and Answers | Most Recent 2026 Update
• What causes the rapid change in the resting membrane potential that initiates an
action potential? -✓✓ Answer: Sodium gates open, and sodium rushes into the cell,
changing the membrane potential from negative to positive.
• A 12-year-old male is diagnosed with Klinefelter syndrome. His karyotype would
reveal which of the following? -✓✓ Answer: XXY
• A nurse is reviewing the pedigree chart. When checking for a proband, what is
the nurse looking for? -✓✓ Answer: The person who is first diagnosed with a
genetic disease
• An aide asks the nurse why people who have neurofibromatosis will show
varying degrees of the disease. Which genetic principle should the nurse explain to
the aide? -✓✓ Answer: Expressivity
• In teaching a patient with cirrhosis, which information should the nurse include
regarding cholesterol? -✓✓ Answer: Cholesterol decreases the membrane fluidity
of the erythrocyte, which reduces its ability to carry oxygen.
• When a patient asks what causes cystic fibrosis, how should the nurse respond?
Cystic fibrosis is caused by an _____ gene -✓✓ Answer: Autosomal recessive
• How are potassium and sodium transported across plasma membranes? -✓✓
Answer: By adenosine triphosphate enzyme (ATPase)
, • The nurse would be correct in identifying the predominant extracellular cation as:
-✓✓ Answer: Sodium
• The early dilation (swelling) of the cell's endoplasmic reticulum results in: -✓✓
Answer: Reduced protein synthesis
• What principle should the nurse remember when trying to distinguish aging from
diseases? -✓✓ Answer: It is difficult to tell the difference because both processes
are believed to result from cell injury.
• What is the diagnosis of a 13-year-old female who has a karyotype that reveals an
absent homologous X chromosome with only a single X chromosome present? Her
features include a short stature, widely spaced nipples, reduced carrying angle at
the elbow, and sparse body hair. -✓✓ Answer: Turner syndrome
• A eukaryotic cell is undergoing DNA replication. In which region of the cell
would most of the genetic information be contained? -✓✓ Answer: Nucleolus
• The nurse is teaching staff about the most common cause of Down syndrome.
What is the nurse describing? -✓✓ Answer: Maternal nondisjunction
• A 50-year-old male was recently diagnosed with Huntington disease.
Transmission of this disease is associated with: -✓✓ Answer: Delayed age of onset
• A patient wants to know the risk factors for Down syndrome. What is the nurse's
best response? -✓✓ Answer: Pregnancy in women over age 35