NURS231 Pathophysiology Final Actual
Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
Higher Education Nursing Curriculum | Verified Q&A |
University-Level Nursing Students
100 Questions | 2026/2027 NURS231 Pathophysiology Final Examination
Introduction
This 100-question original NURS231 Pathophysiology Final Actual Exam 2026/2027 covers Cellular
Adaptations, Injury, and Death; Inflammation, Immunity, and Infection; Alterations in Cellular
Metabolism and Fluid/Electrolyte Balance; and Pathophysiology of Major Organ Systems, including
cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, neurological, and endocrine mechanisms. The questions are designed
to reinforce NURS231 course objectives for final actual exam readiness and clinical proficiency through
mechanistic reasoning, integrated assessment, and evidence-informed understanding of disease
processes.
Actual Questions
Domain: Cellular Adaptations, Injury, and Death
1. What cellular adaptation is characterized by a decrease in cell size and often organ size?
A. Metaplasia.
B. Hypertrophy.
C. Atrophy.
D. Hyperplasia.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Atrophy is a reduction in cell size and often functional capacity, commonly caused by
decreased workload, denervation, reduced blood supply, or aging.
2. What cellular adaptation is an increase in individual cell size?
A. Apoptosis.
B. Dysplasia.
C. Hypertrophy.
D. Atrophy.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Hypertrophy increases cell size and can increase organ size. It commonly occurs in tissues with
limited capacity for cell division, such as cardiac muscle.
3. What cellular adaptation is an increase in cell number in a tissue capable of division?
A. Necrosis.
B. Hyperplasia.
C. Hypertrophy.
D. Metaplasia.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Hyperplasia results from increased cell proliferation. It may be physiologic, such as hormonal
stimulation, or pathologic when growth signals are excessive.
NURS231 Pathophysiology Final Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
,4. What is metaplasia?
A. An irreversible form of cell death.
B. An increase in cell size only.
C. A reversible replacement of one mature cell type by another mature cell type better able to tolerate
stress.
D. A malignant tumour by definition.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Metaplasia is an adaptive change in differentiated cell type. Persistent stress can make the
tissue more vulnerable to dysplasia and malignancy.
5. What does dysplasia describe?
A. A reversible change in blood volume.
B. Disordered cellular growth with variation in size, shape, and organization.
C. A normal increase in cell size.
D. Normal programmed cell death.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Dysplasia is abnormal cellular growth and maturation. It can be a precursor to malignancy in
some tissues but is not cancer by definition.
6. What is an early reversible manifestation of cellular injury from impaired energy
production?
A. Tissue calcification.
B. Nuclear dissolution.
C. Cellular swelling caused by disrupted ion-pump function.
D. Membrane rupture with enzyme leakage.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Reduced ATP impairs sodium-potassium pump activity, allowing sodium and water to enter
cells. Cellular swelling can be reversible if the insult is removed.
7. What does fatty change in cells most commonly reflect?
A. Calcium deposition in scar tissue.
B. Immune complex deposition.
C. Abnormal accumulation of triglycerides within cells, often in the liver.
D. Loss of all intracellular lipids.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Fatty change is a form of intracellular lipid accumulation. It can occur with metabolic injury,
toxins, alcohol exposure, or hypoxic stress.
8. What is apoptosis?
A. Uncontrolled cell rupture with inflammation.
B. Programmed, regulated cell death that generally avoids a marked inflammatory response.
C. An increase in cell proliferation.
D. A form of tissue hypertrophy.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Apoptosis removes damaged or unneeded cells through regulated pathways. Cell fragments
are usually cleared without the broad inflammatory response typical of necrosis.
NURS231 Pathophysiology Final Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
, 9. What is necrosis?
A. A decline in cell size only.
B. A normal developmental process only.
C. A reversible adaptation.
D. Unregulated cell death associated with membrane disruption and inflammation.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Necrosis follows severe injury, membrane damage, and leakage of cellular contents. The
released contents promote inflammation in surrounding tissue.
10. Which pattern of necrosis is commonly associated with ischemic injury in solid organs
other than the brain?
A. Fat necrosis.
B. Liquefactive necrosis.
C. Caseous necrosis.
D. Coagulative necrosis.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Coagulative necrosis preserves tissue architecture temporarily after ischemic injury in many
solid organs. The brain is a notable exception.
11. Which pattern of necrosis is common in brain infarction and in some abscesses?
A. Fibrinoid necrosis.
B. Liquefactive necrosis.
C. Coagulative necrosis.
D. Caseous necrosis.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Liquefactive necrosis results in enzymatic digestion of tissue into a liquid mass. It is typical of
central nervous system infarction and some bacterial infections.
12. What does caseous necrosis classically describe?
A. A friable, cheese-like tissue appearance associated with certain granulomatous infections.
B. A lipid accumulation in liver cells.
C. A liquid collection from cerebral injury.
D. An ischemic pattern in kidney tissue.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Caseous necrosis is a characteristic gross pattern in some granulomatous infections. It
combines features of coagulative and liquefactive tissue destruction.
13. What is fat necrosis?
A. A nuclear change in apoptosis.
B. Loss of all body fat due to starvation.
C. A form of physiologic hyperplasia.
D. Enzymatic destruction of adipose tissue with release of fatty acids that can bind calcium.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Fat necrosis can occur after pancreatic enzyme leakage or traumatic injury to adipose tissue.
Released fatty acids can form calcium soaps.
