CAMLPR Histology Practice Test

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• How should tissues fixed in formalin be stored?
• What is the primary cause of total loss of nuclear chromatin and desquamation during fixation, and what is a recommended prevention?
• Which fixative requires washing in buffer after fixation to prevent pigment?
• Which tissue sample represents part of the central nervous system?
• Which fixative is not suitable for electron microscopy?
• What protein forms the pink layer atop the epithelium of the skin?
• What differentiates Congo Red staining for amyloid?
• Which organ's mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue includes organized lymphoid tissue in the ileum?
• Black-brown deposit on bloody tissue birefringent under polarized light is due to which fixative and pigment, and how is it prevented?
• Which data element is essential for patient identification in labeling and processing specimens?
• Which fixative is anhydrous (no water) and used for RNA stains and glycogen preservation?
• What is the purpose of the vacuum infiltration step?
• Which fixative causes brittleness and rapid fixation, acts as a coagulant, is non-additive, and intolerant?
• In silver staining, which factor is used as the post-fixative to enhance membrane contrast in electron microscopy?
• When replacing a blade that has become dull, which sequence of steps should be followed?
• What action should be taken to prevent carryover debris when finishing a run in the water bath?
• Overfixation effects?
• What is the purpose of surface decalcification?
• In the Verhoeff-Van Gieson stain, elastic fibers appear very dark and do not contrast with the background. Which of the following is a documented cause?
• In the Gordon and Sweet reticulin stain, silver disposition varies from black granules to completely black nuclei. What is a documented cause?
• Masson Fontana staining demonstrates melanin and argentaffin granules. Which tissue is used to demonstrate melanin?
• Which organ is a finger-like projection at the junction of the small and large intestine that can inflame?
• Which stain protocol uses Harris hematoxylin as the nuclear stain?
• Which stain is specifically used to demonstrate reticulin fibers in tissue sections?
• In the Gordon and Sweet stain, what is the recommended fix if the counterstain is too long?
• White spots appear in tissue sections after deparaffinization, and staining is irregular. Which is a likely cause?
• Which fixative demonstrates good nuclear detail, staining, and antigenicity for hematopoietic and lymphoreticular tissues?
• Osmium tetroxide is used for lipids in frozen sections and is associated with which type of microscopy?
• How is xylene handled in the lab?
• Which data point indicates when the specimen was collected?
• What is the correct sequence for Gram Twort stain?
• Which reagent is applied first in the Masson Trichrome staining sequence?
• What does the Periodic Acid Schiff stain demonstrate, and which tissues are used as controls for glycogen and basement membranes?
• What is the third step of tissue processing and what is its purpose?
• What structure is present at the apical surface of the respiratory epithelium?
• Which statement best describes the anti-roll plate's position relative to the blade edge?
• What is a recommended method to verify the decalcification endpoint?
• When embedding multiple pieces of tissue such as curettage or prostate specimens that are in fragments, which orientation is recommended?
• Which structure is shown and where is it located?
• If a Gram stain shows over decolorization, which remedy is appropriate?
• Grocott's silver method counterstain is which?
• What is the purpose of using ascending grades of alcohol during dehydration?
• What is the second step of tissue processing and what is the purpose?
• What general practice helps prevent staining artifacts across histology protocols?
• Which reagent is used to blue the stain in H&E?
• What compound is used to support frozen tissues?
• In Masson Trichrome, which component differentiates the stain?
• What is the purpose of Masson Trichrome stain and which tissues are suitable as controls?
• Which airway lacks cartilage and is dominated by smooth muscle?
• Identify the organ in the histology specimen.
• Which sequence correctly describes the Congo red staining procedure?
• In silver staining, grey nonspecific colouration with a pinkish hue can be remedied by which action?
• In the Gordon and Sweet reticulin stain, reticulin fibers are grey and broken; which of the following is a documented solution?
• How should bone specimens be oriented for embedding?
