NSC EMT Entrance Exam / AHE 190
Study Guide Questions And Well
Graded Solutions
With Rationales Updated 2026-2027
Ace your North Seattle College EMT Entrance Exam for course AHE 190. This comprehensive 240-
question practice guide features verified multiple-choice questions, bolded correct answers, and
clear clinical rationales. Master core topics including Basic Anatomy, Physiology, Medical
Terminology, Advanced First Aid, and Basic Life Support (BLS) algorithms. Perfect for students
seeking competitive program admission at NSC, Pierce, Everett, and other top EMS emergency
medicine training academies
1. Which of the following components belongs strictly to the appendicular skeleton?
A) The skull
B) The sternum
C) The femur
D) The vertebral column
Answer: C) The femur
Rationale: The appendicular skeleton includes the limbs and girdles (arms, legs,
shoulders, pelvis). The skull, sternum, and vertebrae make up the axial skeleton.
2. A patient is found lying face down on the ground. Which term describes this body
position?
A) Prone
B) Supine
C) Lateral recumbent
D) Fowler's
Answer: A) Prone
Rationale: Prone means lying face down. Supine means lying flat on the back.
3. What is the name of the large vessel that carries oxygen-depleted blood from the
lower body back into the right atrium?
A) Superior vena cava
B) Inferior vena cava
C) Pulmonary vein
D) Aorta
Answer: B) Inferior vena cava
Rationale: The inferior vena cava collects deoxygenated blood from everything
below the diaphragm. The superior vena cava collects it from the upper body.
,4. A patient is described as having bilateral femur fractures. What does the term
"bilateral" mean?
A) The fracture occurs in two places on the same bone.
B) The fracture is visible from two different angles.
C) The fracture affects both the left and right thighs.
D) The bone is completely severed into two pieces.
Answer: C) The fracture affects both the left and right thighs.
Rationale: Bilateral refers to both sides of the body.
5. An ambulance uses 15 gallons of fuel to travel 135 miles. How many miles does it
travel per gallon?
A) 7 miles
B) 8 miles
C) 9 miles
D) 10 miles
Answer: C) 9 miles
Rationale: Divide total miles by total gallons: 135 divided by 15 equals 9.
6. What anatomical structure separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity?
A) The pleura
B) The peritoneum
C) The diaphragm
D) The mediastinum
Answer: C) The diaphragm
Rationale: The diaphragm is the dome-shaped muscle that separates the chest from
the abdomen and drives respiration.
7. Which heart chamber pumps oxygen-rich blood out to the rest of the body through
the aorta?
A) Right atrium
B) Left atrium
C) Right ventricle
D) Left ventricle
Answer: D) Left ventricle
Rationale: The left ventricle is the thickest, strongest chamber because it pumps
blood throughout the systemic circulation.
8. The prefix "tachy-" is used to indicate which of the following?
A) Slow
B) Fast
C) Equal
D) Difficult
, Answer: B) Fast
Rationale: Tachy- means rapid or fast, as seen in words like tachycardia (fast heart
rate) or tachypnea (fast breathing).
9. A patient is thrown into a concrete wall by the force of an explosion. What category
of blast injury does this mechanism represent?
A) Primary blast injury
B) Secondary blast injury
C) Tertiary blast injury
D) Quaternary blast injury
Answer: C) Tertiary blast injury
Rationale: Tertiary injuries occur when the patient's body is physically propelled by
the blast wind into an object or the ground.
10. A medication dose requires 0.25 grams of a drug. If you only have milligram
measurements, how many milligrams equal 0.25 grams?
A) 25 mg
B) 250 mg
C) 2,500 mg
D) 0.025 mg
Answer: B) 250 mg
Rationale: There are 1,000 milligrams in 1 gram. Multiplying 0.25 by 1,000 equals
250.
11. Which organ is primarily responsible for absorbing nutrients from digested food?
A) Stomach
B) Liver
C) Small intestine
D) Large intestine
Answer: C) Small intestine
Rationale: The small intestine handles the vast majority of chemical digestion and
nutrient absorption. The large intestine primarily absorbs water.
12. What does the suffix "-itis" stand for in medical terminology?
A) Enlargement
B) Inflammation
C) Pain
D) Removal
Answer: B) Inflammation
Rationale: The suffix -itis denotes inflammation, such as appendicitis (inflammation
of the appendix).
, 13. A patient is found lying on their back, tilted at a 45-degree angle with their head
elevated. What is this position called?
A) Trendelenburg
B) Fowler's
C) Prone
D) Recovery
Answer: B) Fowler's
Rationale: Fowler's position involves a patient sitting up or semi-reclined with the
torso elevated.
14. What layer of the skin contains the blood vessels, nerves, sweat glands, and hair
follicles?
A) Epidermis
B) Dermis
C) Subcutaneous layer
D) Stratum corneum
Answer: B) Dermis
Rationale: The dermis sits directly below the epidermis and holds the vital structural
and vascular components of the skin.
15. If a patient's pulse rate drops from 80 beats per minute to 60 beats per minute, what
is the percentage decrease?
A) 20%
B) 25%
C) 30%
D) 33%
Answer: B) 25%
Rationale: The decrease is 20 beats. Divide the change (20) by the original rate (80),
which equals 0.25, or 25%.
16. Which division of the nervous system is responsible for the "fight-or-flight" response
during stress?
A) Parasympathetic nervous system
B) Sympathetic nervous system
C) Somatic nervous system
D) Central nervous system
Answer: B) Sympathetic nervous system
Rationale: The sympathetic nervous system accelerates heart rate and constricts
blood vessels to prepare the body for action.
