FOODSAFE Level 1: Foodborne illness

All 14 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

1. Which food is linked to botulism (Clostridium botulinum)?

   1. Hot coffee and tea
   2. Freshly baked bread
   3. Fresh green salads
   4. Garlic-in-oil mixtures

2. A container of leftover chili looks and smells fine but its age is unknown. What should you do?

   1. Keep it for staff meals only
   2. Throw it out
   3. Taste a small spoonful first
   4. Serve it after reheating to 60°C

3. Which group is at highest risk of serious foodborne illness?

   1. Healthy adults aged 25 to 40
   2. Office workers who eat out daily
   3. Teenagers who play sports
   4. Children under 5

4. Which foods are linked to Listeria?

   1. Soft cheeses and prepared meats
   2. Boiled rice served hot
   3. Hard candy and crackers
   4. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice

5. A guest phones to say she got sick after eating at your restaurant. What should be done?

   1. Record it and report it to the health authority
   2. Throw out all the food so there is nothing to test
   3. Ignore it unless several more people call about it
   4. Offer the guest a coupon and tell no one else

6. A cook had norovirus. When may she go back to handling food?

   1. 2 days after she is better
   2. Right away if she wears gloves
   3. After 12 hours without diarrhea
   4. As soon as vomiting stops

7. A customer asks whether a dish contains nuts. What should staff be able to rely on?

   1. The customer's own knowledge of what is usually in it
   2. The cook's memory of how the recipe was made last week
   3. A guess based on how the finished dish looks
   4. A current ingredient list for every menu item

8. How is norovirus commonly spread in a restaurant?

   1. By storing canned goods on the highest shelves
   2. By undercooking pork chops and pork ribs
   3. By a sick person handling food, water or ice
   4. By keeping soup in the steam table above 60°C

9. Why are ground beef and mechanically tenderized beef more likely to cause E. coli illness than a whole steak?

   1. Ground meat is usually bought from unapproved sources
   2. Surface bacteria get moved inside the meat
   3. Ground meat cannot be refrigerated safely
   4. Ground meat is always from older animals

10. What causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (red tide)?

    1. Eating mussels, clams or other bivalves
    2. Eating undercooked ground beef
    3. Eating cooked rice left out overnight
    4. Drinking unpasteurized apple cider

11. Can antibiotics treat norovirus illness?

    1. Yes, if taken within 1 hour
    2. Only for food handlers
    3. Yes, a 3-day course works
    4. No, it is a virus

12. About how many people in Canada get sick from foodborne illness each year?

    1. Over 40 million
    2. About 40,000
    3. About 400,000
    4. Over 4 million

13. Which foods are common sources of Salmonella?

    1. Dry pasta and uncooked white rice in bags
    2. Canned soft drinks and salted crackers
    3. Bottled water and commercially made ice
    4. Raw or undercooked poultry and eggs

14. Cooked chicken is sliced on the same unwashed board used for raw chicken. What is the risk?

    1. Salmonella can spread to the cooked chicken
    2. Only the flavour of the chicken changes
    3. None, since cooking already killed all germs
    4. Only the board may become stained