Chapter 3 - Tools of the Laboratory - Critical Thinking Questions - Bloom's Levels 3, 4, and 5: Apply, Analyze, and Evaluate - Page 78: 2

Sterile means that it does not have any type of microbes (bacteria, viruses, etc) in it. It is important to use sterile instruments and media for microbial sampling and inoculation because we do not want any other type of bacteria apart from that under study to grow in our culture.

See answer.