PA (ASCP) CERTIFICATION EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
SOLUTIONS 2024
Hypertrophy - ANSWER Increased cell and organ size, often in response to increased workload: induced
by mechanical stress and by growth factors; occurs in tissue incapable of cell division
Hyperplasia - ANSWER Increased cell numbers in response to hormones and other growth factors; occurs
in tissues whose cells are able to divide
Atrophy - ANSWER Decreased cell and organ size, as a result of decreased nutrient supply or disuse:
associated with decreased synthesis and increased proteolytic breakdown of cellular organelles
Metaplasia - ANSWER Change in phenotype of differentiated cells, often a response to chronic irritation
that makes cells better able to withstand the stress
Hypoxia - ANSWER Oxygen deficiency which interferes with aerobic oxidative respirations and is an
extremely important and common cause of cell injury and death
Ischemic - ANSWER Loss of blood supply in a tissue due to impeded arterial flow or reduced venous
drainage
Coagulative necrosis - ANSWER A form of tissue necrosis in which the component cells are dead but the
basic tissue architecture is preserved for at least several days
Liquefactive necrosis - ANSWER A form of necrosis seen in focal bacterial or occasionally fungal
infections because microbes stimulate the accumulation of inflammatory cells and the enzymes of
leukocytes digest the tissue
Caseous necrosis - ANSWER A form of necrosis encountered most often in foci of tuberculous infections
Fat necrosis - ANSWER Term referring to focal areas of fat destruction, typically resulting from release of
activated pancreatic lipases into the peritoneal cavity
,Fibrinous necrosis - ANSWER A special form of necrosis usually seen in immune reactions involving blood
vessels
Autophagy - ANSWER Lysosomal digestion of the cell's own components
Apoptosis - ANSWER A pathway of cell death that is induced by a tightly regulated suicide program in
which the cells destined to die activate enzymes capable of degrading the cells own nuclear DNA
Steatosis (fatty change) - ANSWER Refers to any abnormal accumulation of triglycerides within
parenchymal cells It is most often seen in the liver
Dystrophic calcification - ANSWER Depositions of calcium at sites of cell injury and necrosis
Metastatic calcification - ANSWER Deposition of calcium in normal tissues, caused by hypercalcemia
(usually a consequence of parathyroid hormone excess)
Inflammation - ANSWER A protective response intended to eliminate the initial cause of cell injury as
well as the necrotic cells and tissues resulting from the original insult
Acute inflammation - ANSWER A rapid response to injury or microbes and other foreign substance that is
designed to deliver leukocytes and plasma proteins to sites of injury
Serous inflammation - ANSWER Fluid in a serous cavity
Serous inflammation is marked by fluid transudates, reflecting moderately increased vascular
permeability. Such accumulations in the peritoneal, pleural, and pericardial cavities are called effusions;
Effusion - ANSWER Fluid in a serous cavity ,
,Fibrinous inflammation - ANSWER Inflammation occurring as a consequence of more severe injuries,
resulting in greater vascular permeability that allows large molecules (such as fibrinogen) to pass the
endothelial barrier
Abscess - ANSWER Focal collections of pus that may be caused by seeding of pyogenic organisms into a
tissue or by secondary infections of necrotic foci
Ulcer - ANSWER A local defect or excavation of the surface of an organ or tissue that is produced by
necrosis of cells and sloughing of inflammatory necrotic tissue
Cytokines - ANSWER Polypeptide products of many cell types that function as mediators of inflammation
and immune responses
Chronic inflammation - ANSWER Prolonged inflammation in which active inflammation, tissue injury, and
healing proceed simultaneously
Granulomatous inflammation - ANSWER A distinctive pattern of chronic inflammation characterized by
aggregates of activated macrophages that assume an epithelioid appearance
Repair - ANSWER The restoration of tissue architecture and function after an injury
Regeneration - ANSWER The process of replacing damaged tissue components and essentially returning
to a normal state
Fibrosis - ANSWER The extensive deposition of collagen that occurs in the lungs, liver, kidney and other
organs as a consequence of chronic inflammation
Angiogenesis - ANSWER A critical process in healing at sites of ischemia where a preexisting vessel sends
out capillary sprouts to produce new vessels
Keloid - ANSWER A prominent raised scar caused by the accumulation of exuberant amounts of collagen
, Edema - ANSWER Significant increased fluid in the interstitial tissue spaces
Anasarca - ANSWER Severe and generalized edema with profound subcutaneous tissue swelling
Hyperemia - ANSWER A local increase in blood volume that is an active process from augmented blood
flow due to arteriolar dilation
Congestion - ANSWER A local increase in blood volume that is a passive process resulting from impaired
venous return out of a tissue
Hematoma - ANSWER The accumulation of blood confined within a tissue after a hemorrhage
Normal hemostasis - ANSWER A tightly regulated process that maintains blood in a fluid, clot-free state
in normal vessels while inducing the rapid formation of a localized hemostatic plug at the site of vascular
injury
Thrombosis - ANSWER Blood clot (thrombus) formation in uninjured vessels or thrombotic occlusion of a
vessel after relatively minor injury
Lines of Zahn - ANSWER The grossly and microscopically apparent lamination in a thrombi representing
pale platelet and fibrin layers alternating with darker erythrocyte-rich layers
Embolism - ANSWER A detached intravascular solid, liquid, or gaseous mass that is carried by the blood
to a site distant from its point of origin
Infarct - ANSWER An area of ischemic necrosis caused by occlusion of either the arterial supply or the
venous drainage in a particular tissue
Shock - ANSWER The final common pathway for a number of potentially lethal events that causes
systemic hypoperfusion due to either reduced cardiac output or reduced circulating blood volume
