The likely root cause among the listed options is which?

• A. Too much blade tilt
• B. Over dehydration
• C. Air trapped under the section
• D. Too large a clearance angle

Answer: (A)

The main idea is how blade orientation changes the cutting action in microtomy. If the blade tilt is excessive, the blade meets the tissue at too steep an angle, altering the shear plane and preventing clean, uniform shearing. This often produces a rough, torn surface with variable section thickness and ribboning, making excess blade tilt the most likely root cause among the options. In contrast, over dehydration makes tissue brittle and prone to fracturing, air trapped under the section creates voids or bubbles in the ribbon, and a too large clearance angle changes edge contact but doesn’t explain the specific cutting irregularities caused by an overly tilted blade.