MD Notary MD Notary Acknowledgments and Jurats 2

Question 1

What language must a Maryland notary use when administering an oath for a jurat?

Accepted Answer

Any language that causes the signer to understand they are swearing to the truthfulness of the document

Answer

English only, as required by Maryland statute

Answer

Latin phrases from the traditional common law

Answer

The signer's native language only

Question 2

A signer objects to taking an oath for religious reasons. What may a Maryland notary do?

Accepted Answer

Administer an affirmation instead of an oath

Answer

Refuse to perform the notarial act

Answer

Complete the jurat without any oath or affirmation

Answer

Require a different type of notarial act such as an acknowledgment

Question 3

What must a Maryland notary verify before completing an acknowledgment certificate?

Accepted Answer

The identity of the signer using satisfactory evidence of identity

Answer

That the document has been witnessed by two people

Answer

That the document is free of blank spaces

Answer

That the document was prepared by an attorney

Question 4

A Maryland notary is asked to notarize a document with blanks left in the text. What should the notary do?

Accepted Answer

Decline to notarize until the blanks are completed or crossed out

Answer

Complete the notarization and note the blanks in the journal

Answer

Fill in the blanks themselves before notarizing

Answer

Notarize only the signature, ignoring the blanks

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a valid form of satisfactory evidence of identity for a Maryland acknowledgment?

Accepted Answer

A library card

Answer

A current U.S. passport

Answer

A state-issued driver's license

Answer

A personal knowledge of the signer by the notary

Question 6

After completing a Maryland acknowledgment, the notary discovers they forgot to affix their seal. What should the notary do?

Accepted Answer

Contact the signer to return the document, then affix the seal while the signer is present or re-perform the act

Answer

Mail the document back to the signer with the seal affixed in the notary's office

Answer

Affix the seal and backdating is acceptable in this case

Answer

Ask a co-worker to affix the seal on their behalf