ServSafe Practice Questions
A thermometer used to measure the temperature of food must be accurate to what temperature?
+/- 2 F or +/- 1 C (as close as you can get)
An air-temperature measuring device used to measure the temperature in a cooler must be how accurate?
+/- 3 F
When washing hands, what is the minimum time you should scrub with soap?
10 seconds
At what minimum temperature should hot TCS food be held?
135 F
What is the minimum internal cooking temperature for ground beef?
155 F for 15 seconds
What temperature must TCS food be reheated to if it will be hot held?
165 F for 15 seconds
An operation is located in a jurisdiction that allows it to hold TCS food without temperature control. How many hours can it display hot TCS food without temperature control before the food must be sold, served, or thrown out?
4 hours
When installing tabletop equipment on legs, the space between the base of the equipment and the tabletop must be at least what?
4 inches
At what maximum internal temperature should cold TCS food be held?
41 F
What is the correct temperature for receiving cold TCS food?
41 F or lower
At what air temperature can you store shell eggs?
45 F (7 C) or lower
When partially cooking food for later service, what is the maximum amount of time that the food can be heated during the initial cooking step?
60 minutes
How long can ready-to-eat TCS food that was prepped in-house be stored if it was held at 41°F (5°C) or lower?
7 days
What is the maximum water temperature allowed when thawing food under running water?
70 F
An operation has a self service salad bar with 8 different items on it. How many serving utensils are needed to serve the items on the salad bar?
8
What item must a guest take each time they return to a self-service area for more food?
A clean plate
Who is at most risk at contaminating food?
A food handler whose daughter has diarrhea
What is required for measuring the sanitizing rinse temperature in a high temperature dishwashing machine?
A maximum registering thermometer
A safe way to cool a stockpot of meat sauce is to put it in what?
A sink of ice water
What does an operation that wants to smoke food as a method of preservation need to have before processing food this way?
A variance from regulatory authority
Due to an operation's space limits, ready-to-eat and uncooked food must be stored in the same cooler. How should food be stored, in top-to-bottom order?
According to minimum internal cooking temperatures, with ready to eat food on top and poultry not eh bottom
When should hand antiseptics be used?
After washing hands
What is the most reliable method for preventing back flow?
Air gap
Wheezing and shortness of breath are symptoms of what?
Allergic reaction
Which thermometer is limited to measuring surface temperatures?
An infrared thermometer
What is the first task in training a large group of servers to prevent contamination of food?
Asses the training needs of servers on this topic
How far above the floor should food be stored?
At least 6 inches (15 cm)
How often must you check the temperature of food that is being help with temperature control?
At least every 4 hours
Where in a cooler should dairy products be stored?
Away from the door, in the coldest part of the cooler
At what temperatures do most food born pathogens grow most quickly?
Between 70-125 F
When getting ready to check the temperature of a roast chicken, the chef dropped a bimetallic stem thermometer on a prep table. What should the chef do next?
Calibrate the thermometer
Which may be handled with bare hands?
Chopped tomatoes for soup
George is getting ready to wash dishes in a three-compartment sink. What should be his first task?
Clean and sanitize the sinks and drainboards
After which activity must food handlers wash their hands?
Clearing tables
A backup of raw sewage and significant lack of refrigeration can result in...
Closure of the operation by the regulatory authority
What is the first step in developing a HACCP plan?
Conduct a hazard analysis
A broken water main has caused the water in an operation to appear brown. What should the manager do?
Contact the regulatory authority
What is the most important way to prevent a food borne illness caused by bacteria?
Control time and temperature
What must food handlers do to food immediately after thawing it in the microwave oven?
Cook ti
The temperature of a pot of beef stew is checked during holding. The stew has not met the critical limit and is thrown out according to house policy. Throwing out the stew is an example of what HACCP principle?
Corrective action
A food handler drops the end of a hose into a mop bucket and turns on the water to fill it. What has the food handler done wrong?
Created a cross connection
What is the problem with storing raw ground turkey above raw ground pork?
Cross contamination
Why must prep tables must be cleaned and sanitized between uses?
Cross contamination
What must be included not eh label of TCS food that was prepped in house?
Date that the food should be thrown out
The three basic rules of integrated pest management program are
Deny pests food, water, or nesting or hiding place
What are the most common symptoms of a food borne illness?
