diff --git a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/OLXParser.js b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/OLXParser.js
index ccedbefbf..918aa4958 100644
--- a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/OLXParser.js
+++ b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/OLXParser.js
@@ -487,7 +487,12 @@ export class OLXParser {
       }
     });
     const questionString = this.richTextBuilder.build(questionArray);
-    return questionString.replace(/<description>/gm, '<em>').replace(/<\/description>/gm, '</em>');
+    const res = this.replaceOlxDescriptionTag(questionString);
+    return res;
+  }
+
+  replaceOlxDescriptionTag(questionString) {
+    return questionString.replace(/<description>/gm, '<em class="olx_description">').replace(/<\/description>/gm, '</em>');
   }
 
   /** getHints()
diff --git a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/OLXParser.test.js b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/OLXParser.test.js
index 65a42eaba..ed5dbe83f 100644
--- a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/OLXParser.test.js
+++ b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/OLXParser.test.js
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ describe('OLXParser', () => {
       const olxparser = new OLXParser(labelDescriptionQuestionOLX.rawOLX);
       const problemType = olxparser.getProblemType();
       const question = olxparser.parseQuestions(problemType);
-      it('should append the label/description to the question', () => {
+      it('should append the label/description to the question, converting description to <em> with "olx_description" class', () => {
         expect(question.trim()).toBe(labelDescriptionQuestionOLX.question);
       });
     });
diff --git a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/ReactStateOLXParser.js b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/ReactStateOLXParser.js
index 4532308b0..8b0f01d1f 100644
--- a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/ReactStateOLXParser.js
+++ b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/ReactStateOLXParser.js
@@ -193,29 +193,31 @@ class ReactStateOLXParser {
 
   /** addQuestion()
    * The editorObject saved to the class constuctor is parsed for the attribute question. The question is parsed and
-   * checked for label tags. After the question is fully updated, the questionObject is returned.
+   * checked for label and em tags. After the question is fully updated, the questionObject is returned.
+   * TODO: this is very brittle and unreliable. Needs improvement.
    * @return {object} object representaion of question
    */
   addQuestion() {
     const { question } = this.editorObject;
     const questionObject = this.richTextParser.parse(question);
-    /* Removes block tags like <p> or <h1> that surround the <label> format.
+    /* Removes block tags like <p> or <h1> that surround the <label> or <em> format.
       Block tags are required by tinyMCE but have adverse effect on css in studio.
       */
-    questionObject.forEach((tag, ind) => {
-      const tagName = Object.keys(tag)[0];
-      let label = null;
-      tag[tagName].forEach(subTag => {
-        const subTagName = Object.keys(subTag)[0];
-        if (subTagName === 'label') {
-          label = subTag;
-        }
-      });
-      if (label) {
-        questionObject[ind] = label;
+    const resultQuestion = [];
+    const relevantSubnodes = ['label', 'em'];
+
+    questionObject.forEach((tag) => {
+      const subNodes = Object.values(tag)[0];
+      const containsRelevantSubnodes = subNodes.some(subNode => relevantSubnodes.includes(Object.keys(subNode)[0]));
+
+      if (!containsRelevantSubnodes) {
+        resultQuestion.push(tag);
+      } else {
+        resultQuestion.push(...subNodes);
       }
     });
-    return questionObject;
+
+    return resultQuestion;
   }
 
   /** buildMultiSelectProblem()
@@ -259,13 +261,22 @@ class ReactStateOLXParser {
       default:
         break;
     }
-    const updatedString = `${problemTypeTag}\n${questionString}`;
+    const questionStringWithEmDescriptionReplace = this.replaceEmWithDescriptionTag(questionString);
+    const updatedString = `${problemTypeTag}\n${questionStringWithEmDescriptionReplace}`;
     const problemBodyString = problemBody.replace(problemTypeTag, updatedString);
     const fullProblemString = `<problem>${problemBodyString}${hintString}\n</problem>`;
 