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
SOLUTIONS 2024
Hypertrophy - ANSWER Increased cell and organ size, often in response to increased workload: induced
by mechanical stress and by growth factors; occurs in tissue incapable of cell division
Hyperplasia - ANSWER Increased cell numbers in response to hormones and other growth factors; occurs
in tissues whose cells are able to divide
Atrophy - ANSWER Decreased cell and organ size, as a result of decreased nutrient supply or disuse:
associated with decreased synthesis and increased proteolytic breakdown of cellular organelles
Metaplasia - ANSWER Change in phenotype of differentiated cells, often a response to chronic irritation
that makes cells better able to withstand the stress
Hypoxia - ANSWER Oxygen deficiency which interferes with aerobic oxidative respirations and is an
extremely important and common cause of cell injury and death
Ischemic - ANSWER Loss of blood supply in a tissue due to impeded arterial flow or reduced venous
drainage
Coagulative necrosis - ANSWER A form of tissue necrosis in which the component cells are dead but the
basic tissue architecture is preserved for at least several days
Liquefactive necrosis - ANSWER A form of necrosis seen in focal bacterial or occasionally fungal
infections because microbes stimulate the accumulation of inflammatory cells and the enzymes of
leukocytes digest the tissue
Caseous necrosis - ANSWER A form of necrosis encountered most often in foci of tuberculous infections
Fat necrosis - ANSWER Term referring to focal areas of fat destruction, typically resulting from release of
activated pancreatic lipases into the peritoneal cavity
,Fibrinous necrosis - ANSWER A special form of necrosis usually seen in immune reactions involving blood
vessels
Autophagy - ANSWER Lysosomal digestion of the cell's own components
Apoptosis - ANSWER A pathway of cell death that is induced by a tightly regulated suicide program in
which the cells destined to die activate enzymes capable of degrading the cells own nuclear DNA
Steatosis (fatty change) - ANSWER Refers to any abnormal accumulation of triglycerides within
parenchymal cells It is most often seen in the liver
Dystrophic calcification - ANSWER Depositions of calcium at sites of cell injury and necrosis
Metastatic calcification - ANSWER Deposition of calcium in normal tissues, caused by hypercalcemia
(usually a consequence of parathyroid hormone excess)
Inflammation - ANSWER A protective response intended to eliminate the initial cause of cell injury as
well as the necrotic cells and tissues resulting from the original insult
Acute inflammation - ANSWER A rapid response to injury or microbes and other foreign substance that is
designed to deliver leukocytes and plasma proteins to sites of injury
Serous inflammation - ANSWER Fluid in a serous cavity
Serous inflammation is marked by fluid transudates, reflecting moderately increased vascular
permeability. Such accumulations in the peritoneal, pleural, and pericardial cavities are called effusions;
Effusion - ANSWER Fluid in a serous cavity ,
,Fibrinous inflammation - ANSWER Inflammation occurring as a consequence of more severe injuries,
resulting in greater vascular permeability that allows large molecules (such as fibrinogen) to pass the
endothelial barrier
Abscess - ANSWER Focal collections of pus that may be caused by seeding of pyogenic organisms into a
tissue or by secondary infections of necrotic foci
Ulcer - ANSWER A local defect or excavation of the surface of an organ or tissue that is produced by
necrosis of cells and sloughing of inflammatory necrotic tissue
Cytokines - ANSWER Polypeptide products of many cell types that function as mediators of inflammation
and immune responses
Chronic inflammation - ANSWER Prolonged inflammation in which active inflammation, tissue injury, and
healing proceed simultaneously
Granulomatous inflammation - ANSWER A distinctive pattern of chronic inflammation characterized by
aggregates of activated macrophages that assume an epithelioid appearance
Repair - ANSWER The restoration of tissue architecture and function after an injury
Regeneration - ANSWER The process of replacing damaged tissue components and essentially returning
to a normal state
Fibrosis - ANSWER The extensive deposition of collagen that occurs in the lungs, liver, kidney and other
organs as a consequence of chronic inflammation
Angiogenesis - ANSWER A critical process in healing at sites of ischemia where a preexisting vessel sends
out capillary sprouts to produce new vessels
Keloid - ANSWER A prominent raised scar caused by the accumulation of exuberant amounts of collagen
, Edema - ANSWER Significant increased fluid in the interstitial tissue spaces
Anasarca - ANSWER Severe and generalized edema with profound subcutaneous tissue swelling
Hyperemia - ANSWER A local increase in blood volume that is an active process from augmented blood
flow due to arteriolar dilation
Congestion - ANSWER A local increase in blood volume that is a passive process resulting from impaired
venous return out of a tissue
Hematoma - ANSWER The accumulation of blood confined within a tissue after a hemorrhage
Normal hemostasis - ANSWER A tightly regulated process that maintains blood in a fluid, clot-free state
in normal vessels while inducing the rapid formation of a localized hemostatic plug at the site of vascular
injury
Thrombosis - ANSWER Blood clot (thrombus) formation in uninjured vessels or thrombotic occlusion of a
vessel after relatively minor injury
Lines of Zahn - ANSWER The grossly and microscopically apparent lamination in a thrombi representing
pale platelet and fibrin layers alternating with darker erythrocyte-rich layers
Embolism - ANSWER A detached intravascular solid, liquid, or gaseous mass that is carried by the blood
to a site distant from its point of origin
Infarct - ANSWER An area of ischemic necrosis caused by occlusion of either the arterial supply or the
venous drainage in a particular tissue
Shock - ANSWER The final common pathway for a number of potentially lethal events that causes
systemic hypoperfusion due to either reduced cardiac output or reduced circulating blood volume