Diarrhea, vomiting, fever, nausea, abdominal cramps, and jaundice
If food-contact surfaces are in constant use, how often must they be cleaned and sanitized?
Every 4 hours
What is TCS food?
Food requiring Tome and Temperature control for safety
All new staff should receive training on what?
General food safety
Which feature is most important for a chemical storage area?
Good lighting
In which training method does a trainer ask a series of questions to draw on the knowledge and experience of the learners?
Guided discussions
Which pathogens are found in high numbers in an infected person's feces, are highly infectious and can cause severe illness?
Hepatitis A, virus, salmonella typhi, nontyphoidal salmonella, shigella spp., and Shiga toxin producing ecoli
If pesticides are stored in the operation, where should they be kept?
In a secure location, away from food and equipment
What is the best method of checking the temperature of a delivery of fresh fish?
Insert a thermometer probe into the thickest part of the fish
What is the most important factor in choosing a food supplier?
It has been inspected and complies with local, state, and federal laws
What is required when receiving fish that will be served raw or partially cooked?
It must be correctly frozen before you receive it
When must you discard tuna salad that was prepped on July 19?
July 25
Paul the bus boy poured some cleaner from its original container into a smaller working container. What else does he need to do?
Label the working container with its contents
A managers responsibility for staff food safety training is to...
Make sure that staff have the knowledge and the skills to keep food safe
Who is responsible for keeping food safe in a food operation?
Manager operator
The best temperature of a roast is checked to see if it has met its critical limit of a 145 degrees F for 4 minutes. This is an example of which HACCP principle?
Monitoring
To deny pests food and shelter in outside dining areas and around your operation, it is important to
Mow the grass
A food handler has finished trimming raw chicken on a cutting board and needs the cutting board to prep vegetables. What must be done to the cutting board?
Must be washed rinsed, and sanitized
What organization creates national standards for foodservice equipment?
NSF
A guest called am operation and told the manager about getting sick after eating there. The guest complained of vomiting and diarrhea a few hours after eating the raw oysters. What pathogen probably caused the illness?
Norovirus
How should cartons of coleslaw be checked for the correct receiving temperature?
Open a carton and insert the thermometer stem into the food
Pesticides should be disposed of by
PCO (pest control operator)
What probe should be used to check the temperature of a chicken breast?
Penetration probe
Who should apply pesticides?
Pest Control Operator (PCO)
How should the temperature of vacuum packed meat be checked during receiving?
Place the thermometer stem or probe between 2 packages
Which piece of jewelry can be worn on a food handlers hand or arm?
Plain band ring
A server cleans a table with a wiping cloth and then puts the wiping cloth in an apron pocket. What is the risk that can cause a food borne illness?
Poor cleaning and sanitizing
What is the most important way to prevent food borne illnesses caused by viruses?
Practice good personal hygiene
Which area of the operation is usually required to be the brightest?
Preparation
New staff must be trained in the critical areas of personal hygiene, cleaning and sanitizing, controlling time and temperature, and...
Preventing cross contamination
What is an important measure for preventing food borne illness?
Preventing cross-contamination
The 5 common risk factors that can lead to food borne illness are failing to cook adequately, hold food at incorrect temperatures, using contaminated equipment, practicing poor personal hygiene, and?
Purchasing food from unsafe sources
Which food should not be offered on a children's menu?
Rare hamburger
Shiga toxin-producing E. Coil is commonly linked with what type of food?
Raw ground beef
A chef sanitized a thermometer probe and then checked the temperature of minestrone soup being held in a hot holding unit. The temperature was 120 degrees F which did not meet the operations critical limit of 135 degrees F. The chef recorded the temperature in the log and reheated the soup to 165 degrees F for 15 seconds within 2 hours. Which was corrective action?
Reheating the soup
What is the correct way to clean and sanitize a prep table?
Remove food from the surface, wash, rinse, sanitize, air dry
What should be done with an item that has been recalled?
Remove the item from inventory, put it in a secure location, and label it to keep it from being used or discarded
When a utensil is stored in water between uses, what are the requirements?
Running water at any temperature or container of water that is 135 or higher
Which food contains a common allergen?
Salmon with lettuce
Parasites are commonly linked with what type of food?
Seafood
Which item can be received at 45 degrees F?
Shell eggs
Which pathogen can be controlled by washing hands and controlling flies inside and outside the operation?
Shigella Spp.
What are the most important food safety features to look for when selecting flooring, wall, and ceiling materials?
