NUR 600 Practice Test: Lungs and
Chest (Thorax) Questions and
Answers 100% PASS
When performing a respiratory assessment on a patient, the nurse notices a costal angle of
approximately 90 degrees. This characteristic is:
A. seen in patients with kyphosis.
B. indicative of pectus excavatum.
C. a normal finding in a healthy adult.
D. an expected finding in a patient with a barrel chest.—ANSWER--C. The right and left costal
margins form an angle where they meet at the xiphoid process. Usually, this angle is 90
degrees or less. The angle increases when the rib cage is chronically overinflated, as in
emphysema.
Which statement about the apices of the lungs is true? The apices of the lungs:
,A. are at the level of the second rib anteriorly.
B. extend 3 to 4 cm above the inner third of the clavicles.
C. are located at the sixth rib anteriorly and the eighth rib laterally.
D. rest on the diaphragm at the fifth intercostal space in the midclavicular line.—ANSWER--
B. The apex of the lung on the anterior chest is 3 to 4 cm above the inner third of the
clavicles. On the posterior chest, the apices are at the level of C7.
During an examination of the anterior thorax, the nurse keeps in mind that the trachea
bifurcates anteriorly at the:
A. costal angle.
B. sternal angle.
C. xiphoid process.
© 2026 Copyright. All Rights Reserved. This document is
protected by copyright law, Copyrighted By Brittie Donald
, D. suprasternal notch.—ANSWER--B. The sternal angle marks the site of tracheal bifurcation
into the right and left main bronchi; it corresponds with the upper border of the atria of the
heart, and it lies above the fourth thoracic vertebra on the back.
During an assessment, the nurse knows that expected assessment findings in the normal
adult lung include the presence of:
A. adventitious sounds and limited chest expansion.
B. increased tactile fremitus and dull percussion tones.
C. muffled voice sounds and symmetrical tactile fremitus.
D. absent voice sounds and hyperresonant percussion tones.—ANSWER--C. Normal lung
findings include symmetric chest expansion, resonant percussion tones, vesicular breath
sounds over the peripheral lung fields, muffled voice sounds, and no adventitious sounds.
A 65-year-old patient with a history of heart failure comes to the clinic with complaints of
"being awakened from sleep with shortness of breath." Which action by the nurse is most
appropriate?
A. Obtain a detailed history of the patient's allergies and history of asthma.
Chest (Thorax) Questions and
Answers 100% PASS
When performing a respiratory assessment on a patient, the nurse notices a costal angle of
approximately 90 degrees. This characteristic is:
A. seen in patients with kyphosis.
B. indicative of pectus excavatum.
C. a normal finding in a healthy adult.
D. an expected finding in a patient with a barrel chest.—ANSWER--C. The right and left costal
margins form an angle where they meet at the xiphoid process. Usually, this angle is 90
degrees or less. The angle increases when the rib cage is chronically overinflated, as in
emphysema.
Which statement about the apices of the lungs is true? The apices of the lungs:
,A. are at the level of the second rib anteriorly.
B. extend 3 to 4 cm above the inner third of the clavicles.
C. are located at the sixth rib anteriorly and the eighth rib laterally.
D. rest on the diaphragm at the fifth intercostal space in the midclavicular line.—ANSWER--
B. The apex of the lung on the anterior chest is 3 to 4 cm above the inner third of the
clavicles. On the posterior chest, the apices are at the level of C7.
During an examination of the anterior thorax, the nurse keeps in mind that the trachea
bifurcates anteriorly at the:
A. costal angle.
B. sternal angle.
C. xiphoid process.
© 2026 Copyright. All Rights Reserved. This document is
protected by copyright law, Copyrighted By Brittie Donald
, D. suprasternal notch.—ANSWER--B. The sternal angle marks the site of tracheal bifurcation
into the right and left main bronchi; it corresponds with the upper border of the atria of the
heart, and it lies above the fourth thoracic vertebra on the back.
During an assessment, the nurse knows that expected assessment findings in the normal
adult lung include the presence of:
A. adventitious sounds and limited chest expansion.
B. increased tactile fremitus and dull percussion tones.
C. muffled voice sounds and symmetrical tactile fremitus.
D. absent voice sounds and hyperresonant percussion tones.—ANSWER--C. Normal lung
findings include symmetric chest expansion, resonant percussion tones, vesicular breath
sounds over the peripheral lung fields, muffled voice sounds, and no adventitious sounds.
A 65-year-old patient with a history of heart failure comes to the clinic with complaints of
"being awakened from sleep with shortness of breath." Which action by the nurse is most
appropriate?
A. Obtain a detailed history of the patient's allergies and history of asthma.