• What is the purpose of the Verhoeff's Van Gieson method and what are suitable control tissues?
• Which canal forms part of the female reproductive tract and serves as the birth canal?
• What is a recommended solution when silver disposition varies from black granules to completely black nuclei in Gordon and Sweet reticulin stain?
• To prevent a small biopsy from being lost during processing, what should you do?
• What type of epithelium is this and where is it found?
• Identify the organ.
• What is the purpose of Gomori's reticulin method and which tissues are suitable as controls?
• Which specimen information should be checked before processing?
• Which reagent is the final collagen stain in the Masson Trichrome protocol?
• Which structure in the lung is the primary site of gas exchange?
• In a Masson Trichrome stain, nuclei staining is pale. Which adjustment would improve nuclear staining?
• What is the recommended solution for bone dust debris in tissue sections?
• An unexpected black precipitate appears that is non-removeable after contact with alcohols during tissue processing. Which fixative and pigment, and how to prevent it?
• What structures, what type of epithelium are they, and what is it apart of?
• What is the correct sequence for performing the Alcian blue mucosubstance stain?
• A specimen is difficult to section and has a gummy consistency. What happened?
• Which of the following organs has outer cortex and inner medulla?
• Which histological changes indicate over decalcification?
• How should gastrointestinal tract biopsy tissues be oriented during embedding?
• Brown pigment non-removable, prevention and removal relate to which fixative and pigment?
• What is the primary function of the anti-roll plate?
• In Grocott's silver method, which reagent is used for impregnation?
• A technologist is orienting uterus body, thyroid, and prostate glands. How would you embed these tissues?
• In Gram Twort stain, which substance is used as the decolorizer?
• The apical surface feature of small intestinal epithelial cells is best described as which?
• In an H&E stain, nuclei appear red-brown. Which corrective action is appropriate?
• Which of the following is a cause of tissue separation on the water bath during microtomy and nuclear bubbling after staining?
• What section thickness is recommended for Congo Red staining of amyloid?
• How is Schiff's reagent prepared and how can deterioration be detected?
• Which feature increases absorptive surface area in the small intestine epithelium?
• Warthin-Starry stain is used to demonstrate which organism?
• Dense tissues such as uterus, prostate and thyroid should be oriented how?
• What is the correct order of steps in the Periodic Acid Schiff stain?
• Which statement correctly describes the normal clearance angle values for paraffin and frozen sections?
• What is this and what layers are there?
• What happens if there is a delay in fixation?
• To obtain positive fat staining with Oil Red O, which mounting medium should be used?
• Which reagent is used for toning in Gomori's reticulin stain?
• In Masson Trichrome, which reagent serves as the post-mordant to enhance staining?
• In the Alcian blue mucosubstance protocol, what serves as the counterstain?
• What are some causes for mushy and soft tissue after dehydration?
• When embedding several tissues with an epithelial surface (such as skin, intestines, gall bladder, urinary bladder, and uterus), in what orientation should they be placed?
• What is the optimal cutting temperature on a cryostat for cellular tissues such as brain, kidney, liver, spleen, uterine curettings, and thyroid?
• In the Gordon and Sweet stain, the counterstain is dark enough to mask the silver-stained reticulin fibers and there is a decrease of contrast. Which of the following is a documented cause?
• For white spots after deparaffinization, which corrective action is recommended?
• In Masson Trichrome staining, pale nuclei can be caused by not having enough time in nuclear stain. Which statement is true?
• What is found at the apical surface of epithelial cells lining the small intestine?
• The thick segment of the Loop of Henle is lined by which epithelium?
• In Hematoxylin and Eosin staining, which reagent serves as the nuclear stain?
• In Mycobacterium staining, the counterstain overtakes the cells and bacteria are being masked. Which of the following is a likely cause?
• What fixative is used for bone marrow samples?
• A small biopsy has microchatter around the tissue edges and the tissue appears hard. What caused this and how can it be prevented?
