Which statement best describes cremation?

Which statement best describes cremation?

• A. Embalming is required before cremation.
• B. Cremation is the reduction of human remains to bone fragments through intense heat produced by a specialized furnace called a 'retort' and processing the bone fragments to a uniform size and consistency often called 'ashes' or 'cremains.'
• C. Cremation is the burial of remains in a cemetery.
• D. Cremation involves preserving the body by cooling.

Answer: (B)

Cremation is the process of reducing human remains to bone fragments by exposing them to intense heat in a specialized furnace called a retort, followed by processing the fragments into a uniform material commonly called cremains or ashes. This describes what actually happens to the body in cremation and how the final product is produced. Embalming is not required before cremation; it may be performed, but it isn’t a mandatory step. Cremation is not simply burial in a cemetery, nor is it preservation by cooling, so it differs from those methods as well.

Cremation is the process of reducing human remains to bone fragments by exposing them to intense heat in a specialized furnace called a retort, followed by processing the fragments into a uniform material commonly called cremains or ashes. This describes what actually happens to the body in cremation and how the final product is produced. Embalming is not required before cremation; it may be performed, but it isn’t a mandatory step. Cremation is not simply burial in a cemetery, nor is it preservation by cooling, so it differs from those methods as well.