Food Manager Practice Test

Food Safety Cleaning & Sanitizing Practice Questions

Cleaning & Sanitizing makes up 6 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest Food Safety practice test. Here are 10 of the 24 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.

Updated 2026-11-10 by the Tigertest team. Built on the FDA Food Code (2017 and 2022). Your local code may differ; check with your health department.

1. 1. What is the difference between cleaning and sanitizing a food-contact surface?

   • A.Cleaning kills all pathogens; sanitizing removes visible food and grease
   • B.Cleaning removes soil; sanitizing reduces pathogens to safe levels
   • C.They are the same step done with different chemicals
   • D.Sanitizing removes grease; cleaning removes odors and stains from surfaces

   Answer: B. Cleaning removes food and soil, and sanitizing then reduces pathogens on the clean surface to safe levels. Cleaning alone does not kill pathogens, and sanitizing alone cannot work through soil.

2. 2. A new prep cook is cleaning a worktable and asks which step must come directly between washing and sanitizing. What should the manager say?

   • A.Let the surface air-dry completely first
   • B.Apply a second coat of detergent
   • C.Wipe the surface with a dry towel
   • D.Rinse the surface with clean water

   Answer: D. The correct order is clean, rinse, sanitize, then air-dry. Rinsing removes detergent residue that can weaken the sanitizer; air-drying comes last, after sanitizing.

3. 3. A cook sprays sanitizer directly onto a cutting board still coated with raw chicken residue. Why is this a problem?

   • A.Food soil weakens the sanitizer so pathogens survive
   • B.Sanitizer only works on metal food-contact surfaces
   • C.Sanitizer turns toxic when it touches raw poultry
   • D.Sanitizer must always be applied before any washing step

   Answer: A. Sanitizer must be applied to a surface that has already been cleaned and rinsed, because food soil uses up and blocks the sanitizer. Sanitizers work on plastic and wood boards too, so the surface type is not the issue.

4. 4. A prep cook has been slicing deli turkey on the same slicer at room temperature continuously since 8 in the morning. By when must it be cleaned and sanitized?

   • A.After 8 hours of continuous use
   • B.Only when switching to a different food item
   • C.By noon, after 4 hours of continuous use
   • D.At the end of the shift

   Answer: C. Food-contact surfaces in continuous use at room temperature must be cleaned and sanitized at least every 4 hours. Waiting until the end of the shift lets bacteria multiply on the slicer.

5. 5. A cook finishes cutting raw chicken and next needs to slice tomatoes on the same cutting board. What must happen first?

   • A.Rinse the board under hot running water
   • B.Wipe the board with a clean dry cloth
   • C.Clean and sanitize the board
   • D.Flip the board and use the other side

   Answer: C. Food-contact surfaces must be cleaned and sanitized when switching between raw animal food and ready-to-eat food. A hot-water rinse does not reliably remove soil or reduce pathogens to safe levels.

6. 6. A cook stops portioning chicken salad to unload a produce delivery, then returns 20 minutes later. What should happen to the prep surface?

   • A.Clean and sanitize it before resuming
   • B.Resume work since under 4 hours passed
   • C.Spray it with water and keep working
   • D.Cover it with plastic wrap and continue

   Answer: A. Food-contact surfaces must be cleaned and sanitized after a task is interrupted, because the surface may have been contaminated in the meantime. The 4-hour rule covers continuous use, not interruptions.

7. 7. When sanitizing utensils by hot-water immersion in a three-compartment sink, what is the minimum water temperature and immersion time?

   • A.160 F for 2 full minutes
   • B.180 F for 7 seconds
   • C.135 F for 60 seconds
   • D.171 F for 30 seconds

   Answer: D. Hot-water immersion sanitizing requires water of at least 171 F (77 C) for 30 seconds. 180 F is the final rinse for most high-temperature dish machines, not the immersion standard.

8. 8. A manager is checking a high-temperature dish machine with a stationary rack that uses separate wash and rinse temperatures. What should the final sanitizing rinse reach?

   • A.At least 150 F
   • B.At least 180 F
   • C.At least 171 F
   • D.At least 160 F

   Answer: B. Most high-temperature dish machines need a final sanitizing rinse of at least 180 F (82 C); only stationary-rack, single-temperature machines may use 165 F. 160 F is the required dish surface temperature, not the rinse water temperature.

9. 9. A manager wants to verify that plates leaving a high-temperature dish machine are actually heat sanitized. What is the best check?

   • A.Plates feel too hot to hold comfortably
   • B.Temperature-sensitive label showing a 160 F surface
   • C.Chlorine test strip dipped in the final rinse
   • D.Infrared reading of 135 F on the plate

   Answer: B. The plate surface must reach at least 160 F (71 C), which a temperature-sensitive label or maximum-registering thermometer confirms. A chlorine test strip is used for chemical-sanitizing machines, not high-temperature ones.

10. 10. A server mixes chlorine sanitizer in a bucket for wiping tables. What concentration range is generally required for chlorine sanitizer?

    • A.12.5 to 25 ppm
    • B.150 to 400 ppm
    • C.200 to 500 ppm
    • D.50 to 100 ppm

    Answer: D. Chlorine sanitizer is generally used at 50 to 100 ppm, checked with a chlorine test strip. 12.5 to 25 ppm is the iodine range, and 150 to 400 ppm is typical for quats.