• Which reagents are used for surface decalcification and what is the typical exposure time?
• What is the typical thickness of tissue sections cut for routine histology?
• There is a frozen section, large colon biopsy suspected to be a severe malignancy and a breast cancer follow-up specimen that need to be processed. What would your order of prioritization be?
• Which organ is a gland in the female reproductive system associated with lactation?
• What fixative is used for most routine tissues for fixation?
• For Ziehl-Neelsen staining, if the method was not heated when ZN was used, what is the likely cause?
• Overoxidized iron hematoxylin is a contributing factor to pale nuclear staining in Masson Trichrome. Which option identifies this cause?
• Which duct transports sperm from the epididymis toward the outside of the body?
• What happened if a section of frozen tissue has microchatter?
• In Gomori's reticulin stain, which is the first step in the sequence?
• Which sequence is correct for Ziehl-Neelsen staining?
• Goblet cells are commonly found in which mucosa?
• Which fixative is described as the primary fixative for electron microscopy?
• Gordon and Sweet's stain is used to demonstrate which tissue component?
• How do you prevent tissue carryover during embedding?
• In a Gram staining control slide, there are no gram-positive bacteria observed. Which of the following is a likely cause?
• Which protein provides waterproofing and structural protection to the skin's outermost layer?
• After finishing a section and not using the rest of the tissue in the water bath, what should be done to prevent carryover?
• In which tissues are goblet cells blue-stained components commonly found?
• There is tissue with complete destruction and loss of all staining properties, with nuclear detail lost and swelling. What is the cause?
• What is the recommended fixative approach when preparing tissues for fat or lipid staining?
• What is the purpose of Mayer's mucicarmine stain and what controls would you use?
• In a Hematoxylin and Eosin stain, pale nuclear staining occurs when hematoxylin is too light. Which action would best address this problem?
• A technologist notices that a patient requisition for a biopsy is different than what the specimen container states. What should they do?
• In the Periodic Schiff stain, the blue hematoxylin counterstain is too intense and masks the magenta red colour of the Schiff's reaction. Which is a documented cause?
• Identify the structure and tissue: Bowman's capsule, kidney.
• There appears to be debris and splinters of bone in a stained tissue. What is the most likely cause?
• Which fixative is used for trichrome staining and bone marrow specimens and lyses red blood cells?
• What is this?
• Which vessel type is described as having elastin in its walls?
• Which tissues are considered spongy tissue in the context of vacuum infiltration?
• What is the purpose of embedding tissue in paraffin wax?
• Which reagent identifies calcium?
• Perl's Prussian blue stain uses which solution to demonstrate ferric iron deposits in hemochromatosis?
• Which fixative is used for trichrome, bone marrow and bloody specimens and lyses red blood cells?
• Which two cell types are circled and where are they located?
• Which of the following describes potassium dichromate as a fixative?
• Peyer's patches are organized lymphoid tissue primarily located in which part of the gastrointestinal tract?
• Which cells stain blue in histology of the digestive and respiratory tracts?
• Vacuum infiltration is used for various tissue types; which pairing is correct?
• What is the purpose of Schmorl's reagent?
• What does the Alcian blue mucosubstance stain demonstrate, and which controls are appropriate?
• A specimen is very difficult to cut and appears small. What happened?
• Which safety rule is essential when handling blades in microtomy?
• Chromate pigment is formed with which fixative?
• In a Hematoxylin and Eosin stained slide, the nuclear staining appears smudgy. Which solution is recommended to correct this?
• Brown Hopps Gram modification uses which sequence?
• What is the sequence after dehydration in standard tissue processing?
• Identify the organ-system represented by the specimen.
• In the Gordon and Sweet stain, there is black granular precipitates on and around the tissue section. Which of the following is a documented cause?
• What is the normal clearance angle for paraffin and frozen tissue sections?
• What is the water bath temperature set at?
