The body includes: - the __________ of the signer. A notary must thus either have personal knowledge of the signer, personal familiarity with the signature of the signer, or be satisfied of the person's identity by comparing the signature with the signatures and photograph of a current ID card or document issued by the United States, this State, any other state, or a national government.

• A. identity
• B. identification
• C. authentication
• D. verification

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is proving who the signer is. In notary practice, the act is called identification—the process of establishing the signer's identity either from personal knowledge or by checking acceptable ID documents and comparing signatures.

The word that fits best is identification because it refers to that process of proving who the signer is. Saying “the identification of the signer” is standard phrasing and matches the idea of satisfying the signer’s identity by personal knowledge or through ID credentials.

Identity would name the state of being the person, not the process of proving it. Authentication implies proving the signature or document is genuine in a different sense and isn’t the term typically used to describe identifying the signer. Verification is close in meaning but not the precise legal term used for establishing who the signer is.