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Blood Groups, Crossmatching and Transfusion Reactions Quiz
Focused SBA-style practice, followed by the answer and explanation for every question.
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- 5 questions
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Focused SBA-style practice, followed by the answer and explanation for every question.
- Free now
- 5 questions
- Full bank
- 37 questions
- Answers
- Explained
Free question
Try one with the answer
A question from this quiz, with the explanation students see after answering.
What physical event produces visible red-cell agglutination in a positive grouping test?
- A Red cells dissolve before antibody binding
- B Complement proteins opsonise red cells without cell-to-cell bridging
- C Antibodies cross-link antigen-bearing cells
- D Plasma removes the matching antigen
- E Platelets trap cells in a fibrin clot
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: C. Antibodies cross-link antigen-bearing cells
EasySee Grouping and agglutination. Option C describes antibody-mediated cell bridging. Agglutination is the visible clumping of red cells after antibodies join adjacent cells carrying the matching antigen. Antibodies can bind more than one target, so they build a network rather than merely coating one cell. In forward ABO grouping, known anti-A or anti-B reagent is mixed with the patient’s red cells. A matching surface antigen allows this network to form and makes the reaction visible. The clump is an antigen-antibody reaction, not a clot produced by the coagulation system.
Dissolving red cells (A) is haemolysis, where cells rupture, rather than remaining intact in an antibody-linked cluster. Platelets and fibrin in E belong to clot formation, a separate process from laboratory grouping. D mistakes binding for removal: antibodies recognise antigens on the cell surface but do not strip them off to create the clump. Opsonisation (B) means coating a cell to make immune clearance easier; without bridging between cells it does not explain visible agglutination.
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What you will practice
More questions from this set. Start the quiz to answer them and see each explanation.
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1
Which description of a group and save request is most accurate?
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2
A group B recipient needs red cells. Which donor group is ABO compatible because it presents no target for the recipient's anti-A?
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