ServSafe Food Handler Practice Test 5: Foodborne Illness & Pathogens

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1. Which TWO groups are at higher risk of serious foodborne illness?

   • Young, preschool-age children
   • Older adults
   • Professional athletes
   • Healthy teenagers

   High-risk groups are young children, older adults, pregnant people and those with weakened immune systems, their bodies fight off foodborne pathogens less effectively.

2. Which of these is one of the 'Big 6' pathogens a food handler must report to their manager?

   • Influenza (the flu)
   • Hepatitis A
   • Athlete's foot
   • The common cold

   The Big 6 are Hepatitis A, Norovirus, Shigella, Salmonella Typhi, nontyphoidal Salmonella and shiga toxin-producing E. coli. A diagnosis with any of them must be reported.

3. How does a virus differ from bacteria in food?

   • A virus multiplies quickly in the danger zone
   • A virus cannot multiply in food and usually spreads through poor personal hygiene
   • A virus is destroyed by refrigeration
   • A virus only grows in dry storage

   Viruses don't grow in food, they're carried in on unwashed hands and spread from person to food. That's why handwashing and keeping ill workers out matter so much for viruses like Norovirus and Hepatitis A.

4. Scombroid (histamine) poisoning is linked to time-temperature abuse of which fish?

   • Farmed catfish
   • Tuna, mahi-mahi and mackerel
   • Atlantic cod
   • Tilapia

   Tuna, mahi-mahi, mackerel and similar fish form histamine when held too warm. The toxin isn't destroyed by cooking, so keeping these fish cold from delivery onward is the only defense.

5. Ciguatera toxin is found in certain large predatory reef fish, such as:

   • Canned tuna
   • Barracuda and grouper
   • Farmed salmon
   • Freshwater trout

   Ciguatera builds up in reef predators like barracuda, grouper and snapper. Like histamine, it survives cooking, the control is buying from an approved, reputable supplier.

6. What is the single most important way to prevent the spread of Hepatitis A and Norovirus?

   • Cooking all food to 135°F
   • Proper handwashing and keeping ill workers out of food handling
   • Wiping counters more often
   • Wearing a hair restraint

   Both spread by the fecal-oral route from infected people. Thorough handwashing after using the restroom, plus excluding sick workers, stops them far better than surface cleaning alone.

7. A food handler shows signs of jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes). The manager must:

   • Send them to wash dishes instead
   • Exclude them from the operation and contact the regulatory authority
   • Let them work if they wear gloves
   • Ignore it unless the worker feels sick

   Jaundice can signal Hepatitis A. A worker with jaundice must be excluded from the operation, and the regulatory authority notified, per the FDA Food Code.

8. FAT TOM lists the conditions bacteria need to grow. Which is one of them?

   • Sunlight
   • Moisture
   • Metal
   • Motion

   FAT TOM stands for Food, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen and Moisture. Control any one, usually temperature and time in a kitchen, and you slow bacterial growth.

9. Which food is a common source of Salmonella and must be cooked to 165°F?

   • Lettuce
   • Poultry
   • Bread
   • Apples

   Poultry is a classic Salmonella carrier, which is why it needs the highest minimum cooking temperature, 165°F (74°C), and the lowest shelf in the cooler.

10. Which TWO symptoms must a food handler report to their manager?

    • Jaundice
    • Sore throat with a fever
    • A mild afternoon headache
    • Tiredness after a long shift

    Report jaundice, sore throat with fever, vomiting and diarrhea. These point to conditions that can spread through food; the manager then applies the local restriction or exclusion rules.