• In Acid-Fast Wade-Fites staining, blotchy staining occurs when which issue happens?
• What is the most common dehydrant?
• Which organ contains white pulp surrounding central arteries and red pulp involved in filtering blood?
• Picric acid as a fixative component leads to which pigment, and which washing step helps reduce it?
• Which fixative is used for GI biopsies and connective tissue, preserves glycogen, but lyses red blood cells and is not recommended for electron microscopy?
• In Gomori Methenamine Silver staining, organisms are completely blackened with no visible internal structure. Which of the following is a cause?
• What is this?
• Identify the tissue sample.
• Which stain uses carbol fuchsin as the primary stain?
• The cerebellar cortex contains which pair of layers?
• There appear to be cross-hatching marks on a tissue. What caused this and how is it prevented?
• In Auramine O staining, blotches of fluorescence color are caused by which issue?
• How is formalin handled safely?
• Auromine Rhodamine fluorescent stain uses which dyes?
• What is the optimal cutting temperature for fatty tissues (lipoma, skin, breast)?
• If bubbles appear during Oil Red O staining, what is the recommended remedy?
• If a Gram stain shows under-decolorization, which remedy is appropriate?
• Which tissues are categorized as dense tissue in vacuum infiltration?
• Not using iron hematoxylin can contribute to pale nuclear staining in Masson Trichrome. Which choice correctly states this cause?
• In the Gordon and Sweet reticulin stain, reticulin fibers are stained grey and appear broken and discontinuous. Which of the following is a documented cause?
• Which fixative is used to preserve lipids and is associated with secondary electron microscopy?
• Which staining protocol uses Bouin's as a post-mordant to enhance staining?
• In Gomori Methenamine Silver staining, the fungi appear golden brown color. What is the likely cause?
• Which fixative preserves glycogen and urate crystals but dissolves fats, and is a coagulant, non additive, and intolerant?
• Masson Fontana staining can demonstrate argentaffin granules. Which tissue is used to demonstrate argentaffin granules?
• Eosin pH above 5 can cause pale cytoplasm in H&E. Which corrective step would address this?
• In Gomori Methenamine Silver staining, the fungi appear red color. What is the cause?
• For Wade-Fite staining, what is the recommended remedy if tap water was used during staining?
• What is the first step of tissue processing and what is its purpose?
• In the Verhoeff-Van Gieson stain, collagen and muscle are not differentially stained and the elastic fibers do not contrast well with the background. Which of the following is a documented cause?
• What is the cause of grey nonspecific colouration with a pinkish hue in silver staining?
• In histology, which mucosal cells are blue-stained components?
• How should tube-shaped structures such as vas deferens, veins, and fallopian tubes be oriented during embedding?
• What is the correct procedure for replacing a dull blade in a microtome?
• To minimize resistance for dense tissues like uterus, prostate, and thyroid, which orientation should be used?
• Which types of muscle tissue are present in the sample?
• To address pale elastin fibers in the Verhoeff-Van Gieson stain, which is a recommended solution?
• Which sequence correctly represents the Mayer's mucicarmine staining procedure?
• Which fixative is used for GI biopsies and connective tissue (glycogen), lyses RBCs and not use for electron microscopy?
• In Gram staining, gram-negative bacteria are difficult to see against the background because the slide was left in dehydrant for too long. Which is the likely cause?
• Acid formalin haematin pigment cannot be prevented by routine washes; which approach can prevent it?
• Which sequence describes Wade-Fites stain steps?
• Needle biopsies from the prostate and liver should be oriented how?
• In Masson Trichrome, which reagent provides the nuclear staining?
• What is the reagent order for processing?
• Which statement best describes Embedding in tissue processing?
• If fresh tissue arrival is delayed, how should it be stored?
• Von Kossa stain is used to identify what?
• In the H&E protocol, which reagent is used for differentiation?
• How should arteries and other tubular specimens with lumens be oriented during embedding?
