Which of the following is an example of documentary evidence?

• A. Live testimony
• B. A witness's memory
• C. A policy manual
• D. A video recording

Answer: (D)

Documentary evidence is evidence that exists in a recorded or written form, not just in someone's memory or oral account. Live testimony is spoken by a person and relies on memory at the moment, so it’s testimonial rather than documentary. A witness’s memory isn’t a stored record of what happened. A policy manual is a document, but it doesn’t recount a specific incident; it conveys rules and procedures, not the facts of a particular event. A video recording, however, provides a tangible record of what occurred, captured at the time, and can be reviewed independently of anyone’s memory. That direct recording of events makes it the best example of documentary evidence.