Practice Exam

Question 1

The model number for a Down syndrome translocation carrier is

Answer 1

44
45(+)
46
47

Question 2

Which of the following is the best tissue to use for both a good success rate and abnormality detection in spontaneous miscarriage specimen?

Answer 2

Parental blood
Fetal skin
Placental membranes
Chorionic villi(+)

Question 3

What is a possible cause for a drying oven not maintaining proper temperature?

Answer 3

The door does not seal properly(+)
The door is seldom open
The oven is on an elevated cabinet
The oven is on the laboratory floor

Question 4

A technologist with a bad cold and constant sneezing is scheduled to set up amniotic fluid specimens. If the technologist does not take proper precautions the patient specimens may be contaminated with:

Answer 4

Fungus
Bacteria
Mycoplasma(+)
E.coli

Question 5

Which of the following is not normally affected by slide making

Answer 5

Mitotic index(+)
Cell density
Banding
Chromosome spreading

Question 6

Which of the following tests should be ordered on a newborn with suspected Prader-Willi syndrome?

Answer 6

High resolution banding and fish for the prader-willi locus(+)
Fish only
High resolution banding only
High resolution banding and fish subtelomere studies

Question 7

When harvesting peripheral blood cultures, sterile technique is no longer necessary following incubations with:

Answer 7

Amethopterin
Thymidine
Colcemid(+)
Bromodeoxyuridine

Question 8

Collagenase, pronase, trypsin are:

Answer 8

Intercalating agents
Proteolytic enzymes(+)
Coagulants
Bacteriostatic agents

Question 9

When capturing an image, the tech cannot get the metaphase into focus. Which of the following is the most probable cause?

Answer 9

The camera is not parfocal with the microscope(+)
The photoeyepiece is not inserted into the camera
The metaphase is too condensed
The metaphase is too decondensed

Question 10

Unstained chromosome preparations should be viewed using a

Answer 10

Brightfield condenser
Phase contrast condenser(+) with a phase annulus in the condenser
Planachromatic objective
Planapochromatic objective

Question 11

The minimal band level to detect Prader-Willi is:

Answer 11

350
450
550(+)
850

Question 12

A regulatory inspector requests a copy of a lab patient record for his inspection files. The tech should:

Answer 12

Photocopy the record and give it to the inspector
Remove the patient info and photocopy the record
Deny the inspector a copy of the record
Ask the lab director for permission

Answer: patient record should not be given to anyone but the referring healthcare provider without written permission from the patient.

Question 13

According to CAP regulations, what is the minimal band level for most constitutional specimens?

Answer 13

300
400(+)
500
600

Question 14

Placental tissue is submitted for chromosome analysis. To optimize the likelihood of obtaining fetal cells, the tech should:

Answer 14

Mince the entire specimen
Select tissue from the fetal side of the specimen(+)
Select decidua
Perform a direct preparation

Question 15

The aperture stop affects resolution and contrast by:

Answer 15

Changing the angle of the cone of light inside the objective
Decreasing the wattage
Changing the numerical aperture
Limiting the diameter of the light beam(+)

Question 16

Which of the following is the most important info to ensure appropriate testing?

Answer 16

Patient gender
Reason for referral(+)
Specimen type
Time of collection

Question 17

What is the correct nomenclature to describe a hematologic disorder with trisomy 21 in 6 cells and 14 cells that are normal?

Answer 17

46,XY[14]/47,XY,+21?c[6]
Mos47,XY,+21?c[6]/46,XY[14]
47,XY,+21?c[6]/46,XY14
46,XY/47,XY,+21?c

Question 18

The G-light bands produced by routine GTG banding represent the :

Answer 18

Active regions of the chromosomes(+)
Late replicating regions of the chromosomes
Inactive regions of the chromosomes
Heterochromatic regions of the chromosomes

Question 19

Which of the following syndromes has not been associated with a microdeletion?