• Which fixative is no water, rapid fixation for RNA stains, cytology for bloody specimens, glycogen preservation?
• In Masson Trichrome staining, muscle appears grey instead of red. Which action would correct this?
• Which airway segment is the smallest lacking cartilage but with abundant smooth muscle?
• Picric acid has which characteristic?
• What is a common corrective action for inconsistent silver staining?
• Which reagent is used as the reducer in Gomori's reticulin stain?
• Which organ serves as the gustatory organ?
• Which parameter should be adjusted first to correct compression during sectioning?
• Hall's Fouchet solution is used to show bile in the gallbladder. What are its components?
• In H&E staining, blue-black precipitates are observed on top of sections. Which step should be taken to fix this issue?
• There is a loss of expected basophilia on a slide, with a yellow precipitate and poor staining. Which fixative component is responsible and how should it be washed?
• In the Periodic Acid Schiff stain, there is no positive staining and the control is negative. Which action is recommended?
• When embedding tissues that include inner cyst surfaces, which orientation should be used?
• In Grocott-Gomori Methenamine Silver staining, nonspecific staining can be caused by which condition?
• Identify the tissue type.
• If moth holes are observed in a tissue, what is the most likely cause?
• How should multiple cyst specimens be embedded?
• In Gomori Methenamine Silver staining, if fungal elements appear red, which adjustment should be made?
• What does the colloidal iron stain demonstrate and what controls would you use?
• What is the melting point of paraffin wax and the temperature it is kept at in a wax processor?
• When embedding tubular structures with a lumen, which orientation best reveals the lumen?
• What is the secondary fixative utilized for electron microscopy?
• Which description best captures the properties of acetic acid as a fixative?
• Which data point indicates when the specimen was received by the laboratory?
• Which fixative is used for hematopoietic (bone marrow) and lymphoreticular (lymph node, spleen) tissue and demonstrates good nuclear detail, staining, antigenicity?
• In Mycobacterium staining, the organisms are lightly stained. Which of the following is a cause?
• In Wade-Fites stain, what is used for deparaffinization?
• Which statement best describes formaldehyde in histology fixation?
• Which stain uses Metanil Yellow as a counterstain?
• In PAS staining, a streaming artifact seen due to cold fixation is observed. What is this artifact called?
• Which of the following statements identifies a common cause of thick and thin tissue sections and the correct method to prevent it?
• Which fixative is listed as the primary fixative for electron microscopy in this protocol?
• Which fixative is used for bloody bone marrow aspirates?
• If your cut sections are rolling or not flat, what adjustment can fix this?
• Which combination correctly identifies two layers of the cerebellar cortex?
• What is the primary fixative used for electron microscopy?
• Purkinje layer is a layer of neurons that is part of which structure?
• Which apical surface structure is characteristic of the respiratory epithelium?
• Which reagent acts as the counterstain in Hematoxylin and Eosin staining?
• Which action is part of the standard procedure when there is a mismatch between requisition and container?
• Which item is included in the high-risk alerts field for specimen documentation?
• Underfixation consequences?
• What is used in water baths on sections cut on the cryostat to remove creases and folds?
• Which sequence lists the reagents and order for the Gordon and Sweet silver stain?
• How are solutions changed in processors?
• Which of the following is NOT listed as a solution for silver staining issues?
• What happened if a tissue shows freezing artifact?
• In Masson Trichrome staining, nuclei are extremely dark and muddy. Which change would help reduce this?
• In H&E staining, pale cytoplasmic staining occurs. Which action would improve cytoplasmic staining?
• Which gland produces milk and is organized into lobes and ducts?
• In the Verhoeff-Van Gieson stain, elastin fibers appear very pale and do not contrast well with the background. Which of the following is a documented cause?
• What is used as the clearing agent?
• Which reagent is used to identify melanin or lipofuscin?
• The cerebellar cortex comprises which two layers?
