The issue in the image can be corrected by which action involving the blade?

• A. Moving to an unused section of the blade
• B. Reembedding the tissue
• C. Draining the slide
• D. Increasing section thickness

Answer: (A)

A sharp, clean blade edge is essential for smooth, accurate cutting in microtomy. If the blade edge is worn or nicked, it imprints artifacts into the ribbon, such as chatter or uneven sections. Moving to an unused section of the blade provides a fresh edge that cleanly slices the tissue, eliminating those artifacts. Reembedding the tissue doesn’t fix how the tissue is cut; it affects embedding quality and orientation. Draining the slide isn’t related to cutting performance, and increasing section thickness changes the amount of tissue per section but doesn’t resolve edge-induced artifacts.