ASCP Practice Questions – Histotechnology UPDATED ACTUAL
Questions and CORRECT Answers
1. Acetic acid This fixative does not fix or destroy carbohydrates, and it does not fix lipids. It
penetrates very rapidly and leaves tissue very soft. It is added to many fixative
mixtures because of its ability to fix nuclei.
2. Glutaraldehyde Techniques using Schiff reagent, such as the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stain,
cannot be used on fixed tissues because false positive results will
be obtained.
3. Glyoxal This fixative is the smallest dialdehyde and is used in the textile industry for
imparting wrinkle resistance and permanent press creases. It has replaced
formaldehyde in some histopathology laboratories because it is much less
toxic.
4. Zinc salts Today, has/have found use not only in combination with formalde-
hyde for routine fixation, but as a substitute for mercury in the B-5 solution
commonly used for the fixation of lymph node and bone marrow tissues
5. Michel transport If unfixed tissue is to be held for several days or transported over a long
medium distance then this transport medium is recommended.
6. Dehydration, clear- Tissue processing is usually considered to include:
ing, infiltration
7. Xylene The most widely used clearing agent in histology today is:
8. Ethylenediaminete- This chelating agent binds calcium ions and is one method used for decalci-
traacetic acid (EDTA) fying tissues.
9. Phase-contrast mi- This microscope is used for the examination of unstained specimens, espe-
croscope cially unstained living cells, and allows almost transparent objects to be seen
clearly.
10. Cryostat This piece of equipment is a refrigerated chamber containing a microtome
that is used to cut frozen sections.
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, ASCP Practice Questions – Histotechnology UPDATED ACTUAL
Questions and CORRECT Answers
11. Hazardous chemi- OSHA defines as chemicals that may cause acute or chronic
cals health effects in exposed employees.
12. Toxic dose low The lowest dose of a substance that will produce any toxic effect in humans
when introduced by any route other than inhalation is the:
13. Reactivity The right yellow diamond in the NFPA coded labeling system carries a chem-
ical's information.
14. Nucleolus This dense, rounded, and usually intensely basophilic mass in the nucleus of
a cell consists of 80% to 90% protein and produces most if not all of the
ribosomal RNA.
15. Ribosomes These cell structures are often found attached to the endoplasmic reticulum
and are the site of protein synthesis.
16. Hematoxylin The most widely used nuclear stain for routine histology sections is:
17. PAS with diastase di- The main purpose of this stain is to demonstrate glycogen in tissue sections.
gestion
18. Alkaline congo red Amyloid is best demonstrated in tissue using:
method
19. Cardiac muscle This muscle type is striated but involuntary. The cells branch and anastomose
and each cell usually has only one centrally located nucleus.
20. Sudan black B This stain is the most sensitive of the lipid dyes and is also used in
hematopathology to aid in differentiating granulocyte precursors from leuko-
cytes committed to lymphocytic or monocytic pathways.
21. Ziehl-Neelsen stain If a tissue sample is suspicious for tuberculosis mycobacterium, this stain is
often ordered.
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Questions and CORRECT Answers
1. Acetic acid This fixative does not fix or destroy carbohydrates, and it does not fix lipids. It
penetrates very rapidly and leaves tissue very soft. It is added to many fixative
mixtures because of its ability to fix nuclei.
2. Glutaraldehyde Techniques using Schiff reagent, such as the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stain,
cannot be used on fixed tissues because false positive results will
be obtained.
3. Glyoxal This fixative is the smallest dialdehyde and is used in the textile industry for
imparting wrinkle resistance and permanent press creases. It has replaced
formaldehyde in some histopathology laboratories because it is much less
toxic.
4. Zinc salts Today, has/have found use not only in combination with formalde-
hyde for routine fixation, but as a substitute for mercury in the B-5 solution
commonly used for the fixation of lymph node and bone marrow tissues
5. Michel transport If unfixed tissue is to be held for several days or transported over a long
medium distance then this transport medium is recommended.
6. Dehydration, clear- Tissue processing is usually considered to include:
ing, infiltration
7. Xylene The most widely used clearing agent in histology today is:
8. Ethylenediaminete- This chelating agent binds calcium ions and is one method used for decalci-
traacetic acid (EDTA) fying tissues.
9. Phase-contrast mi- This microscope is used for the examination of unstained specimens, espe-
croscope cially unstained living cells, and allows almost transparent objects to be seen
clearly.
10. Cryostat This piece of equipment is a refrigerated chamber containing a microtome
that is used to cut frozen sections.
1/6
, ASCP Practice Questions – Histotechnology UPDATED ACTUAL
Questions and CORRECT Answers
11. Hazardous chemi- OSHA defines as chemicals that may cause acute or chronic
cals health effects in exposed employees.
12. Toxic dose low The lowest dose of a substance that will produce any toxic effect in humans
when introduced by any route other than inhalation is the:
13. Reactivity The right yellow diamond in the NFPA coded labeling system carries a chem-
ical's information.
14. Nucleolus This dense, rounded, and usually intensely basophilic mass in the nucleus of
a cell consists of 80% to 90% protein and produces most if not all of the
ribosomal RNA.
15. Ribosomes These cell structures are often found attached to the endoplasmic reticulum
and are the site of protein synthesis.
16. Hematoxylin The most widely used nuclear stain for routine histology sections is:
17. PAS with diastase di- The main purpose of this stain is to demonstrate glycogen in tissue sections.
gestion
18. Alkaline congo red Amyloid is best demonstrated in tissue using:
method
19. Cardiac muscle This muscle type is striated but involuntary. The cells branch and anastomose
and each cell usually has only one centrally located nucleus.
20. Sudan black B This stain is the most sensitive of the lipid dyes and is also used in
hematopathology to aid in differentiating granulocyte precursors from leuko-
cytes committed to lymphocytic or monocytic pathways.
21. Ziehl-Neelsen stain If a tissue sample is suspicious for tuberculosis mycobacterium, this stain is
often ordered.
2/6
