Which statement best describes a feature of water-soluble wax processing?

• A. Contact with water must be avoided in sectioning.
• B. There must be minimum distortion of tissue.
• C. Fat stains cannot be done on the sections.
• D. The procedure may require only minutes.

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that embedding media should preserve tissue structure with minimal distortion during processing and sectioning. Water-soluble wax is designed to allow easier handling and removal while keeping the tissue’s architecture intact, so the statement that there must be minimum distortion of tissue best captures what this processing aims to achieve. When tissue morphology stays true to its original state, staining and interpretation are more reliable.

The other points don’t reflect this feature. Water is not something to avoid during sectioning—sections are often floated on a water bath to flatten them. Fat staining can be performed on stained sections after appropriate processing, so this isn’t a defining limitation of water-soluble wax. And processing typically takes longer than just minutes, even with a water-soluble medium.