Exam-Style Questions with Detailed Rationales | 100% Verified –
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EXAM INFORMATION
Total Questions: 55
Recommended Time: 82 Minutes
Passing Threshold: 80%
Exam Format: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Question Style: Scenario-Based, Applied, and Professional Decision-Making Questions
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SECTION 1: Psychiatric Mental Health Assessment and Therapeutic Communication
Question 1: A nurse is conducting an initial psychiatric assessment of a client who was
brought to the emergency department by family members. The client is pacing,
speaking rapidly, and states, "I don't need to be here. My family is overreacting." Which
therapeutic communication technique should the nurse use first?
A. "Your family must really care about you to bring you here."
B. "Tell me what has been happening that brought you to the hospital today."
C. "You appear agitated. I will give you medication to help you calm down."
D. "Your family says you haven't slept in three days. Is that true?"
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The first step in therapeutic communication is to establish rapport and gather
information from the client's perspective. Asking an open-ended question allows the
client to express their view of the situation without feeling judged or confronted. Option
,A minimizes the client's feelings, option C is premature without assessment, and option
D puts the client on the defensive by quoting the family.
Question 2: During a mental status examination, a client describes feeling as though
their thoughts are being broadcast out loud so that others can hear them. The nurse
documents this finding as:
A. Thought insertion
B. Thought broadcasting
C. Ideas of reference
D. Tangentiality
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Thought broadcasting is the delusional belief that one's thoughts are being
transmitted and can be heard by others. Thought insertion is the belief that outside
thoughts are being placed into one's mind. Ideas of reference involve believing that
neutral events have personal meaning. Tangentiality refers to a pattern of speech that
wanders off topic.
Question 3: A nurse is assessing a client using the CAGE questionnaire. The client
answers yes to two of the four questions. What is the appropriate interpretation of this
result?
A. The client definitely has alcohol use disorder and requires immediate detoxification
B. The client has no indication of problematic alcohol use and needs no follow-up
C. A score of two or more positive responses indicates a need for further assessment
D. The CAGE questionnaire is only valid if all four questions are answered yes
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The CAGE questionnaire is a screening tool where a score of two or more
positive responses suggests problematic alcohol use and warrants further evaluation. It
, is not diagnostic on its own. A score of two does not confirm alcohol use disorder or
indicate the need for immediate detoxification, nor does it rule out concerns.
Question 4: A client tells the nurse, "I feel like I am watching myself from outside my
body, like I am in a movie." The nurse recognizes this as which type of dissociative
experience?
A. Depersonalization
B. Derealization
C. Dissociative amnesia
D. Dissociative fugue
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Depersonalization involves feeling detached from oneself, as though
observing one's own body or experiences from outside. Derealization involves feeling
that the external world is unreal or distorted. Dissociative amnesia is memory loss, and
dissociative fugue involves sudden travel away from home with inability to recall one's
past.
Question 5: A nurse is performing a suicide risk assessment on a client admitted with
depression. Which question is most appropriate to directly assess suicidal intent?
A. "You aren't thinking of hurting yourself, are you?"
B. "Have you thought about how you would end your life if you decided to do it?"
C. "Do you think suicide is a selfish act?"
D. "Why would someone like you want to die?"
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Direct, nonjudgmental questioning about suicidal plan is essential for
assessing risk level. Asking about specific methods assesses intent and lethality.