Texas Food Handler Practice Test 2026: Practice test 2

Practice test 2 of 6 for the Texas Food Handler Practice Test: 25 more questions with answers and explanations.

Food safety
Texas
131 questions
Checked October 10, 2026

Question 1 of 25
Where should you place the tip of a probe thermometer to check a piece of meat?
- Touching the bottom of the pan
- Touching the bone
- Just under the surface
- In the center of the thickest part
Show answer
Answer: D. In the center of the thickest part
The thickest part heats last. Bones and pans can give a false reading.
Question 2 of 25
When should sanitizer solution in a bucket be changed?
- Never, it lasts forever
- When it is dirty, cloudy or too weak
- Once a week
- Only when it runs out
Show answer
Answer: B. When it is dirty, cloudy or too weak
Food and dirt use up sanitizer. Replace it when it looks dirty or tests too weak.
Question 3 of 25
What does the 2026 FDA Food Code require food businesses to do about employee illness?
- Let sick workers decide for themselves
- Test every employee for illness every day
- Keep a written employee illness policy
- Report every cold to the FDA
Show answer
Answer: C. Keep a written employee illness policy
The 2026 Food Code added a requirement for a documented employee illness policy.
Question 4 of 25
A worker is sneezing and has a runny nose. What should they do?
- Use hand sanitizer and keep working with food
- Keep working but sneeze into the sink
- Not work with exposed food, utensils or food-contact surfaces
- Keep working at the salad station
Show answer
Answer: C. Not work with exposed food, utensils or food-contact surfaces
Workers with sneezing, coughing or a runny nose should not handle food or food-contact items.
Question 5 of 25
A worker at a nursing home kitchen has a sore throat with a fever. What should happen?
- They can work if they wear a mask
- They should be excluded from working with food
- They can work if they drink hot tea
- They can work with raw food only
Show answer
Answer: B. They should be excluded from working with food
Sore throat with fever leads to exclusion when the worker serves a highly susceptible population, such as a nursing home.
Question 6 of 25
When must a food worker wash their hands?
- After touching their hair or face
- Only when hands look dirty
- Only at the start of the shift
- Only after eating lunch
Show answer
Answer: A. After touching their hair or face
Wash after touching hair or face, using the restroom, handling raw meat, taking out garbage, eating, drinking, smoking, and more.
Question 7 of 25
What is jaundice?
- Yellowing of the skin or eyes
- A rash on the hands
- A runny nose
- A painful sore throat
Show answer
Answer: A. Yellowing of the skin or eyes
Jaundice can be a sign of hepatitis A. A worker with jaundice must not work with food and the health department must be told.
Question 8 of 25
Where should cleaning chemicals be stored?
- Below and away from food and food-contact surfaces
- In empty food containers
- Next to the spices
- On a shelf above the prep table
Show answer
Answer: A. Below and away from food and food-contact surfaces
Chemicals should be stored where they cannot drip or spill onto food, such as on a lower shelf in a separate area.
Question 9 of 25
In this handwashing diagram, what is step 6?
- Add soap
- Wet both hands
- Rinse under running water
- Turn off the tap using the paper towel
Show answer
Answer: D. Turn off the tap using the paper towel
Using the paper towel to turn off the tap keeps clean hands from touching the dirty handle.
Question 10 of 25
What is the difference between cleaning and sanitizing?
- They mean the same thing
- Cleaning kills germs; sanitizing removes dirt
- Cleaning removes food and dirt; sanitizing reduces germs to safe levels
- Sanitizing is only for floors
Show answer
Answer: C. Cleaning removes food and dirt; sanitizing reduces germs to safe levels
Clean first with soap and water, then sanitize with heat or an approved chemical.
Question 11 of 25
A whole beef roast can be cooked to 145°F if it is held at that temperature for how long?
- 15 seconds
- 30 minutes
- 4 minutes
- 1 second
Show answer
Answer: C. 4 minutes
The Food Code allows whole meat roasts to be cooked to 145°F for 4 minutes, or to other time and temperature combinations.
Question 12 of 25
Leftover cooked food that will be held hot must be reheated to what temperature?
- 165°F for 15 seconds
- 145°F for 15 seconds
- 120°F for 1 minute
- 135°F for 15 seconds
Show answer
Answer: A. 165°F for 15 seconds
Cooked and cooled TCS food that will be hot held must be reheated to 165°F for 15 seconds.
Question 13 of 25
In this fridge diagram, why is raw fish (marker 4) stored above raw poultry (marker 6)?
