ASCP CG EXAM (CLASSIC
CYTOGENETICS) QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH SOLUTIONS 2024
What are the basics of in situ hybridization? - ANSWER Pretreatment of slides with acid, extraction of
DNA with barium hydroxide, and incubation in 2xSSC to promote denaturation.
The following are indicators for amniocentesis except: - ANSWER A family history of an autosomal
recessive disorder.
When a bone marrow sample cannot be delivered to the lab within 4 hrs, the sample should: - ANSWER
Be put in media and kept at room temp.
A PB sample is clotted. What do you do? - ANSWER Break up the clot.
All of the following information is required during the specimen set up procedure except: - ANSWER
Infectious agent.
When should samples be logged in? - ANSWER As soon as they arrive in the laboratory.
How long do you wait before requesting an amniotic fluid if no cell attachment is observed? - ANSWER
10 days.
All of the following will result in culture failure except: - ANSWER Transport at room temp.
Which cells would you want to use for long term serial cytogenetic studies? - ANSWER Fibroblasts.
The following enzymes can be used to dissociate chorionic villus samples except for: - ANSWER RNAse.
Which of the following is not a necessary ingredient which is added to modified medium? - ANSWER
Antibiotics.
,All of the following have buffering capability except: - ANSWER L-Glutamine.
What type of media is necessary for the culture of Fragile X cases? - ANSWER Folic acid deficient media.
The most important reason why Biological Safety Caninets are used instead of Horizontal Laminar Flow
Hoods in the handling of human tissues is: - ANSWER To protect the technologist who is processing the
specimen.
In which of the following situations would one suspect bacterial contamination? - ANSWER The culture
media is turbid in appearance.
Which of the following can be used for serial culture from amniotic fluid? - ANSWER Fibroblasts.
Which of the following chemicals is used for cryopreservation? - ANSWER Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).
Adding the drug Colcemid to cell cultures can cause all of the following phenomenons to occur except: -
ANSWER Cell swelling.
During slidemaking all of the following factors are important except for: - ANSWER Slides are 1st being
dipped in acetic acid.
A good banding pattern will be expected when we observe chromosomes before banding under the
phase scope with the following appearance: - ANSWER Dark.
Which of the following factors are not important for chromosome spreading? - ANSWER Mitotic index.
The best method to process slides for G-banding on the same day that they are dropped is: - ANSWER
Incubate the slide in 90°C for 1-3 hrs before banding.
,You are analyzing a clinical case and discover a small extra marker with satellites. What staining
technique would be most useful in determining the chromosomal origin of this marker? - ANSWER
DAPI/DA.
When using a fluorescein labeled probe during the FISH procedure, the appropriate counter stain used
should be: - ANSWER Propidium iodide.
When doing sequential staining which of the following is used to remove oil from slides? - ANSWER
Xylene.
What is the best banding technique to distinguish between 47,XY,+18 and 47,XYY? - ANSWER QFQ.
When the identification of paired chromosomes is the primary goal, which if the following banding
techniques should be used? - ANSWER G-banding.
When the addition of non homologous material to the q-arm of chromosome 16 is suspected after G-
banding, which if the following banding techniques should be used? - ANSWER C-banding.
Which chromosome is most different between C- and G-banding? - ANSWER 9.
What is not a criteria for G-band identification? - ANSWER Location of the telomere.
What do quinacrine and acridine orange dyes stain? - ANSWER AT rich DNA.
What type of container should be used for collecting peripheral blood and bone marrow specimens? -
ANSWER Green top tube coated with sodium heparin.
What type of container should be used for collecting solid tissue samples? - ANSWER A sterile container
containing media, supplemented with antibiotics.
How do you avoid microbial contamination? - ANSWER By using aseptic technique, sterile containers and
antibiotics/fungicides.
, How do you avoid cellular contamination of prenatal specimens? - ANSWER Discard the 1st 1-2 cc of
amniotic fluid drawn.
How do you avoid cellular contamination of solid tumor specimens? - ANSWER Dissect away normal
parenchyma and fatty tissue.
How much specimen is required for the successful analysis of a peripheral blood specimen? - ANSWER 5-
10 ml for adults and 3-5 ml for children.
How much specimen is required for the successful analysis of a bone marrow specimen? - ANSWER 1-3
ml.
How much specimen is required for the successful analysis of a prenatal specimen? - ANSWER 15-30 ml
of amniotic fluid collected in two separate containers.
How much specimen is required for the successful analysis of solid tissues? - ANSWER 5-25 mg of CVS, 1
mm^3 of skin biopsy and 1cm^3 of solid tumor.
What should the label of each collection container always have? - ANSWER Patient name and
identification number.
What does penicillin/streptomycin treat? - ANSWER Bacterial contamination.
When do you use a kanamycin/gentamycin combination instead of other antibiotics? - ANSWER When
an organism is resistant to penicillin/streptomycin. This combination is more broad-acting, but also a
more toxic antibiotic.
What do Amphotericin B, Fungizone and Mycostatin (Nystatin) treat? - ANSWER Fungal contamination.
True/False: Specimens should be shipped in direct contact with ice or dry ice. - ANSWER False.
