WGU D443 Health Assessment OA Practice Exam (Questions &
Answers) QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS LATEST
UPDATE THIS YEAR.pdf
Domain I: Fundamentals & Physical Exam Order
1. Which assessment technique should the nurse always perform first
when evaluating an adult patient's abdomen?
• A) Palpation
• B) Percussion
• C) Auscultation
• D) Inspection
• Correct Answer: D) Inspection
• Rationale: Inspection is always the first step of a physical exam. For
abdominal assessment, the correct sequence is Inspection →
Auscultation → Percussion → Palpation, because palpating or
percussing first can alter bowel sounds .
2. The bell of the stethoscope is specifically designed to detect which type
of sounds?
• A) High-pitched breath sounds
• B) High-pitched heart murmurs
• C) Low-pitched sounds like bruits and S3/S4 heart sounds
• D) Bowel sounds
• Correct Answer: C) Low-pitched sounds like bruits and S3/S4 heart
sounds
• Rationale: The bell is used to detect low-frequency sounds and should
be held lightly against the skin . The diaphragm is better for high-
pitched sounds like normal breath sounds and S1/S2 .
,3. The nurse is preparing to perform percussion on a patient's chest. What
is the primary purpose of this assessment technique?
• A) To evaluate organ function
• B) To assess tissue density
• C) To measure pain level
• D) To test muscle strength
• Correct Answer: B) To assess tissue density
• Rationale: Percussion produces sounds that reflect the density of
underlying tissues. Tympany is heard over air-filled structures,
resonance over healthy lung, and dullness over solid organs or fluid .
4. A nurse takes a patient's blood pressure using a cuff where the bladder
width is only 20% of the arm circumference. What effect will this have on
the reading?
• A) Falsely low reading
• B) Falsely high reading
• C) No impact on reading
• D) Unreliable pulse pressure only
• Correct Answer: B) Falsely high reading
• Rationale: A cuff that is too narrow ("undercuffing") produces a falsely
high blood pressure reading. The bladder width should equal about
40% of the arm circumference .
5. A patient reports a headache. The nurse documents this as:
• A) Objective data
• B) Subjective data
• C) Assessment finding
, • D) Diagnostic finding
• Correct Answer: B) Subjective data
• Rationale: A headache is a symptom reported by the patient and is
therefore subjective data. Objective data is measurable and
observable by the examiner .
Domain II: HEENT (Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Throat)
6. During an otoscopic examination of an adult patient's ear, in which
direction should the nurse pull the pinna?
• A) Down and back
• B) Up and back
• C) Directly backward
• D) Down and forward
• Correct Answer: B) Up and back
• Rationale: For adults and children over 3 years old, pull the pinna up
and back to straighten the auditory canal. For infants/children under
3, pull down and back .
7. The nurse is assessing a client's visual fields by confrontation. The client
misses the examiner's fingers in the outer half of each eye's visual field.
This pattern is:
• A) Homonymous hemianopia
• B) Bitemporal hemianopia
• C) Central scotoma
• D) Monocular vision loss
• Correct Answer: B) Bitemporal hemianopia
, • Rationale: Bitemporal hemianopia (loss of both temporal fields) is
caused by a lesion at the optic chiasm, such as a pituitary tumor .
8. The nurse is assessing an older adult client's pupils and notes a cloudy
ring around the edge of the iris. The client denies any vision changes. This
finding is most consistent with:
• A) Cataracts
• B) Glaucoma
• C) Arcus senilis
• D) Pterygium
• Correct Answer: C) Arcus senilis
• Rationale: Arcus senilis is a gray-white or yellow ring around the
cornea caused by lipid deposits. It is a common, benign age-related
finding and does not affect vision .
9. The nurse is testing a client's hearing using the Weber test. The vibrating
tuning fork is placed on the midline of the forehead, and the client hears
the sound louder in the left ear. This suggests:
• A) Conductive hearing loss in the left ear or sensorineural loss in the
right ear
• B) Normal hearing
• C) Bilateral conductive loss
• D) Bilateral sensorineural loss
• Correct Answer: A) Conductive hearing loss in the left ear or
sensorineural loss in the right ear
• Rationale: The Weber test lateralizes to the ear with a conductive loss
or away from the ear with a sensorineural loss . A Rinne test is needed
to differentiate.
