AALAS Laboratory Animal Technician
Practice Exam Nutrition and Feeding
Management Questions And Correct
Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant Download
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1. Which nutrient is considered the most essential for sustaining life
and must be continuously available to most laboratory animal
species?
A. Crude protein
B. Water
C. Soluble carbohydrate
D. Vitamin C
Answer: B
Rationale: Water is the single most critical nutrient required by
laboratory animals. A loss of 10% to 20% of total body water can lead
to severe dehydration and death, whereas animals can survive losing
nearly all body fat and half their body protein.
2. Which class of feed is manufactured using exact amounts of highly
purified chemical ingredients such as amino acids, pure cornstarch,
and refined oils?
A. Natural-ingredient diet
B. Certified diet
,C. Chemically defined diet
D. Autoclavable diet
Answer: C
Rationale: Chemically defined diets (or synthetic diets) contain pure,
refined chemical compounds with known chemical formulas. They are
used when maximum experimental control over nutrient intake is
required.
3. Guinea pigs require a continuous dietary source of Vitamin C
(ascorbic acid) because they lack which functional liver enzyme?
A. L-gulonolactone oxidase
B. Amylase
C. Pepsinogen
D. Lactase
Answer: A
Rationale: Guinea pigs, nonhuman primates, and humans lack the
functional enzyme L-gulonolactone oxidase required to convert
glucose derivatives into ascorbic acid, making Vitamin C an essential
dietary requirement.
4. Which dietary component is primarily digested by microbial
fermentation in the hindgut of cecal fermenters such as rabbits and
guinea pigs?
A. Simple sugars
B. Indigestible crude fiber
C. Saturated fats
,D. Synthetic amino acids
Answer: B
Rationale: Indigestible crude fiber passes to the cecum where
specialized anaerobic microorganisms break it down via fermentation
into short-chain fatty acids, providing energy and maintaining normal
gastrointestinal motility.
5. What is the main nutritional risk associated with autoclaving
natural-ingredient animal diets?
A. Excessive increase in calorie density
B. Destruction of heat-sensitive vitamins like Thiamine (B1) and
Vitamin A
C. Oxidation of inorganic trace minerals
D. Conversion of carbohydrates into indigestible fibers
Answer: B
Rationale: High temperatures and steam pressure during autoclaving
destroy heat-labile vitamins, particularly Vitamin B1 (thiamine) and
Vitamin A. Therefore, autoclavable diets are specifically formulated
with elevated vitamin concentrations to compensate for processing
losses.
6. Which practice prevents the accumulation of toxic ammonia and
bacterial contamination in water delivery bottles used for
laboratory rodents?
A. Topping off water bottles when half empty
B. Routine washing, acidifying/chlorinating, and full replacement of
water and bottles
, C. Autoclavable feed enrichment placement inside water bottles
D. Leaving bottles unwashed as long as water remains visible
Answer: B
Rationale: Sanitation of water bottles combined with fresh water
changes prevents microbial biofilm build-up and contamination. Water
treatments like chlorination or acidification inhibit bacterial growth.
7. What is the term for the biological behavior where animals
consume their own specialized fecal pellets directly from the anus
to recover essential B-vitamins and amino acids?
A. Neophobia
B. Coprophagy
C. Pica
D. Regurgitation
Answer: B
Rationale: Coprophagy (ingestion of cecotropes/fecal pellets) allows
hindgut fermenters like rabbits and rodents to absorb nutrients
generated by cecal microbes that were not absorbed higher in the
digestive tract.
8. What is the standard maximum recommended shelf life for
unfortified natural-ingredient diets containing unstable Vitamin C
when stored at ambient room temperature?
A. 30 days from milling
B. 90 to 180 days from milling depending on stabilization
C. 12 months from delivery
Practice Exam Nutrition and Feeding
Management Questions And Correct
Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant Download
1. Which nutrient is considered the most essential for sustaining life
and must be continuously available to most laboratory animal
species?
A. Crude protein
B. Water
C. Soluble carbohydrate
D. Vitamin C
Answer: B
Rationale: Water is the single most critical nutrient required by
laboratory animals. A loss of 10% to 20% of total body water can lead
to severe dehydration and death, whereas animals can survive losing
nearly all body fat and half their body protein.
2. Which class of feed is manufactured using exact amounts of highly
purified chemical ingredients such as amino acids, pure cornstarch,
and refined oils?
A. Natural-ingredient diet
B. Certified diet
,C. Chemically defined diet
D. Autoclavable diet
Answer: C
Rationale: Chemically defined diets (or synthetic diets) contain pure,
refined chemical compounds with known chemical formulas. They are
used when maximum experimental control over nutrient intake is
required.
3. Guinea pigs require a continuous dietary source of Vitamin C
(ascorbic acid) because they lack which functional liver enzyme?
A. L-gulonolactone oxidase
B. Amylase
C. Pepsinogen
D. Lactase
Answer: A
Rationale: Guinea pigs, nonhuman primates, and humans lack the
functional enzyme L-gulonolactone oxidase required to convert
glucose derivatives into ascorbic acid, making Vitamin C an essential
dietary requirement.
4. Which dietary component is primarily digested by microbial
fermentation in the hindgut of cecal fermenters such as rabbits and
guinea pigs?
A. Simple sugars
B. Indigestible crude fiber
C. Saturated fats
,D. Synthetic amino acids
Answer: B
Rationale: Indigestible crude fiber passes to the cecum where
specialized anaerobic microorganisms break it down via fermentation
into short-chain fatty acids, providing energy and maintaining normal
gastrointestinal motility.
5. What is the main nutritional risk associated with autoclaving
natural-ingredient animal diets?
A. Excessive increase in calorie density
B. Destruction of heat-sensitive vitamins like Thiamine (B1) and
Vitamin A
C. Oxidation of inorganic trace minerals
D. Conversion of carbohydrates into indigestible fibers
Answer: B
Rationale: High temperatures and steam pressure during autoclaving
destroy heat-labile vitamins, particularly Vitamin B1 (thiamine) and
Vitamin A. Therefore, autoclavable diets are specifically formulated
with elevated vitamin concentrations to compensate for processing
losses.
6. Which practice prevents the accumulation of toxic ammonia and
bacterial contamination in water delivery bottles used for
laboratory rodents?
A. Topping off water bottles when half empty
B. Routine washing, acidifying/chlorinating, and full replacement of
water and bottles
, C. Autoclavable feed enrichment placement inside water bottles
D. Leaving bottles unwashed as long as water remains visible
Answer: B
Rationale: Sanitation of water bottles combined with fresh water
changes prevents microbial biofilm build-up and contamination. Water
treatments like chlorination or acidification inhibit bacterial growth.
7. What is the term for the biological behavior where animals
consume their own specialized fecal pellets directly from the anus
to recover essential B-vitamins and amino acids?
A. Neophobia
B. Coprophagy
C. Pica
D. Regurgitation
Answer: B
Rationale: Coprophagy (ingestion of cecotropes/fecal pellets) allows
hindgut fermenters like rabbits and rodents to absorb nutrients
generated by cecal microbes that were not absorbed higher in the
digestive tract.
8. What is the standard maximum recommended shelf life for
unfortified natural-ingredient diets containing unstable Vitamin C
when stored at ambient room temperature?
A. 30 days from milling
B. 90 to 180 days from milling depending on stabilization
C. 12 months from delivery
