Complete Questions & Answers
Plus Rationale Review for Bates’
Guide to Physical Examination and
History Taking, 14th Edition (Sori)
1. What is the primary goal of the initial clinical encounter?
A) To complete all required documentation
B) To order diagnostic tests
C) To establish rapport and gather essential information
D) To provide immediate treatment
Answer: C
Rationale: Building therapeutic relationships and collecting accurate data
form the foundation for all subsequent clinical decisions and
interventions.
2. Clinical reasoning involves:
A) Following standardized protocols for all patients
B) A dynamic process of hypothesis formation and testing
C) Relying primarily on laboratory results
D) Applying the same diagnosis to similar symptoms
Answer: B
Rationale: Clinical reasoning is an iterative process where clinicians form
initial hypotheses and refine them based on new information from
history, exam, and tests.
3. When a patient expresses anxiety about their symptoms, the
clinician's best response is to:
,A) Immediately reassure them that everything will be fine
B) Change the subject to reduce their discomfort
C) Acknowledge their concern and explore it further
D) Proceed quickly with the physical exam
Answer: C
Rationale: Validating emotions and exploring concerns demonstrates
empathy and builds trust, essential for therapeutic relationships.
4. Which component provides a detailed narrative of the current
health concern?
A) Past Medical History
B) Review of Systems
C) History of Present Illness
D) Social History
Answer: C
Rationale: The HPI chronologically details the symptom's onset,
progression, characteristics, and impact using the OLD CARTS
framework.
5. The Review of Systems (ROS) primarily helps to:
A) Confirm the working diagnosis
B) Identify additional health issues
C) Determine insurance coverage
D) Shorten the physical exam time
Answer: B
Rationale: ROS systematically screens all body systems for symptoms the
patient may not have mentioned, ensuring comprehensive assessment.
,6. After completing an initial assessment of a patient, the nurse has
charted that his respirations are eupneic and his pulse is 58 beats
per minute. These types of data would be:
A) Objective
B) Reflective
C) Subjective
D) Introspective
Answer: A
Rationale: Objective data are what the health professional observes by
inspecting, percussing, palpating, and auscultating during the physical
examination.
7. A patient tells the nurse that he is very nervous, is nauseated, and
feels hot. These types of data would be:
A) Objective
B) Reflective
C) Subjective
D) Introspective
Answer: C
Rationale: Subjective data are what the person says about him or herself
during history taking.
8. The nurse is conducting an interview with a patient. Which of
these questions is an example of an open-ended question?
A) "Do you have pain?"
B) "What brings you in today?"
C) "Is the pain sharp?"
D) "When did the pain start?"
Answer: B
Rationale: Open-ended questions ask for narrative information and
encourage the patient to tell their story without the clinician guiding the
direction of the response too specifically.
, 9. Which of these would be formulated by a nurse using diagnostic
reasoning?
A) Nursing diagnosis
B) Medical diagnosis
C) Diagnostic hypothesis
D) Diagnostic assessment
Answer: C
Rationale: Diagnostic reasoning calls for the nurse to formulate a
diagnostic hypothesis.
10. What are the 4 cardinal techniques of examination?
A) Observation, palpation, percussion, auscultation
B) Inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation
C) Inspection, manipulation, percussion, auscultation
D) Observation, manipulation, percussion, auscultation
Answer: B
Rationale: The four cardinal techniques of physical examination are
inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.
11. What comprises the Present Illness component of the health
history?
A) Age, gender, occupation, marital status
B) Childhood illness, adult illness, self-care practices
C) Symptoms (OPQRST), thoughts and feelings about illness (FIFE),
medications, allergies
D) Education, family of origin, current household, personal interests,
lifestyle
Answer: C
Rationale: The Present Illness includes a description of symptoms using
Plus Rationale Review for Bates’
Guide to Physical Examination and
History Taking, 14th Edition (Sori)
1. What is the primary goal of the initial clinical encounter?
A) To complete all required documentation
B) To order diagnostic tests
C) To establish rapport and gather essential information
D) To provide immediate treatment
Answer: C
Rationale: Building therapeutic relationships and collecting accurate data
form the foundation for all subsequent clinical decisions and
interventions.
2. Clinical reasoning involves:
A) Following standardized protocols for all patients
B) A dynamic process of hypothesis formation and testing
C) Relying primarily on laboratory results
D) Applying the same diagnosis to similar symptoms
Answer: B
Rationale: Clinical reasoning is an iterative process where clinicians form
initial hypotheses and refine them based on new information from
history, exam, and tests.
3. When a patient expresses anxiety about their symptoms, the
clinician's best response is to:
,A) Immediately reassure them that everything will be fine
B) Change the subject to reduce their discomfort
C) Acknowledge their concern and explore it further
D) Proceed quickly with the physical exam
Answer: C
Rationale: Validating emotions and exploring concerns demonstrates
empathy and builds trust, essential for therapeutic relationships.
4. Which component provides a detailed narrative of the current
health concern?
A) Past Medical History
B) Review of Systems
C) History of Present Illness
D) Social History
Answer: C
Rationale: The HPI chronologically details the symptom's onset,
progression, characteristics, and impact using the OLD CARTS
framework.
5. The Review of Systems (ROS) primarily helps to:
A) Confirm the working diagnosis
B) Identify additional health issues
C) Determine insurance coverage
D) Shorten the physical exam time
Answer: B
Rationale: ROS systematically screens all body systems for symptoms the
patient may not have mentioned, ensuring comprehensive assessment.
,6. After completing an initial assessment of a patient, the nurse has
charted that his respirations are eupneic and his pulse is 58 beats
per minute. These types of data would be:
A) Objective
B) Reflective
C) Subjective
D) Introspective
Answer: A
Rationale: Objective data are what the health professional observes by
inspecting, percussing, palpating, and auscultating during the physical
examination.
7. A patient tells the nurse that he is very nervous, is nauseated, and
feels hot. These types of data would be:
A) Objective
B) Reflective
C) Subjective
D) Introspective
Answer: C
Rationale: Subjective data are what the person says about him or herself
during history taking.
8. The nurse is conducting an interview with a patient. Which of
these questions is an example of an open-ended question?
A) "Do you have pain?"
B) "What brings you in today?"
C) "Is the pain sharp?"
D) "When did the pain start?"
Answer: B
Rationale: Open-ended questions ask for narrative information and
encourage the patient to tell their story without the clinician guiding the
direction of the response too specifically.
, 9. Which of these would be formulated by a nurse using diagnostic
reasoning?
A) Nursing diagnosis
B) Medical diagnosis
C) Diagnostic hypothesis
D) Diagnostic assessment
Answer: C
Rationale: Diagnostic reasoning calls for the nurse to formulate a
diagnostic hypothesis.
10. What are the 4 cardinal techniques of examination?
A) Observation, palpation, percussion, auscultation
B) Inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation
C) Inspection, manipulation, percussion, auscultation
D) Observation, manipulation, percussion, auscultation
Answer: B
Rationale: The four cardinal techniques of physical examination are
inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.
11. What comprises the Present Illness component of the health
history?
A) Age, gender, occupation, marital status
B) Childhood illness, adult illness, self-care practices
C) Symptoms (OPQRST), thoughts and feelings about illness (FIFE),
medications, allergies
D) Education, family of origin, current household, personal interests,
lifestyle
Answer: C
Rationale: The Present Illness includes a description of symptoms using
