
   4. To be released if they return the property

5. What does B.C.'s Privacy Act make actionable without proof of damage?

   1. Wilfully violating another's privacy without a claim of right
   2. Any photograph of any person taken in a public place, for any purpose
   3. Any phone call made to a wrong number
   4. Any accidental view of a neighbour's yard

6. Which person does not need a PI licence for investigative work in their own profession?

   1. A paralegal working for a collection agency
   2. A security guard asked to follow a shopper
   3. A retired police officer working for a client
   4. A lawyer in the practice of law

7. When may a PI firm collect personal information without consent for an investigation under PIPA?

   1. When asking would compromise the information and it is reasonable
   2. Whenever the subject has a criminal record
   3. Whenever the client has already paid a retainer in full for the investigation
   4. Whenever the information is older than a year

8. When might two or more investigators work a surveillance together?

   1. Whenever the client wants a lower cost
   2. Only on the first day of any file
   3. When the subject drives aggressively or has several exits
   4. Only when the subject lives out in the country, far from any town

9. The subject of a file is known to have a lawyer. What is general practice?

   1. Interview the subject without the lawyer
   2. Tell the subject they are being watched
   3. Ask the lawyer to arrange surveillance
   4. Avoid verbal contact with the subject

10. When may a published source NOT be used under the PIPA Regulation's public-source rule?

    1. When the publication charges a subscription
    2. When the subject has moved to another city
    3. When a court has banned publication of that information
    4. When the article was published more than five years before the search

11. Which court is the highest court in Canada?

    1. The Federal Court
    2. The Supreme Court of B.C.
    3. The B.C. Court of Appeal
    4. The Supreme Court of Canada

12. Under option 1 for a full B.C. PI licence, how much PI work experience is needed?

    1. 1,000 hours within the last 2 years
    2. 4,000 hours within the last 10 years
    3. 500 hours within the last year
    4. 2,000 hours within the last 5 years

13. Which list matches the six core steps for containing evidence?

    1. Seize, open, share, label, publish, archive
    2. Collect, test, copy, return, forget, file
    3. Collect, secure, preserve, identify, continuity, log
    4. Find, clean, photograph, sell, report, destroy, and then file the invoice

14. What is the maximum administrative penalty for a business entity under the Security Services Act?

    1. $10,000
    2. $50,000
    3. $5,000
    4. $100,000

15. Which is one stated aim of the youth justice system under s. 3 of the YCJA?

    1. Publishing young people's names to warn the public about them
    2. Promoting rehabilitation and reintegration
    3. Holding youth to adult sentences
    4. Avoiding any role for families

16. Which matter fits PIPA's definition of an 'investigation'?

    1. Looking into a suspected breach of a contract
    2. Tracking an ex-partner's new friends
    3. Finding a celebrity's home address for a fan
    4. Checking a person's dating history for curiosity

17. A licensed PI firm wants an unlicensed friend to help on one surveillance. Is that allowed?

    1. Yes, for a single short assignment
    2. Yes, if the friend only drives the vehicle and does not take notes
    3. Yes, if the client is told in advance
    4. No, only licensed workers may do the work

18. Which subject is part of the PSKN course's Technological Aids module?

    1. Tracking technology and its legal limits
    2. Locksmithing and key cutting
    3. Firearms training for investigators who work on dangerous files
    4. Crowd control at concerts

19. To whom does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms directly apply?

    1. Only federal police forces
    2. Parliament, legislatures and governments
    3. Every private business and every person in Canada
    4. Only courts and judges

20. A PI often does surveillance alone. What must the employer have in place?

    1. A written procedure for well-being checks
    2. A rule that PIs must never work alone on any file
    3. A bonus for every night shift
    4. A daily report to the local police

21. Up to what amount can B.C.'s Small Claims Court (Provincial Court) hear a case?

    1. $25,000
    2. $50,000
    3. $10,000
    4. $35,000

22. A PI applicant hides a past conviction on the licence application. What is the legal consequence?

    1. A requirement to re-take the course and exam
    2. Supplying false or misleading information is an offence
    3. Nothing, as long as the conviction happened more than five years ago
    4. Only a warning letter from the registrar

23. When may a PI attach a GPS tracker to a vehicle?

    1. When the client is the subject's spouse
    2. When the vehicle is parked on a street
    3. With the vehicle owner's permission
    4. Whenever the driver is the subject

24. Which situation is listed as an exception to a Privacy Act violation?

    1. Surveillance done by any licensed investigator
    2. Conduct done on behalf of a large employer
    3. Surveillance done for an insurance company
    4. Conduct consented to by a person entitled to consent

25. Why does the PI draw an X through the blank space at the end of a statement?

    1. To show the page was photocopied
    2. To mark the statement as rejected
    3. To show nothing was added after signing
    4. To show that the witness refused to sign the statement at all