Answer 19

Prader-Willi
DiGeorge
Rubinstein-Taybi(+)
Langer-Giedion

Question 20

The dark bands produced by GTG banding represent

Answer 20

A-T rich regions of the chromosomes (+) late replicating, heterochromatic and contain few active genes
C-G rich regions of the chromosomes
Early replicating regions of the chromosomes
Regions with many active genes

Question 21

GTG banded chromosomes appear ghost-like with little visible banding. The tech should alter the staining procedure by:

Answer 21

Increasing trypsin time
Decreasing trypsin time(+)
Increasing Giemsa staining time
Decreasing Giemsa staining time

Question 22

50 out of 200 cells in a prenatal aneusomy FISH analysis have 3 signals for chromosome 18. These results are:

Answer 22

Consistent with trisomy 18
Likely an artifact
Consistent with mosaic trisomy 18
Consistent with either trisomy 18 or a structural anomaly of chromosome 18(+)
Since the test is done on interphase cells, the tech cannot distinguish between a trisomy or structural anomaly. It is also not possible to definitely say this patient is mosaic.

Question 23

If the same hybridization incubator is used for several different probe strategies, the stringency for each probe can be adjusted by:

Answer 23

Adjusting the temperature
Using an indirect labeled probe
Adjusting the formamide and salt concentrations(+)
Adjusting the aging of the slide

Question 24

Optimal banding quality is achieved for each patient sample by banding:

Answer 24

Slides one patient at a time
Random trial slides
One trial slide from each patient(+)
Fresh slides to prevent change of trypsin activity

Question 25

In fluorescent microscopy, the exciter and barrier filters used depend on which of the following?

Answer 25

Condenser
Objective
Stain(+)
Camera

Question 26

Which of the following is the most useful reference for arranging chromosomes in a karyotype?

Answer 26

AGT manual
CAP regulations
ISCN(+)
Laboratory manual

Question 27

What action should be taken when an amniotic fluid specimen has an apparently balanced 6;12 translocation in 15 colonies?

Answer 27

Do not report until more cells are analyzed
Report and request another specimen
Report and request parental chromosome studies(+)
Report and request a blood specimen when the infant is born

Question 28

Which of the following is necessary for proper storage of chemicals in the lab?

Answer 28

Leaving chemicals in their shipping cartons
Storing chemicals in alphabetical order
Obtaining proper storage info from the manufacturer(+)
Storing chemicals together in a nonflammable cabinet

Question 29

A 14 yo girl presents with short stature and primary amenorrhea. 1 of 20 cells are missing an X chromosome, but this one cell has a small unidentifiable marker chromosome. Which of the following should be done next?

Answer 29

Report as 46,X,+mar[1]/46,XX[19]
Count additional cells
Utilize additional stains to identify the marker
Request another tissue type

Question 30

A patient with CML presents with a chromosome finding of t(9;22)(q34;q11.2) at diagnosis. A second bone marrow analysis reveals t(9;22) and an additional chromosome 8. This is indicative of:

Answer 30

CML at diagnosis
A response to treatment
The blast phase of CML(+)
A good prognosis

Question 31

Which of the following is a reason a metaphase cell cannot be located when changing from a 40x to 100x oil immersion objective?

Answer 31

Field stop diaphragm not centered
The lamp out of center
Field stop diaphragm not focused
100x objective slightly unscrewed (+)

Question 32

A technologist is scheduled to karyotype several cases using a computer image analysis system. All of the following actions should be taken to minimize repetitive motion injury except:

Answer 32

Supporting the arm that controls the computer mouse
Standing up and moving around often
Alternating hands while operating the computer mouse
Taking breaks from looking at the computer screen(+)

Question 33

According to CAP the number of karyotypes that must be prepared for neoplastic disorders is:

Answer 33

1 karyotype per stem line and 1 karyotype per sideline
2 karyotypes per stem line and 2 karyotypes per sideline
2 karyotypes per stem line and 1 karyotype for one sideline
2 karyotypes per stem line and 1 karyotype for each sideline(+)

Question 34

The correct modal number for a patient with Turner syndrome with an isochromosome Xq is:

Answer 34

44
45
46
47
The isochromosome Xq replaces one normal X

Question 35

For short-term storage, fixed-cell suspensions should be:

Answer 35

In DMSO
In liquid nitrogen
At room temp
Refrigerated in fix(+)

Question 36

Which of the following should be used on a cultured cvs to obtain more slides for analysis

Answer 36

L-glutamine
Phytohemagglutinin
Bromodeoxyuridine
Trypsin-EDTA(+)