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Specimen Collection & Handling Flashcards

7 cards from real CPG practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Specimen Collection & Handling flashcards as text

  1. A soil sample for VOCs was preserved with methanol in the field. How must the sample be shipped?

    Answer: In line with DOT hazardous materials rules for small quantities of flammable liquid

    Methanol is a flammable liquid, so shipments must meet DOT/IATA rules, often under small- or excepted-quantity provisions.

  2. Which practice best prevents cross-contamination when sampling multiple monitoring wells with one non-dedicated pump?

    Answer: Sampling from the least to the most contaminated well and decontaminating between wells

    Going from clean to dirty wells and fully decontaminating between them lowers the risk of carrying contamination over.

  3. Oriented core is collected mainly to provide what information?

    Answer: The true strike and dip of fractures, bedding, and other planar features

    Orienting core against a reference line lets structural features be measured in their true in-situ orientation.

  4. What does a custody seal on a sample cooler do?

    Answer: Shows whether the cooler was opened between sealing and receipt at the lab

    A signed, dated custody seal over the lid reveals tampering because it must be broken to open the cooler.

  5. Which container type is generally right for groundwater samples analyzed for semivolatile organic compounds?

    Answer: Amber glass bottle with a PTFE-lined cap

    Amber glass protects photosensitive organics from light, and PTFE liners stop sorption to or leaching from the cap.

  6. What should a geologist do if a sample bottle arrives at the lab past its analytical holding time?

    Answer: Flag or qualify the data as estimated or rejected and consider resampling

    Exceeding holding time compromises data quality, so results get qualified or the location is resampled; records must never be altered.

  7. Why are soil samples for geotechnical moisture content sealed in airtight containers immediately after collection?

    Answer: To keep the natural water content intact until testing

    Evaporation changes moisture content quickly, so sealing preserves in-situ water content for ASTM D2216 testing.

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  1. aipg.org — Score release, eligibility, fees, renewal, test delivery · verified Oct 2026