• A damaged tissue shows extremely dark purple staining when cut, and the knife dulled quickly. What is the cause?
• In Masson Trichrome, which reagent stains collagen?
• In Gomori Methenamine Silver staining, if the fungal elements appear golden brown, what adjustment is recommended?
• In the Periodic Schiff stain, structures are weakly positive. Which of the following is a contributing factor?
• What is the role of fixation in tissue processing?
• A tissue appears soft and mushy following clearing. What caused this?
• In Gomori Methenamine Silver staining, when the organism is faintly stained with no delineated cell wall, which is a likely cause?
• In Masson Trichrome staining, the overall staining is lackluster and tissue structures are faint. Which adjustment would help?
• A tissue appears brittle and hard after clearing. What caused this?
• Which tissue is an example of fatty tissue mentioned for vacuum infiltration?
• Glutaraldehyde is primarily used as a fixative for electron microscopy and is typically stored at what temperature?
• What is this?
• What is recommended to prevent cross-hatching marks caused by a dry sponge during grossing?
• Which reagent is used for fixing and removing excess gold chloride in Gomori's reticulin method?
• Which fixative is known to cause extreme tissue shrinkage and is coagulant?
• Which organ, essential for maturation of T lymphocytes, has a cortex and medulla?
• Which sequence correctly lists the components and sequence of the Verhoeff's Van Gieson method?
• In Gomori Methenamine Silver staining, which practice helps prevent under-oxidation that causes faint staining?
• In Gram staining, gram-negative bacteria are not staining and are difficult to visualize due to which cause?
• What is the optimal cutting temperature for muscular tissues such as muscle, connective tissue, pancreas, uterus, and cervix?
• Which lymphoid organ is most prominent in childhood and serves as the site of T cell maturation?
• What does the knife holder base do?
• What is a recommended remedy for black granular precipitates in the Gordon and Sweet stain?
• Which organ filters blood and contains white pulp and red pulp?
• For tissues with epithelial surfaces, which orientation best exposes all tissue layers with epithelium on top?
• Identify the organ shown.
• If sections are compressing during cutting, what is the first corrective action?
• Stained slides appear hazy or milky. What is the cause?
• Identify the structure and tissue: Cortex (outer) and medulla (inner), kidney.
• Which stain is used to demonstrate fat in tissue sections?
• Which epithelium lines the urinary tract?
• In Acid-Fast Wade-Fites bacterial staining, there appears to be an excessive amount of bacteria floating over the stain. What is the likely cause?
• Overstaining in iron hematoxylin leads to extremely dark nuclei in Masson Trichrome. Which action corrects this?
• In a Hematoxylin and Eosin stain, nuclei appear too dark and difficult to differentiate. Which adjustment would most effectively reduce nuclear darkness?
• Identify the organ shown.
• Which tissue type functions in energy storage and is found in loose adipose tissue?
• Islet of Langerhans is located in which organ?
• In a slide for Gram staining, there is no contrast between the blue color of gram-positive bacteria and the tissue background. Which is a likely cause?
• To prevent nonspecific staining in Grocott-Gomori Methenamine Silver staining due to old chromic acid, which practice is recommended?
• What is the main cause of microchatter?
• Which staining protocol uses Neutral Red as a counterstain?
• What is a common cause of inconsistent silver staining?
• What is the common frozen section stain?
• How is Verhoeff's solution prepared correctly?
• Which organ's histology shows a cortex and medulla with germinal centers?
• In histological sections of the brain, which is lighter in color?
• For bone specimens, which orientation is recommended?
• Which combination of muscle tissue types is present in the sample?
• What thickness should tissue be cut on?
• Acid formalin haematin pigment is associated with which fixative?
• Which is a cause for displaced fat observed with Oil Red O staining?
• During tissue cutting, surface chunks appear in the block. What is the most likely cause?
• In PAS staining, what is the purpose of diastase when glycogen is being demonstrated?