- Fish is heavier than poultry
- Fish needs a lower cooking temperature than poultry
- Fish should always be eaten first
- Poultry needs to be colder than fish
Show answer
Answer: B. Fish needs a lower cooking temperature than poultry
Raw foods are stored by cooking temperature: those needing the lowest cooking temperature go higher, and poultry (165°F) goes on the bottom.
Question 14 of 25
Under time as a public health control, how long can TCS food be kept without temperature control before it must be served or thrown out?
- 4 hours
- 8 hours
- 24 hours
- 12 hours
Show answer
Answer: A. 4 hours
When a written plan uses time instead of temperature, the food is marked and must be used or discarded within 4 hours.
Question 15 of 25
Which item is approved as a sanitizer in many food establishments?
- Chlorine bleach mixed to the right strength
- Hot tap water at 100°F
- Dish soap
- Vinegar from the kitchen
Show answer
Answer: A. Chlorine bleach mixed to the right strength
Common approved sanitizers include chlorine bleach, quaternary ammonium (quat) and iodine, used at the right concentration.
Question 16 of 25
How long should you scrub your hands with soap during handwashing?
- 10 to 15 seconds
- 1 to 2 seconds
- No scrubbing is needed
- 45 to 60 seconds
Show answer
Answer: A. 10 to 15 seconds
Scrub for 10 to 15 seconds, including between fingers, under fingernails and wrists, as part of the 20-second wash.
Question 17 of 25
You just cut raw chicken on a cutting board. What must you do before cutting lettuce on it?
- Turn the board over
- Wash, rinse and sanitize the board
- Wipe it with a dry towel
- Rinse it with cold water only
Show answer
Answer: B. Wash, rinse and sanitize the board
Use a separate board, or wash, rinse and sanitize the board after raw meat and before ready-to-eat food.
Question 18 of 25
Which food should never be served undercooked to a highly susceptible population, such as in a nursing home?
- Fully cooked hard-boiled eggs
- Toast
- Raw or undercooked eggs
- Canned peaches
Show answer
Answer: C. Raw or undercooked eggs
Highly susceptible populations should not be served undercooked meat, fish or eggs, raw oysters, raw sprouts, or unpasteurized milk or juice.
Question 19 of 25
How long must shellfish tags for oysters, clams and mussels be kept?
- 7 days
- 90 days
- 30 days
- 1 year
Show answer
Answer: B. 90 days
Keep shellfish identification tags for 90 days so the source can be traced if people get sick.
Question 20 of 25
What is cross-contact?
- When an allergen gets into a food that should not contain it
- When two hot dishes touch on a plate
- When a server touches a customer's hand
- When food is cooked twice
Show answer
Answer: A. When an allergen gets into a food that should not contain it
Shared gloves, utensils, cutting boards and fryer oil can move allergens into allergen-free food.
Question 21 of 25
In this diagram, which marker shows where the tip of the probe should be?
- Marker 2
- Marker 3
- Marker 1
- Marker 4
Show answer
Answer: C. Marker 1
Marker 1 is the center of the thickest part. Markers 2 and 3 are the bone and the tray, which the probe must not touch.
Question 22 of 25
What must you do when cooking raw meat, poultry, fish or eggs in a microwave?
- Cook it to 135°F and serve it right away
- Cook it uncovered on high for exactly 1 minute
- Cook to 165°F, cover it, rotate or stir it, and let it stand 2 minutes
- Cook it to 145°F and put it in the cooler
Show answer
Answer: C. Cook to 165°F, cover it, rotate or stir it, and let it stand 2 minutes
Microwaves heat unevenly. Raw animal foods cooked in a microwave must reach 165°F and stand covered for 2 minutes.
Question 23 of 25
Chicken salad was made on Monday. Monday counts as day 1. What is the last day it can be served?
- Wednesday
- Sunday
- The next Monday
- Saturday
Show answer
Answer: B. Sunday
Day 1 is Monday, so day 7 is Sunday. After that, the food must be thrown out.
Question 24 of 25
Can single-use gloves be washed and used again?
- No, throw them away after one use
- Yes, if they are washed with soap
- Yes, if they are rinsed in sanitizer
- Yes, but only on the same day
Show answer
Answer: A. No, throw them away after one use
Single-use gloves are used once and then thrown away.
Question 25 of 25
Which conditions help bacteria grow fastest?
- Bright light and wind
- Warm temperatures, moisture and time
- Freezing temperatures and dryness
- Very hot temperatures above 165°F
Show answer
Answer: B. Warm temperatures, moisture and time
Bacteria grow fastest in moist TCS food that stays in the danger zone for too long.

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