Indiana Notary Public Practice Exam

What does it mean to authenticate a document?

1. To secure a document in a safe location

2. To prove or verify it as genuine

3. To create a legal file for it

4. To prepare it for public record

The correct answer is: To prove or verify it as genuine

The correct answer is to prove or verify it as genuine. Authenticating a document involves confirming that it is what it claims to be, validating its origin, and ensuring that it has not been altered. This process is crucial for establishing legal credibility and trustworthiness, especially in legal and business contexts where the document's authenticity may play a key role in transactions or proceedings. Securing a document in a safe location relates more to physical security than to authentication. Creating a legal file for it suggests organizing or filing documents rather than verifying their authenticity. Preparing it for public record involves a different process that may or may not include verifying authenticity but focuses on ensuring the document is recorded properly in a public registry. Authenticating specifically centers on confirming genuineness, which is why that is the correct answer.