     return fullProblemString;
   }
 
+  replaceEmWithDescriptionTag(xmlString) {
+    const regexPattern = /<em class="olx_description">(.*?)<\/em>/g;
+    const replacement = '<description>$1</description>';
+
+    const updatedHtml = xmlString.replace(regexPattern, replacement);
+    return updatedHtml;
+  }
+
   /** buildTextInput()
    * String response OLX builder. The question builder has a different format than the
    * other parts (demand hint, answers, and solution) of the problem so it has to be
diff --git a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/ReactStateOLXParser.test.js b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/ReactStateOLXParser.test.js
index 8c09ceccc..416fafdcd 100644
--- a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/ReactStateOLXParser.test.js
+++ b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/ReactStateOLXParser.test.js
@@ -52,16 +52,48 @@ describe('Check React State OLXParser problem', () => {
     const buildOLX = stateParser.buildOLX();
     expect(buildOLX.replace(/\s/g, '')).toEqual(textInputWithFeedbackAndHintsOLX.buildOLX.replace(/\s/g, ''));
   });
-  test('Test multiple choice with feedback and hints problem type', () => {
+  describe('Multiple choice with feedback and hints problem type', () => {
     const olxparser = new OLXParser(multipleChoiceWithFeedbackAndHintsOLX.rawOLX);
     const problem = olxparser.getParsedOLXData();
     const stateParser = new ReactStateOLXParser({
       problem,
       editorObject: multipleChoiceWithFeedbackAndHints,
     });
-    const buildOLX = stateParser.buildOLX();
-    expect(buildOLX.replace(/\s/g, '')).toEqual(multipleChoiceWithFeedbackAndHintsOLX.buildOLX.replace(/\s/g, ''));
+
+    it('should parse correctly', () => {
+      const buildOLX = stateParser.buildOLX();
+      expect(buildOLX.replace(/\s/g, '')).toEqual(multipleChoiceWithFeedbackAndHintsOLX.buildOLX.replace(/\s/g, ''));
+    });
   });
+
+  describe('with label and em tag wrapped in div: ', () => {
+    const olxparser = new OLXParser(multipleChoiceWithFeedbackAndHintsOLX.rawOLX);
+    const problem = olxparser.getParsedOLXData();
+    const stateParser = new ReactStateOLXParser({
+      problem,
+      editorObject: multipleChoiceWithFeedbackAndHints,
+    });
+    stateParser.editorObject.question = '<p>You can use this template as a guide to the simple editor markdown and OLX markup to use for multiple choice with hints and feedback problems. Edit this component to replace this template with your own assessment.</p>\n<div><label>Add the question text, or prompt, here. This text is required.</label> <em class="olx_description">You can add an optional tip or note related to the prompt like this. </em><em>Just a generic em tag</em></div>';
+
+    it('parser should not delete <em> tags', () => {
+      const buildOLX = stateParser.buildOLX();
+      expect(buildOLX.replace(/\s/g, '')).toEqual(multipleChoiceWithFeedbackAndHintsOLX.buildOLX.replace(/\s/g, ''));
+    });
+
+    it('addQuestion method should add a question to the problemState correctly', () => {
+      const received = stateParser.addQuestion();
+      expect(received).toEqual(
+        [
+          { p: [{ '#text': 'You can use this template as a guide to the simple editor markdown and OLX markup to use for multiple choice with hints and feedback problems. Edit this component to replace this template with your own assessment.' }] },
+          { label: [{ '#text': 'Add the question text, or prompt, here. This text is required.' }] },
+          { '#text': ' ' },
+          { em: [{ '#text': 'You can add an optional tip or note related to the prompt like this. ' }], ':@': { '@_class': 'olx_description' } },
+          { em: [{ '#text': 'Just a generic em tag' }] },
+        ],
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
   test('Test numerical response with feedback and hints problem type', () => {
     const olxparser = new OLXParser(numericInputWithFeedbackAndHintsOLX.rawOLX);
     const problem = olxparser.getParsedOLXData();
diff --git a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/mockData/olxTestData.js b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/mockData/olxTestData.js
index 79d4b9cbf..f913f9d53 100644
--- a/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/mockData/olxTestData.js
+++ b/src/editors/containers/ProblemEditor/data/mockData/olxTestData.js