17. A wound that is located closer to the surface of the skin is described as being:
A) Deep
Study Guide Questions And Well
Graded Solutions
With Rationales Updated 2026-2027
Ace your North Seattle College EMT Entrance Exam for course AHE 190. This comprehensive 240-
question practice guide features verified multiple-choice questions, bolded correct answers, and
clear clinical rationales. Master core topics including Basic Anatomy, Physiology, Medical
Terminology, Advanced First Aid, and Basic Life Support (BLS) algorithms. Perfect for students
seeking competitive program admission at NSC, Pierce, Everett, and other top EMS emergency
medicine training academies
1. Which of the following components belongs strictly to the appendicular skeleton?
A) The skull
B) The sternum
C) The femur
D) The vertebral column
Answer: C) The femur
Rationale: The appendicular skeleton includes the limbs and girdles (arms, legs,
shoulders, pelvis). The skull, sternum, and vertebrae make up the axial skeleton.
2. A patient is found lying face down on the ground. Which term describes this body
position?
A) Prone
B) Supine
C) Lateral recumbent
D) Fowler's
Answer: A) Prone
Rationale: Prone means lying face down. Supine means lying flat on the back.
3. What is the name of the large vessel that carries oxygen-depleted blood from the
lower body back into the right atrium?
A) Superior vena cava
B) Inferior vena cava
C) Pulmonary vein
D) Aorta
Answer: B) Inferior vena cava
Rationale: The inferior vena cava collects deoxygenated blood from everything
below the diaphragm. The superior vena cava collects it from the upper body.
,4. A patient is described as having bilateral femur fractures. What does the term
"bilateral" mean?
A) The fracture occurs in two places on the same bone.
B) The fracture is visible from two different angles.
C) The fracture affects both the left and right thighs.
D) The bone is completely severed into two pieces.
Answer: C) The fracture affects both the left and right thighs.
Rationale: Bilateral refers to both sides of the body.
5. An ambulance uses 15 gallons of fuel to travel 135 miles. How many miles does it
travel per gallon?
A) 7 miles
B) 8 miles
C) 9 miles
D) 10 miles
Answer: C) 9 miles
Rationale: Divide total miles by total gallons: 135 divided by 15 equals 9.
6. What anatomical structure separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity?
A) The pleura
B) The peritoneum
C) The diaphragm
D) The mediastinum
Answer: C) The diaphragm
Rationale: The diaphragm is the dome-shaped muscle that separates the chest from
the abdomen and drives respiration.
7. Which heart chamber pumps oxygen-rich blood out to the rest of the body through
the aorta?
A) Right atrium
B) Left atrium
C) Right ventricle
D) Left ventricle
Answer: D) Left ventricle
Rationale: The left ventricle is the thickest, strongest chamber because it pumps
blood throughout the systemic circulation.
8. The prefix "tachy-" is used to indicate which of the following?
A) Slow
B) Fast
C) Equal
D) Difficult
, Answer: B) Fast
Rationale: Tachy- means rapid or fast, as seen in words like tachycardia (fast heart
rate) or tachypnea (fast breathing).
9. A patient is thrown into a concrete wall by the force of an explosion. What category
of blast injury does this mechanism represent?
A) Primary blast injury
B) Secondary blast injury
C) Tertiary blast injury
D) Quaternary blast injury
Answer: C) Tertiary blast injury
Rationale: Tertiary injuries occur when the patient's body is physically propelled by
the blast wind into an object or the ground.
10. A medication dose requires 0.25 grams of a drug. If you only have milligram
measurements, how many milligrams equal 0.25 grams?
A) 25 mg
B) 250 mg
C) 2,500 mg
D) 0.025 mg
Answer: B) 250 mg
Rationale: There are 1,000 milligrams in 1 gram. Multiplying 0.25 by 1,000 equals
250.
11. Which organ is primarily responsible for absorbing nutrients from digested food?
A) Stomach
B) Liver
C) Small intestine
D) Large intestine
Answer: C) Small intestine
Rationale: The small intestine handles the vast majority of chemical digestion and
nutrient absorption. The large intestine primarily absorbs water.
12. What does the suffix "-itis" stand for in medical terminology?
A) Enlargement
B) Inflammation
C) Pain
D) Removal
Answer: B) Inflammation
Rationale: The suffix -itis denotes inflammation, such as appendicitis (inflammation
of the appendix).
, 13. A patient is found lying on their back, tilted at a 45-degree angle with their head
elevated. What is this position called?
A) Trendelenburg
B) Fowler's
C) Prone
D) Recovery
Answer: B) Fowler's
Rationale: Fowler's position involves a patient sitting up or semi-reclined with the
torso elevated.
14. What layer of the skin contains the blood vessels, nerves, sweat glands, and hair
follicles?
A) Epidermis
B) Dermis
C) Subcutaneous layer
D) Stratum corneum
Answer: B) Dermis
Rationale: The dermis sits directly below the epidermis and holds the vital structural
and vascular components of the skin.
15. If a patient's pulse rate drops from 80 beats per minute to 60 beats per minute, what
is the percentage decrease?
A) 20%
B) 25%
C) 30%
D) 33%
Answer: B) 25%
Rationale: The decrease is 20 beats. Divide the change (20) by the original rate (80),
which equals 0.25, or 25%.
16. Which division of the nervous system is responsible for the "fight-or-flight" response
during stress?
A) Parasympathetic nervous system
B) Sympathetic nervous system
C) Somatic nervous system
D) Central nervous system
Answer: B) Sympathetic nervous system
Rationale: The sympathetic nervous system accelerates heart rate and constricts
blood vessels to prepare the body for action.
17. A wound that is located closer to the surface of the skin is described as being:
A) Deep