Smooth and durable
What is an acceptable sanitizing method and contact time for a food contact surface?
Soak the item in chlorine solution for 7 seconds
When a food handler prepares and delivers meals to elderly people, what symptoms require this food handler to stay home from work?
Sore throat with fever
Which is a TCS food?
Sprouts
Which agency enforces food safety in a restaurant?
State or local regulatory authority
A deli serves cold sandwiches in a self-service display. Which step in the flow of food would be a critical control point?
Storage
A prep cook stores a bottle of sanitizer on a shelf above a prep table. To prevent chemical contamination, what should we have done differently?
Store the sanitizer bottle away from he prep table
What type of smell may be a sign that cockroaches are present?
Strong and oily
What should food handlers do after prepping food and before using the bathroom?
Take off apron
What should the manager of a hospital cafeteria do if a cook calls in with a headache, nausea, and diarrhea?
Tell the cook to stay away from work and see a doctor
What must food handlers do to make sure sanitizing solution for use on food-contact surfaces has been made correctly?
Test the solution with a sanitizer kit
A cook wore single use gloves while forming raw ground beef into patties. The cook continued to wear them while slicing hamburger buns. What mistake was made?
The cook did not wash his hands and change his gloves before slicing the hamburger buns
A person arrives at a restaurant claiming to be a health inspector. What should the manager ask for?
The inspectors identification
Which is a requirement for key drop deliveries?
The items are placed in the correct storage location
An operation received a violation in the outside area of the facility. The manager reviewed the area and saw that the Dumpster was placed on a freshly graveled drive. The lids were closed, and the drain plug was in place to prevent the Dumpster from draining. What was the problem?
The surface underneath the dumpster should have been paved with concrete or asphalt
Which part of the plate should a food handler avoid touching when serving customers?
The top
An operation has a buildup of grease and condensation on the walls and ceiling. What is the most likely problem?
The ventilation system is not working correctly
Aside from temperature which other FATTOM condition will a food service operation be able to most control?
Time
What causes large ice crystals to form on frozen food and its packaging?
Time Temperature abuse
A food handler pulled a hotel pan of tuna salad from the cooler and used it to prepare 6 tuna salad sandwiches? What is the potential problem with the situation?
Time temperature abuse
A food handler thaws several frozen turkeys on a prep table. What is the danger that this poses to the food?
Time temperature abuse
Raw chicken breasts are left out at room temperature on a prep table. What is the main risk that can cause a food borne illness?
Time temperature abuse
What device can be used to record time-temperature abuse during the delivery of food?
Time temperature indicator
what is the purpose of a food safety management system?
To identify and control possible hazards throughout the flow of food
A guest had a reversal of hot and cold sensations after eating seafood. What most likely caused this illness?
Toxin
How far must a bimetallic stemmed thermometer be inserted into food to give an accurate reading?
Up to the dimple of the thermometer stem
A pan of lasagna at 165 degrees F was packed in a heated cabinet for off-site delivery. What is the minimum information that should be on the pan label?
Use by date and time, and reheating and service instructions
Reviewing temperature logs and other records to make sure that the HACCP plan is working as intended is an example of which HACCP principle?
Verification
In what type of places are cockroaches typically found?
Warm, moist, and dark
Signage posted at a handwashing station must include a reminder to staff to
Wash hands before returning to work
After pesticides have been applied, food-contact surfaces should be...
Washed, rinsed, and sanitized
Besides information on chemical concentration and water temperature, what other machine setting information should be posted on dishwashing machines?
Water pressure
Why are school-aged children at a higher risk for a food borne illness?
Weak immune system
What information should a master cleaning schedule contain?
What should be cleaned, when, by whom, and how
What is a food borne illness outbreak?
When 2 or more people report the same illness from eating the same food
When should staff should receive food safety training?
When hired and then periodically after that
When is it acceptable to eat in an operation?
When sitting in a break area
To prevent the deliberate contamination of food, a manager should know who is in the facility, monitor the security of products, keep information related to food security on file, and know
Whom to contact about suspicious activity
How should flatware and utensils that have been cleaned and sanitized be stored?
With handles facing up
In top-to-bottom order, how should a fresh pork roast, fresh salmon, a container of lettuce, and a pan of fresh chicken breasts be stored in a cooler?
lettuce, fresh salmon, fresh pork roast, fresh chicken breasts
