Ontario Food Handler Practice Test 1

All 50 questions in this test

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

1. How should gravy be reheated?

   1. Microwave it for a few seconds
   2. Put it in the steam table
   3. Bring it to a boil
   4. Warm it to 40 °C

2. According to the guide, what is the leading cause of foodborne illness?

   1. Too many customers at once
   2. Using plastic food containers
   3. Dirty floors and walls
   4. Time and temperature abuse

3. Why does the guide advise against using a cloth handkerchief at work?

   1. It may shed lint into the food
   2. Germs on it get back onto your hands
   3. Paper tissue is cheaper
   4. Cloth is not allowed in kitchens

4. An inspector wants a suspect sauce tested in a lab. Which HPPA power applies?

   1. The power of seizure
   2. The power of destruction
   3. The power of entry
   4. The power of arrest

5. How long must the 82 °C rinse last in a high-temperature dishwasher?

   1. At least 1 second
   2. At least 45 seconds
   3. At least 5 minutes
   4. At least 10 seconds

6. Why is rinsing between the wash and sanitize sinks so important?

   1. It adds shine to the glasses
   2. It saves on sanitizer costs
   3. Leftover detergent weakens the sanitizer
   4. It cools dishes before sanitizing

7. A customer asks if a dessert contains tree nuts and you are not sure. What should you do?

   1. Guess that it is probably fine
   2. Suggest they just eat around it
   3. Say you don't know and check with the chef
   4. Tell them no so that their order is not held up

8. Who counts as a "food handler" under the Ontario regulation?

   1. An employee who handles food or utensils
   2. Only the head chef
   3. Only the owner or a manager of the business
   4. Only staff who work the cash

9. In Fahrenheit, the danger zone runs between which two temperatures?

   1. 32 °F and 100 °F
   2. 40 °F and 140 °F
   3. 0 °F and 40 °F
   4. 140 °F and 212 °F

10. Under Ontario's Food Premises Regulation, which eggs may a restaurant not serve?

    1. Pasteurized liquid eggs
    2. Eggs kept at 4 °C
    3. Grade A large eggs
    4. Ungraded or Grade C eggs

11. Who usually carries out HACCP verification?

    1. Someone not involved in the monitoring
    2. The delivery driver
    3. The same person who does the daily monitoring
    4. A customer chosen at random

12. While handling an illness complaint, which step does the guide say to avoid?

    1. Saving samples of the food served
    2. Giving the customer medical advice
    3. Reviewing how the food was prepared
    4. Asking staff if they have been ill

13. A receiving door must be opened often during deliveries. What helps keep pests out?

    1. A doorstop to keep it open
    2. Bright lights over the door left on all night
    3. Heavy plastic strips or an air curtain
    4. A garbage bin beside the door

14. You drop a pair of tongs on the floor during service. What should you do?

    1. Send them to be washed and get clean ones
    2. Rinse them in the handwash sink
    3. Keep using them if they look clean
    4. Wipe them on your apron and reuse

15. An inspector finds a case of spoiled meat that is a health hazard. What power lets them dispose of it on the spot?

    1. The power of licensing
    2. The power of destruction
    3. The power of entry
    4. The power of zoning

16. When may a two-compartment sink be used instead of three?

    1. Whenever the kitchen is busy
    2. For all dishes in any restaurant
    3. When no multi-service dishes are washed
    4. When the water is extra hot

17. Potentially hazardous food for immediate eating is held at room temperature. What is the time limit?

    1. Two hours
    2. Four hours
    3. Until closing time
    4. Six hours

18. A delivery of refrigerated cream arrives. What is the highest acceptable temperature?

    1. 10 °C (50 °F)
    2. 15 °C (59 °F)
    3. 7 °C (45 °F)
    4. 4 °C (40 °F)

19. How should flour, rice and other bulk dry goods be stored once opened?

    1. On the floor in their sacks
    2. In open bins for easy scooping
    3. In the original torn paper bags
    4. In closed metal or plastic containers

20. About how small a gap can a mouse squeeze through under a door?

    1. A quarter of an inch
    2. Four inches
    3. Only an open door
    4. Two inches

21. What is the minimum internal temperature for ground beef burgers?

    1. 55 °C (131 °F)
    2. 71 °C (160 °F)
    3. 60 °C (140 °F)
    4. 63 °C (145 °F)

22. A whole roast chicken must reach what internal temperature?

    1. 71 °C (160 °F)
    2. 63 °C (145 °F)
    3. 82 °C (180 °F)
    4. 60 °C (140 °F)

23. Where should wiping cloths be kept between uses?

    1. Over your shoulder
    2. On the cutting board
    3. In your apron pocket
    4. In a sanitizing solution

24. How soon can housefly eggs hatch?

    1. In about six months after laying
    2. In as little as seven days
    3. In exactly one hour
    4. Only after a year

25. What should happen to the food compartments of a sandwich-prep condiment fridge overnight?

    1. Store them on the counter, covered
    2. Put them in the freezer every night
    3. Move them into the main part of the fridge
    4. Leave them in the prep top with the lid up

26. If the medical officer of health asks for tests to confirm a food handler is not carrying a disease, what must the handler do?