Answers) QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS LATEST
UPDATE THIS YEAR.pdf
Domain I: Fundamentals & Physical Exam Order
1. Which assessment technique should the nurse always perform first
when evaluating an adult patient's abdomen?
• A) Palpation
• B) Percussion
• C) Auscultation
• D) Inspection
• Correct Answer: D) Inspection
• Rationale: Inspection is always the first step of a physical exam. For
abdominal assessment, the correct sequence is Inspection →
Auscultation → Percussion → Palpation, because palpating or
percussing first can alter bowel sounds .
2. The bell of the stethoscope is specifically designed to detect which type
of sounds?
• A) High-pitched breath sounds
• B) High-pitched heart murmurs
• C) Low-pitched sounds like bruits and S3/S4 heart sounds
• D) Bowel sounds
• Correct Answer: C) Low-pitched sounds like bruits and S3/S4 heart
sounds
• Rationale: The bell is used to detect low-frequency sounds and should
be held lightly against the skin . The diaphragm is better for high-
pitched sounds like normal breath sounds and S1/S2 .
,3. The nurse is preparing to perform percussion on a patient's chest. What
is the primary purpose of this assessment technique?
• A) To evaluate organ function
• B) To assess tissue density
• C) To measure pain level
• D) To test muscle strength
• Correct Answer: B) To assess tissue density
• Rationale: Percussion produces sounds that reflect the density of
underlying tissues. Tympany is heard over air-filled structures,
resonance over healthy lung, and dullness over solid organs or fluid .
4. A nurse takes a patient's blood pressure using a cuff where the bladder
width is only 20% of the arm circumference. What effect will this have on
the reading?
• A) Falsely low reading
• B) Falsely high reading
• C) No impact on reading
• D) Unreliable pulse pressure only
• Correct Answer: B) Falsely high reading
• Rationale: A cuff that is too narrow ("undercuffing") produces a falsely
high blood pressure reading. The bladder width should equal about
40% of the arm circumference .
5. A patient reports a headache. The nurse documents this as:
• A) Objective data
• B) Subjective data
• C) Assessment finding
, • D) Diagnostic finding
• Correct Answer: B) Subjective data
• Rationale: A headache is a symptom reported by the patient and is
therefore subjective data. Objective data is measurable and
observable by the examiner .
Domain II: HEENT (Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Throat)
6. During an otoscopic examination of an adult patient's ear, in which
direction should the nurse pull the pinna?
• A) Down and back
• B) Up and back
• C) Directly backward
• D) Down and forward
• Correct Answer: B) Up and back
• Rationale: For adults and children over 3 years old, pull the pinna up
and back to straighten the auditory canal. For infants/children under
3, pull down and back .
7. The nurse is assessing a client's visual fields by confrontation. The client
misses the examiner's fingers in the outer half of each eye's visual field.
This pattern is:
• A) Homonymous hemianopia
• B) Bitemporal hemianopia
• C) Central scotoma
• D) Monocular vision loss
• Correct Answer: B) Bitemporal hemianopia
, • Rationale: Bitemporal hemianopia (loss of both temporal fields) is
caused by a lesion at the optic chiasm, such as a pituitary tumor .
8. The nurse is assessing an older adult client's pupils and notes a cloudy
ring around the edge of the iris. The client denies any vision changes. This
finding is most consistent with:
• A) Cataracts
• B) Glaucoma
• C) Arcus senilis
• D) Pterygium
• Correct Answer: C) Arcus senilis
• Rationale: Arcus senilis is a gray-white or yellow ring around the
cornea caused by lipid deposits. It is a common, benign age-related
finding and does not affect vision .
9. The nurse is testing a client's hearing using the Weber test. The vibrating
tuning fork is placed on the midline of the forehead, and the client hears
the sound louder in the left ear. This suggests:
• A) Conductive hearing loss in the left ear or sensorineural loss in the
right ear
• B) Normal hearing
• C) Bilateral conductive loss
• D) Bilateral sensorineural loss
• Correct Answer: A) Conductive hearing loss in the left ear or
sensorineural loss in the right ear
• Rationale: The Weber test lateralizes to the ear with a conductive loss
or away from the ear with a sensorineural loss . A Rinne test is needed
to differentiate.