@@ -314,10 +314,11 @@ export const multipleChoiceWithFeedbackAndHintsOLX = {
   <p>You can use this template as a guide to the simple editor markdown and OLX markup to use for multiple choice with hints and feedback problems. Edit this component to replace this template with your own assessment.</p>
 <label>Add the question text, or prompt, here. This text is required.</label>
 <description>You can add an optional tip or note related to the prompt like this. </description>
+<em>Just a generic em tag</em>
 <choicegroup type="MultipleChoice">
     <choice correct="false"><p>an incorrect answer</p><choicehint><p>You can specify optional feedback like this, which appears after this answer is submitted.</p></choicehint></choice>
     <choice correct="true"><p>the correct answer</p></choice>
-    <choice correct="false"><p>an incorrect answer</p><choicehint><p>You can specify optional feedback for none, a subset, or all of the answers.</></choicehint></choice>
+    <choice correct="false"><p>an incorrect answer</p><choicehint><p>You can specify optional feedback for none, a subset, or all of the answers.</p></choicehint></choice>
   </choicegroup>
   <solution>
     <p>You can add a solution</p>
@@ -359,12 +360,13 @@ export const multipleChoiceWithFeedbackAndHintsOLX = {
       },
     ],
   },
-  question: '<p>You can use this template as a guide to the simple editor markdown and OLX markup to use for multiple choice with hints and feedback problems. Edit this component to replace this template with your own assessment.</p><label>Add the question text, or prompt, here. This text is required.</label><em>You can add an optional tip or note related to the prompt like this.</em>',
+  question: '<p>You can use this template as a guide to the simple editor markdown and OLX markup to use for multiple choice with hints and feedback problems. Edit this component to replace this template with your own assessment.</p><label>Add the question text, or prompt, here. This text is required.</label><em class="olx_description">You can add an optional tip or note related to the prompt like this.</em><em>Just a generic em tag</em>',
   buildOLX: `<problem>
   <multiplechoiceresponse>
     <p>You can use this template as a guide to the simple editor markdown and OLX markup to use for multiple choice with hints and feedback problems. Edit this component to replace this template with your own assessment.</p>
     <label>Add the question text, or prompt, here. This text is required.</label>
-    <em>You can add an optional tip or note related to the prompt like this.</em>
+    <description>You can add an optional tip or note related to the prompt like this.</description>
+    <em>Just a generic em tag</em>
     <choicegroup>
       <choice correct="false">
 <p>an incorrect answer</p>        <choicehint><p>You can specify optional feedback like this, which appears after this answer is submitted.</p></choicehint>
@@ -541,7 +543,7 @@ export const textInputWithFeedbackAndHintsOLX = {
   },
   question: `<p>You can use this template as a guide to the simple editor markdown and OLX markup to use for text input with hints and feedback problems. Edit this component to replace this template with your own assessment.</p>
 <label>Add the question text, or prompt, here. This text is required.</label>
-<em>You can add an optional tip or note related to the prompt like this. </em>`,
+<em class="olx_description">You can add an optional tip or note related to the prompt like this. </em>`,
   buildOLX: `<problem>
   <stringresponse answer="the correct answer" type="ci">
     <p>You can use this template as a guide to the simple editor markdown and OLX markup to use for text input with hints and feedback problems. Edit this component to replace this template with your own assessment.</p>
@@ -773,7 +775,7 @@ export const labelDescriptionQuestionOLX = {
   question: `<p style="text-align: center;"><img height="274" width="" src="/static/boiling_eggs_water_system.png" alt="boiling eggs: water system"></img></p>
   
   <label>Taking the system as just the <b>water</b>, as indicated by the red dashed line, what would be the correct expression for the first law of thermodynamics applied to this system?</label>
-  <em>Watch out, boiling water is hot</em>`,
+  <em class="olx_description">Watch out, boiling water is hot</em>`,
 };
 
 export const htmlEntityTestOLX = {