    1. Refuse unless they feel sick
    2. Wear a mask instead of testing
    3. Switch to another restaurant
    4. Submit to the required medical tests

27. Which is an example of people-to-food cross-contamination?

    1. Spraying a cleaner near open food on the prep counter
    2. Cutting bread on a meat board
    3. Handling raw eggs, then buttering toast unwashed
    4. Storing raw fish above salad

28. How high off the floor must food be stored?

    1. At least 5 cm (2 inches)
    2. Any height if it is boxed
    3. At least 2 cm (1 inch)
    4. At least 15 cm (6 inches)

29. A box of frozen chicken has large ice crystals and dried-out spots. What should you do?

    1. Accept it if the driver agrees
    2. Accept it and cook it first
    3. Put it straight in the freezer
    4. Reject it as thawed and refrozen

30. Why must a hamburger be cooked all the way through, while a steak can be served rarer?

    1. Burgers are thinner and cool down faster on the plate
    2. Steak never carries any bacteria
    3. Ground beef comes from older animals
    4. Grinding mixes surface bacteria into the meat

31. You need to sneeze and have no tissue. What should you do?

    1. Hold it in and keep working
    2. Sneeze into your upper sleeve
    3. Turn and sneeze over the sink
    4. Sneeze into your hands

32. How do rodents usually contaminate food and surfaces?

    1. With urine and droppings as they move
    2. By changing its temperature
    3. By breathing on the food as they pass by
    4. By drinking the cooking water

33. Under ideal conditions, how often can bacteria double in number?

    1. Once a week
    2. About every 12 hours
    3. Every 2 to 3 days
    4. Every 10–20 minutes

34. Does a public health inspector need a warrant to enter a restaurant during business hours?

    1. Only with police present
    2. No, the HPPA gives a power of entry
    3. Yes, a warrant is always needed
    4. Only if the owner agrees in writing

35. Why should you never blow into a plastic bag to open it?

    1. It wastes a lot of bags
    2. Germs from your mouth get into the bag
    3. It fogs up the bag so you cannot see inside
    4. It tears the bag too easily

36. A box of chicken thawed by mistake. What does the guide say about putting it back in the freezer?

    1. Refreeze it raw, as long as it is within 24 hours
    2. Refreeze it right away
    3. Cook it first, then it can be frozen
    4. Rinse it, then refreeze it

37. In a high-temperature dishwasher, how hot must the sanitizing rinse be?

    1. 60 °C (140 °F) or higher
    2. 43 °C (110 °F) or higher
    3. 71 °C (160 °F) or higher
    4. 82 °C (180 °F) or higher

38. When should hot cooked food be put on ice or into the fridge to cool?

    1. Before it drops below 60 °C
    2. Only once it is fully cold
    3. After it sits out for 3 hours
    4. Once it reaches room temperature

39. A delivered product's best-before date has already passed. What should you do?

    1. Accept it and use it first
    2. Change the date label yourself
    3. Do not accept it
    4. Accept it at a discount

40. When sanitizing with hot water alone, how hot must the water be?

    1. At least 77 °C (170 °F)
    2. At least 43 °C (110 °F)
    3. At least 60 °C (140 °F)
    4. At least 50 °C (122 °F)

41. A customer feels sick about 30 minutes after a meal. Which kind of contamination usually causes symptoms this quickly?

    1. Hepatitis A virus
    2. A Listeria infection
    3. Chemical contamination
    4. A parasite infection

42. Why should temperature logs be simple and posted near the equipment?

    1. Logs must be kept outdoors
    2. It looks better to customers
    3. Inspectors only read logs that are posted on the wall
    4. Hard-to-use records tempt staff to fake numbers

43. A bar runs its drinks through copper lines. Which drink can safely run through copper?

    1. Orange juice
    2. Lemonade
    3. Carbonated soft drinks
    4. Plain water

44. When should a person's epinephrine auto-injector be used during a reaction?

    1. After waiting 30 minutes
    2. Only after they lose consciousness
    3. At the first sign of the reaction
    4. Only if a doctor is present

45. Food is considered potentially hazardous when it is moist and has a pH above what value?

    1. 2.0
    2. 4.5
    3. 9.5
    4. 12.0

46. You see cockroaches running across a brightly lit kitchen during the day. What does this usually mean?

    1. The cockroaches are just passing through
    2. The lights attract only a few roaches
    3. The pest control is working well
    4. There is a serious infestation

47. A server who only waits on tables starts ladling soup in the kitchen. What changes?

    1. She now needs to wear headgear
    2. She no longer needs to wash hands
    3. She must wear two pairs of gloves
    4. She must switch to a dark uniform

48. Why don't viruses multiply in food left on the counter?

    1. They need temperatures above 60 °C
    2. They only grow in frozen food
    3. Room air kills them in minutes
    4. They can only grow inside living cells

49. What is the best way to cool a large batch of cooked rice?

    1. Spread it in shallow pans in the fridge
    2. Cover it tightly on the counter
    3. Leave it in the deep pot to cool
    4. Put the hot pot on the floor

50. Where should the thermometer be placed inside a freezer or fridge?

    1. At the very back, right next to the cooling fan
    2. Inside a box of frozen food
    3. On the bottom shelf, at the back
    4. In the warmest spot, near the door and top