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Chapter 5: Mental Status (Jarvis)
2026 |Comprehensive Q&A For
Certification Success
During an examination, the nurse can assess mental status by which activity?
a.
Examining the patient's electroencephalogram
b.
Observing the patient as he or she performs an intelligence quotient (IQ) test
c.
Observing the patient and inferring health or dysfunction
d.
Examining the patient's response to a specific set of questions - correct-answer -C
The nurse is assessing a 75-year-old man. As the nurse begins the mental status
portion of the assessment, the nurse expects that this patient:
a.
Will have no decrease in any of his abilities, including response time.
b.
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Will have difficulty on tests of remote memory because this ability typically
decreases with age.
c.
May take a little longer to respond, but his general knowledge and abilities should
not have declined.
d.
Will exhibit had a decrease in his response time because of the loss of language
and a decrease in general knowledge. - correct-answer -C
When assessing aging adults, the nurse knows that one of the first things that
should be assessed before making judgments about their mental status is:
a.
Presence of phobias
b.
General intelligence
c.
Presence of irrational thinking patterns
d.
Sensory-perceptive abilities - correct-answer -D
The nurse is preparing to conduct a mental status examination. Which statement
is true regarding the mental status examination?
a.
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A patient's family is the best resource for information about the patient's coping
skills.
b.
Gathering mental status information during the health history interview is usually
sufficient.
c.
Integrating the mental status examination into the health history interview takes
an enormous amount of extra time.
d.
To get a good idea of the patient's level of functioning, performing a complete
mental status examination is usually necessary. - correct-answer -B
A woman brings her husband to the clinic for an examination. She is particularly
worried because after a recent fall, he seems to have lost a great deal of his
memory of recent events. Which statement reflects the nurse's best course of
action?
a.
Perform a complete mental status examination.
b.
Refer him to a psychometrician.
c.
Plan to integrate the mental status examination into the history and physical
examination.
d.
Chapter 5: Mental Status (Jarvis)
2026 |Comprehensive Q&A For
Certification Success
During an examination, the nurse can assess mental status by which activity?
a.
Examining the patient's electroencephalogram
b.
Observing the patient as he or she performs an intelligence quotient (IQ) test
c.
Observing the patient and inferring health or dysfunction
d.
Examining the patient's response to a specific set of questions - correct-answer -C
The nurse is assessing a 75-year-old man. As the nurse begins the mental status
portion of the assessment, the nurse expects that this patient:
a.
Will have no decrease in any of his abilities, including response time.
b.
,2|Page
Will have difficulty on tests of remote memory because this ability typically
decreases with age.
c.
May take a little longer to respond, but his general knowledge and abilities should
not have declined.
d.
Will exhibit had a decrease in his response time because of the loss of language
and a decrease in general knowledge. - correct-answer -C
When assessing aging adults, the nurse knows that one of the first things that
should be assessed before making judgments about their mental status is:
a.
Presence of phobias
b.
General intelligence
c.
Presence of irrational thinking patterns
d.
Sensory-perceptive abilities - correct-answer -D
The nurse is preparing to conduct a mental status examination. Which statement
is true regarding the mental status examination?
a.
, 3|Page
A patient's family is the best resource for information about the patient's coping
skills.
b.
Gathering mental status information during the health history interview is usually
sufficient.
c.
Integrating the mental status examination into the health history interview takes
an enormous amount of extra time.
d.
To get a good idea of the patient's level of functioning, performing a complete
mental status examination is usually necessary. - correct-answer -B
A woman brings her husband to the clinic for an examination. She is particularly
worried because after a recent fall, he seems to have lost a great deal of his
memory of recent events. Which statement reflects the nurse's best course of
action?
a.
Perform a complete mental status examination.
b.
Refer him to a psychometrician.
c.
Plan to integrate the mental status examination into the history and physical
examination.
d.