CYTOGENETICS) QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH SOLUTIONS 2024
What are the basics of in situ hybridization? - ANSWER Pretreatment of slides with acid, extraction of
DNA with barium hydroxide, and incubation in 2xSSC to promote denaturation.
The following are indicators for amniocentesis except: - ANSWER A family history of an autosomal
recessive disorder.
When a bone marrow sample cannot be delivered to the lab within 4 hrs, the sample should: - ANSWER
Be put in media and kept at room temp.
A PB sample is clotted. What do you do? - ANSWER Break up the clot.
All of the following information is required during the specimen set up procedure except: - ANSWER
Infectious agent.
When should samples be logged in? - ANSWER As soon as they arrive in the laboratory.
How long do you wait before requesting an amniotic fluid if no cell attachment is observed? - ANSWER
10 days.
All of the following will result in culture failure except: - ANSWER Transport at room temp.
Which cells would you want to use for long term serial cytogenetic studies? - ANSWER Fibroblasts.
The following enzymes can be used to dissociate chorionic villus samples except for: - ANSWER RNAse.
Which of the following is not a necessary ingredient which is added to modified medium? - ANSWER
Antibiotics.
,All of the following have buffering capability except: - ANSWER L-Glutamine.
What type of media is necessary for the culture of Fragile X cases? - ANSWER Folic acid deficient media.
The most important reason why Biological Safety Caninets are used instead of Horizontal Laminar Flow
Hoods in the handling of human tissues is: - ANSWER To protect the technologist who is processing the
specimen.
In which of the following situations would one suspect bacterial contamination? - ANSWER The culture
media is turbid in appearance.
Which of the following can be used for serial culture from amniotic fluid? - ANSWER Fibroblasts.
Which of the following chemicals is used for cryopreservation? - ANSWER Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).
Adding the drug Colcemid to cell cultures can cause all of the following phenomenons to occur except: -
ANSWER Cell swelling.
During slidemaking all of the following factors are important except for: - ANSWER Slides are 1st being
dipped in acetic acid.
A good banding pattern will be expected when we observe chromosomes before banding under the
phase scope with the following appearance: - ANSWER Dark.
Which of the following factors are not important for chromosome spreading? - ANSWER Mitotic index.
The best method to process slides for G-banding on the same day that they are dropped is: - ANSWER
Incubate the slide in 90°C for 1-3 hrs before banding.
,You are analyzing a clinical case and discover a small extra marker with satellites. What staining
technique would be most useful in determining the chromosomal origin of this marker? - ANSWER
DAPI/DA.
When using a fluorescein labeled probe during the FISH procedure, the appropriate counter stain used
should be: - ANSWER Propidium iodide.
When doing sequential staining which of the following is used to remove oil from slides? - ANSWER
Xylene.
What is the best banding technique to distinguish between 47,XY,+18 and 47,XYY? - ANSWER QFQ.
When the identification of paired chromosomes is the primary goal, which if the following banding
techniques should be used? - ANSWER G-banding.
When the addition of non homologous material to the q-arm of chromosome 16 is suspected after G-
banding, which if the following banding techniques should be used? - ANSWER C-banding.
Which chromosome is most different between C- and G-banding? - ANSWER 9.
What is not a criteria for G-band identification? - ANSWER Location of the telomere.
What do quinacrine and acridine orange dyes stain? - ANSWER AT rich DNA.
What type of container should be used for collecting peripheral blood and bone marrow specimens? -
ANSWER Green top tube coated with sodium heparin.
What type of container should be used for collecting solid tissue samples? - ANSWER A sterile container
containing media, supplemented with antibiotics.
How do you avoid microbial contamination? - ANSWER By using aseptic technique, sterile containers and
antibiotics/fungicides.
, How do you avoid cellular contamination of prenatal specimens? - ANSWER Discard the 1st 1-2 cc of
amniotic fluid drawn.
How do you avoid cellular contamination of solid tumor specimens? - ANSWER Dissect away normal
parenchyma and fatty tissue.
How much specimen is required for the successful analysis of a peripheral blood specimen? - ANSWER 5-
10 ml for adults and 3-5 ml for children.
How much specimen is required for the successful analysis of a bone marrow specimen? - ANSWER 1-3
ml.
How much specimen is required for the successful analysis of a prenatal specimen? - ANSWER 15-30 ml
of amniotic fluid collected in two separate containers.
How much specimen is required for the successful analysis of solid tissues? - ANSWER 5-25 mg of CVS, 1
mm^3 of skin biopsy and 1cm^3 of solid tumor.
What should the label of each collection container always have? - ANSWER Patient name and
identification number.
What does penicillin/streptomycin treat? - ANSWER Bacterial contamination.
When do you use a kanamycin/gentamycin combination instead of other antibiotics? - ANSWER When
an organism is resistant to penicillin/streptomycin. This combination is more broad-acting, but also a
more toxic antibiotic.
What do Amphotericin B, Fungizone and Mycostatin (Nystatin) treat? - ANSWER Fungal contamination.
True/False: Specimens should be shipped in direct contact with ice or dry ice. - ANSWER False.