NURS231 Pathophysiology Final Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
Higher Education Nursing Curriculum | Verified Q&A |
University-Level Nursing Students
100 Questions | 2026/2027 NURS231 Pathophysiology Final Examination
Introduction
This 100-question original NURS231 Pathophysiology Final Actual Exam 2026/2027 covers Cellular
Adaptations, Injury, and Death; Inflammation, Immunity, and Infection; Alterations in Cellular
Metabolism and Fluid/Electrolyte Balance; and Pathophysiology of Major Organ Systems, including
cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, neurological, and endocrine mechanisms. The questions are designed
to reinforce NURS231 course objectives for final actual exam readiness and clinical proficiency through
mechanistic reasoning, integrated assessment, and evidence-informed understanding of disease
processes.
Actual Questions
Domain: Cellular Adaptations, Injury, and Death
1. What cellular adaptation is characterized by a decrease in cell size and often organ size?
A. Metaplasia.
B. Hypertrophy.
C. Atrophy.
D. Hyperplasia.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Atrophy is a reduction in cell size and often functional capacity, commonly caused by
decreased workload, denervation, reduced blood supply, or aging.
2. What cellular adaptation is an increase in individual cell size?
A. Apoptosis.
B. Dysplasia.
C. Hypertrophy.
D. Atrophy.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Hypertrophy increases cell size and can increase organ size. It commonly occurs in tissues with
limited capacity for cell division, such as cardiac muscle.
3. What cellular adaptation is an increase in cell number in a tissue capable of division?
A. Necrosis.
B. Hyperplasia.
C. Hypertrophy.
D. Metaplasia.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Hyperplasia results from increased cell proliferation. It may be physiologic, such as hormonal
stimulation, or pathologic when growth signals are excessive.
NURS231 Pathophysiology Final Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
,4. What is metaplasia?
A. An irreversible form of cell death.
B. An increase in cell size only.
C. A reversible replacement of one mature cell type by another mature cell type better able to tolerate
stress.
D. A malignant tumour by definition.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Metaplasia is an adaptive change in differentiated cell type. Persistent stress can make the
tissue more vulnerable to dysplasia and malignancy.
5. What does dysplasia describe?
A. A reversible change in blood volume.
B. Disordered cellular growth with variation in size, shape, and organization.
C. A normal increase in cell size.
D. Normal programmed cell death.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Dysplasia is abnormal cellular growth and maturation. It can be a precursor to malignancy in
some tissues but is not cancer by definition.
6. What is an early reversible manifestation of cellular injury from impaired energy
production?
A. Tissue calcification.
B. Nuclear dissolution.
C. Cellular swelling caused by disrupted ion-pump function.
D. Membrane rupture with enzyme leakage.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Reduced ATP impairs sodium-potassium pump activity, allowing sodium and water to enter
cells. Cellular swelling can be reversible if the insult is removed.
7. What does fatty change in cells most commonly reflect?
A. Calcium deposition in scar tissue.
B. Immune complex deposition.
C. Abnormal accumulation of triglycerides within cells, often in the liver.
D. Loss of all intracellular lipids.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Fatty change is a form of intracellular lipid accumulation. It can occur with metabolic injury,
toxins, alcohol exposure, or hypoxic stress.
8. What is apoptosis?
A. Uncontrolled cell rupture with inflammation.
B. Programmed, regulated cell death that generally avoids a marked inflammatory response.
C. An increase in cell proliferation.
D. A form of tissue hypertrophy.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Apoptosis removes damaged or unneeded cells through regulated pathways. Cell fragments
are usually cleared without the broad inflammatory response typical of necrosis.
NURS231 Pathophysiology Final Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
, 9. What is necrosis?
A. A decline in cell size only.
B. A normal developmental process only.
C. A reversible adaptation.
D. Unregulated cell death associated with membrane disruption and inflammation.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Necrosis follows severe injury, membrane damage, and leakage of cellular contents. The
released contents promote inflammation in surrounding tissue.
10. Which pattern of necrosis is commonly associated with ischemic injury in solid organs
other than the brain?
A. Fat necrosis.
B. Liquefactive necrosis.
C. Caseous necrosis.
D. Coagulative necrosis.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Coagulative necrosis preserves tissue architecture temporarily after ischemic injury in many
solid organs. The brain is a notable exception.
11. Which pattern of necrosis is common in brain infarction and in some abscesses?
A. Fibrinoid necrosis.
B. Liquefactive necrosis.
C. Coagulative necrosis.
D. Caseous necrosis.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Liquefactive necrosis results in enzymatic digestion of tissue into a liquid mass. It is typical of
central nervous system infarction and some bacterial infections.
12. What does caseous necrosis classically describe?
A. A friable, cheese-like tissue appearance associated with certain granulomatous infections.
B. A lipid accumulation in liver cells.
C. A liquid collection from cerebral injury.
D. An ischemic pattern in kidney tissue.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Caseous necrosis is a characteristic gross pattern in some granulomatous infections. It
combines features of coagulative and liquefactive tissue destruction.
13. What is fat necrosis?
A. A nuclear change in apoptosis.
B. Loss of all body fat due to starvation.
C. A form of physiologic hyperplasia.
D. Enzymatic destruction of adipose tissue with release of fatty acids that can bind calcium.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Fat necrosis can occur after pancreatic enzyme leakage or traumatic injury to adipose tissue.
Released fatty acids can form calcium soaps.
NURS231 Pathophysiology Final Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
