Laboratory Troubleshooting Quiz Form
Test your laboratory troubleshooting skills with this focused quiz. Answer each question to the best of your ability. This form is designed for clarity, minimalism, and a premium user experience.
1. Which of the following is the most likely cause of inconsistent pipette volumes?
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Worn pipette seals
Contaminated tips
Incorrect tip size
All of the above
2. What is the first step you should take if a centrifuge is vibrating excessively?
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Stop the centrifuge immediately
Check the rotor balance
Increase speed
Call maintenance
3. Select all possible reasons for a PCR reaction failure.
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Degraded primers
Incorrect annealing temperature
Contaminated reagents
Wrong buffer concentration
4. When a spectrophotometer gives abnormally high readings, which troubleshooting step should you try first?
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Clean the cuvette
Replace the lamp
Recalibrate the instrument
Check the sample
5. Match the laboratory error to its most likely cause.
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Rows
Likely Cause
Unexpected color change
Expired reagents
Improper mixing
Instrument malfunction
Human error
No reaction observed
Expired reagents
Improper mixing
Instrument malfunction
Human error
Erratic instrument readings
Expired reagents
Improper mixing
Instrument malfunction
Human error
Sample contamination
Expired reagents
Improper mixing
Instrument malfunction
Human error
6. Rate your confidence in identifying sources of contamination in the lab.
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1
2
3
4
5
7. What should you do if you notice a chemical spill on the lab bench?
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Clean it up immediately with paper towels
Report to the supervisor and follow spill protocol
Ignore it if it's small
Evacuate the lab
8. Which troubleshooting step is NOT recommended when an autoclave fails to reach temperature?
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Check the door seal
Add more water
Increase the cycle time
Bypass the safety interlock
9. Briefly describe a troubleshooting step you would take if an experiment yields unexpected results.
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10. Select all equipment that require regular calibration.
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Balances
Pipettes
Incubators
Refrigerators
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