Microtomy Practice Questions
20 free Microtomy practice questions for the Pathology, each with the correct answer and a detailed explanation. Open any question below, or take the full set as an interactive quiz.
Questions
20 questions
All Microtomy questions
- Q1. Which type of microtome is most commonly used in routine histopathology laboratories for sectioning paraffin-embedded blocks?
- Q2. What is the standard thickness for routine Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained paraffin sections?
- Q3. Which of the following describes the 'clearance angle' in microtomy?
- Q4. What is the primary cause of 'chatter' or fine parallel lines appearing on a tissue section?
- Q5. In a cryostat, which of the following is used to rapidly freeze tissue specimens for intraoperative consultation?
- Q6. What is the ideal temperature for a flotation water bath used to expand paraffin sections?
- Q7. Which defect is characterized by sections varying in thickness (thick and thin sections) or skipping sections entirely?
- Q8. When sectioning extremely hard tissues like decalcified bone or uterus, which type of knife edge is most appropriate?
- Q9. Which of the following will result in 'scored' or 'split' sections where a line runs through the entire ribbon?
- Q10. What is the purpose of 'trimming' or 'facing' the block before taking actual sections?
- Q11. Which additive is commonly used in a water bath to help sections adhere better to the glass slide?
- Q12. What is the typical thickness required for 'ultra-thin' sections in electron microscopy?
- Q13. A technician notices that the paraffin ribbon is curving to one side. What is the most likely cause?
- Q14. Which of the following is a disadvantage of using frozen sections (cryostat) compared to paraffin sections?
- Q15. What is 'compression' in microtomy, and how is it usually corrected?
- Q16. Which of the following is used to maintain a constant low temperature for sectioning fresh tissue in a cryostat?
- Q17. What is the effect of 'parched' or 'explosive' sections on a water bath?
- Q18. Which instrument is used to produce extremely thin sections (0.5 to 1 micrometer) often referred to as 'semi-thin' or 'thick' sections for light microscopy of…
- Q19. What is 'static electricity' in microtomy, and how does it affect the process?
- Q20. Which of the following describes the 'bevel angle' of a microtome knife?