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Practice and exam technique

Practice questions: facilities, pests and chemicals

Compiled by the Sitonce editorial team from the FDA Food Code and the accredited providers listed belowUpdated 3 min readFacts verified 1 September 2026
The short answer

Facilities and pest control are eight of the eighty questions between them, with a small number of specific figures. These five cover lighting, backflow, pest evidence and chemical storage.

Eight questions for maybe six numbers and three ideas. Cheap marks, and worth banking before you get to the fifteen-question areas.

Question 1

What is the minimum lighting at a station where an employee is using a slicer?

  1. 10 foot-candles
  2. 20 foot-candles
  3. 50 foot-candles
  4. 100 foot-candles
Answer: C. Fifty foot-candles applies where an employee works with food, utensils or equipment such as knives and slicers - the highest requirement, because it is the highest-risk task. Ten covers walk-ins and dry storage; twenty covers handwashing, warewashing, toilets and buffet displays.
Question 2

A hose is attached to a tap and the free end is lying in a mop bucket. What is this?

  1. Acceptable, if the bucket contains clean water
  2. A cross-connection
  3. An air gap
  4. Acceptable, if the tap is turned off
Answer: B. A cross-connection is any physical link between drinking water and a possible contamination source. If line pressure drops, the bucket contents are drawn back into the supply. Turning the tap off changes nothing, which is what option D is testing.
Question 3

A manager sees a cockroach in the dry store at two in the afternoon. What does that indicate?

  1. A single insect that entered with a delivery
  2. A large population, since cockroaches are nocturnal
  3. Nothing unusual in a warm storeroom
  4. That treatment was applied recently
Answer: B. Cockroaches are nocturnal. Daytime activity indicates the harbourage is overcrowded, so it points to a substantial population rather than an isolated insect. The correct response is contacting the licensed operator and identifying the entry point.
Question 4

Where must an air gap be provided?

  1. On a handwashing sink drain
  2. On an ice machine drain line
  3. On a toilet supply line
  4. On a mop sink tap
Answer: B. Equipment holding food, ice or clean items drains indirectly through an air gap rather than connecting directly to the sewer. A direct connection on an ice machine creates a route from the sewer into the ice, and it is a regular inspection finding.
Question 5

A spray bottle in the kitchen contains a diluted degreaser and has no label. What is the violation?

  1. None, if staff know what it is
  2. The working container must show the common name of the material
  3. Degreaser may not be diluted on the premises
  4. Spray bottles are not permitted in food areas
Answer: B. Working containers of poisonous or toxic materials must carry the common name of the contents. An unlabelled bottle is a violation on its own, and it is how the wrong product ends up on a food-contact surface.

Three numbers and three ideas

Ten, twenty, fifty for lighting. Air gaps on anything holding food, ice or clean items. Chemicals below and labeled. Prevention before chemicals for pests.

That is most of eight questions.

Common questions

How much light is needed at a prep station?

Fifty foot-candles where an employee works with food, utensils or equipment such as knives and slicers. Ten covers walk-ins and dry storage; twenty covers handwashing, warewashing and buffets.

What is a cross-connection?

Any physical link between drinking water and a possible contamination source - most commonly a hose left in a mop bucket. If line pressure drops, the contents are drawn back into the supply.

Why does a daytime cockroach matter?

They are nocturnal, so activity in daylight means the harbourage is overcrowded. It indicates a substantial population rather than a single insect entering with a delivery.

Which equipment needs an air gap on the drain?

Anything holding food, ice or clean items - ice machines, food preparation sinks, steam tables and condensate lines. A direct sewer connection creates a route back into the food.

Do spray bottles need labels?

Yes, with the common name of the material. An unlabelled working container is a violation on its own and is how the wrong chemical ends up on a food-contact surface.

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