Which statement best distinguishes testimonial evidence from physical evidence?

• A. Testimonial evidence is tangible objects.
• B. Physical evidence includes witness statements.
• C. Testimonial evidence is statements by a person; Physical evidence consists of tangible objects.
• D. Both types are considered the same category of evidence.

Answer: (C)

The key idea is the difference between what a person says versus what can be touched or measured. Testimonial evidence is the statements a person makes about the crime—witness accounts, confessions, or any verbal narrative. Physical evidence, on the other hand, consists of tangible objects or materials that can be observed or analyzed—things like a weapon, fingerprints, fibers, or DNA collected from a scene. The best statement captures this distinction directly: testimonial evidence is statements by a person, while physical evidence consists of tangible objects. The other options mix up the categories—testimonial evidence isn’t tangible objects, physical evidence isn’t witness statements, and the two are not the same category.