Food Safety Facilities, Equipment & Pest Control Practice Questions
Facilities, Equipment & Pest Control makes up 3 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest Food Safety practice test. Here are 10 of the 12 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated by the Tigertest team. Built on the FDA Food Code (2017 and 2022). Your local code may differ; check with your health department.
1. A manager is buying a new reach-in refrigerator for the kitchen. What should the manager look for on the unit?
- A.An energy-efficiency rating only
- B.An NSF or ANSI certification mark
- C.A five-year manufacturer parts warranty
- D.A glass door for easy viewing
Answer: B. Food equipment should be certified as meeting sanitation standards by NSF or another ANSI-accredited program. A warranty or energy rating says nothing about whether the unit is safe and easy to clean.
2. A new floor-mounted range is being installed on legs instead of sealed to a masonry base. How high must the legs raise it?
- A.At least 4 inches
- B.At least 12 inches
- C.At least 2 inches
- D.At least 6 inches
Answer: D. Floor-mounted equipment must be on legs at least 6 inches high or sealed to a masonry base so the floor beneath can be cleaned. 4-inch legs are the standard for tabletop equipment, not floor-mounted units.
3. A contractor is remodeling the kitchen floor. Which feature helps prevent dirt buildup where the floor meets the wall?
- A.Sealed, curved coving
- B.Unsealed wooden baseboard trim
- C.A sharp 90-degree corner joint
- D.Carpet runners along each wall
Answer: A. Coving is a curved, sealed edge at the floor-wall junction that removes the sharp corner where dirt and pests collect. Floors and their edges must be smooth, durable and nonabsorbent, which rules out carpet and unsealed wood.
4. An inspector measures the light level over a food preparation table. What minimum intensity does the Food Code require in prep areas?
- A.10 foot-candles
- B.20 foot-candles
- C.50 foot-candles
- D.100 foot-candles
Answer: C. Food preparation areas need at least 50 foot-candles of light. 20 foot-candles applies to hand-washing and dishwashing areas, and 10 foot-candles to dry storage and walk-ins.
5. A hose on the mop sink faucet is left lying in a bucket of dirty mop water. What hazard does this create?
- A.Excess water pressure building up at the sink
- B.Overheating of the water heater
- C.Backflow through a cross-connection
- D.Water hammer in the supply pipes
Answer: C. A cross-connection is a link between the potable water supply and a source of contamination, and a pressure drop can siphon dirty water backward into the supply. Vacuum breakers on hose bibs and air gaps prevent this.
6. A prep sink faucet is being installed above the sink's flood rim to create an air gap. How large must the gap be?
- A.Twice the inlet diameter, at least 1 inch
- B.Exactly 6 inches above the drain
- C.Equal to the inlet diameter, at least 1/2 inch
- D.Half the inlet diameter, at least 1 inch
Answer: A. An air gap must be at least twice the diameter of the water supply inlet and never less than 1 inch. It is the only completely reliable way to prevent backflow, since mechanical devices like vacuum breakers can fail.
7. A rural restaurant gets its water from a private well instead of a public system. What must the manager do to use it?
- A.Add bleach to the well once a week
- B.Nothing, because private wells are exempt
- C.Boil only the water used for cooking
- D.Have it tested and approved as required
Answer: D. Water must come from an approved public system or a private source that is tested regularly and approved by the regulatory authority. Private wells are not exempt; check your local code for the testing schedule.
8. A manager notices the outdoor dumpster sits on loose gravel with its lids left open. What is the correct setup?
- A.Lids open, beside the back door for convenience
- B.Lids closed, on smooth nonabsorbent concrete or asphalt
- C.Lids open for airflow, on grass
- D.Lids closed, on gravel for better drainage
Answer: B. Outdoor garbage containers must be leakproof, pest-proof and kept covered, and they must sit on a smooth, durable, nonabsorbent surface such as concrete or asphalt. Gravel and grass cannot be cleaned and attract pests.
9. The kitchen's back door is often propped open during deliveries, and flies are getting in. What is the best fix?
- A.Keep the door open only during busy hours
- B.Install a self-closing door or air curtain
- C.Hang a bug zapper above the prep table
- D.Spray insecticide around the doorframe daily
Answer: B. Denying pests access is the first line of defense: use self-closing doors, air curtains, 16-mesh screens and sealed gaps. Bug zappers must never hang over food because insect parts can fall onto it.
10. During a closing check, an employee finds small dark droppings and fresh gnaw marks on boxes in dry storage. What do these signs most likely indicate?
- A.Normal wear from delivery boxes
- B.Moisture damage from high humidity
- C.Old packaging from the supplier
- D.Rodent activity
Answer: D. Droppings, gnaw marks, grease marks along walls and nesting material are classic signs of rodents. The manager should contact the pest control operator and discard any contaminated food.
Practice all 12 facilities, equipment & pest control questions, and the rest of the 200-question bank, in the free Food Safety training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
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