RUSH UNIVERSITY NSG-522 FINAL EXAM
STUDY GUIDE WITH 200 PRACTICE
QUESTIONS & COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
(FALL 2026-2027) ALREADY GRADED A+
MOST RECENT
1. Descriptive epidemiology is concerned with the: (Select all that apply)
A. Distribution of disease
B. Frequency of disease
C. Patterns of disease
D. Causes of disease
Answer: A, B, C — Descriptive epidemiology focuses on disease distribution,
frequency, and patterns, answering "who, where, and when." Analytic epidemiology
studies causes ("why/how") .
2. Which of the following can be vehicles for disease transmission? (Select all
that apply)
A. Soiled bedding
B. Contaminated food
C. Mosquitoes
D. Eating utensils
E. Ticks
Answer: A, B, D — Vehicles are inanimate objects that transmit infection. Soil
bedding, contaminated food, and eating utensils are vehicles. Mosquitoes and ticks
are vectors (living organisms that transmit infection) .
,3. The interquartile range (IQR) contains what percentage of scores in a
distribution?
A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 75%
D. 100%
Answer: B — The IQR is the range between the 25th percentile (Q1) and the 75th
percentile (Q3), containing the middle 50% of the data. It is a robust measure of
spread, often used with the median for skewed data .
4. The decision to use the median instead of the mean to describe central
tendency is based upon:
A. Whether the data are normally distributed
B. The presence or absence of outliers
C. The journal where the data will be published
D. The sample size being greater than 100
Answer: B — The median is preferred when data contain outliers or are skewed
because it is not influenced by extreme values. The mean is appropriate for normally
distributed data without outliers .
5. A risk factor is a behavior or exposure that causes a disease or injury.
A. True
B. False
,Answer: B — A risk factor is associated with disease occurrence but is NOT causal.
Having a risk factor does not mean a person will develop the disease. Causation
requires meeting specific criteria, such as the Bradford Hill criteria .
6. In a clinical trial comparing two medications (Drug A and Drug B) for
reducing blood pressure, the results are:
• Drug A: Mean decrease = 15 mg, 95% CI [10, 20]
• Drug B: Mean decrease = 10 mg, 95% CI [5, 15]
What is the correct decision regarding the null hypothesis (no difference
between drugs)?
A. Reject the null hypothesis
B. Do not reject the null hypothesis
Answer: B — Because the two confidence intervals overlap, there is no statistically
significant difference between the medications. Therefore, the null hypothesis should
not be rejected .
7. Screening tests are used to identify people in which stage of disease?
A. Clinical
B. Preclinical
C. Susceptibility
D. Recovery
Answer: B — Screening identifies disease in the preclinical (pre-symptomatic) stage,
allowing for early detection and secondary prevention to control disease and
minimize complications .
, 8. Using physical therapy for rehabilitation after a stroke is an example of what
type of prevention?
A. Primary prevention
B. Secondary prevention
C. Tertiary prevention
Answer: C — Tertiary prevention occurs during the clinical or disability stage and
aims to reduce long-term impact, such as through cardiac or stroke rehabilitation
programs .
9. Prevention of pneumonia by administering the pneumonia vaccine to older
adults is an example of which type of prevention?
A. Primary
B. Secondary
C. Tertiary
D. Primary and secondary
Answer: A — Primary prevention occurs during the stage of susceptibility, protecting
against disease before any disease process has started. Immunization is a classic
example .
10. Health equity means that everyone in the population should receive exactly
the same health services.
A. True
B. False
STUDY GUIDE WITH 200 PRACTICE
QUESTIONS & COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
(FALL 2026-2027) ALREADY GRADED A+
MOST RECENT
1. Descriptive epidemiology is concerned with the: (Select all that apply)
A. Distribution of disease
B. Frequency of disease
C. Patterns of disease
D. Causes of disease
Answer: A, B, C — Descriptive epidemiology focuses on disease distribution,
frequency, and patterns, answering "who, where, and when." Analytic epidemiology
studies causes ("why/how") .
2. Which of the following can be vehicles for disease transmission? (Select all
that apply)
A. Soiled bedding
B. Contaminated food
C. Mosquitoes
D. Eating utensils
E. Ticks
Answer: A, B, D — Vehicles are inanimate objects that transmit infection. Soil
bedding, contaminated food, and eating utensils are vehicles. Mosquitoes and ticks
are vectors (living organisms that transmit infection) .
,3. The interquartile range (IQR) contains what percentage of scores in a
distribution?
A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 75%
D. 100%
Answer: B — The IQR is the range between the 25th percentile (Q1) and the 75th
percentile (Q3), containing the middle 50% of the data. It is a robust measure of
spread, often used with the median for skewed data .
4. The decision to use the median instead of the mean to describe central
tendency is based upon:
A. Whether the data are normally distributed
B. The presence or absence of outliers
C. The journal where the data will be published
D. The sample size being greater than 100
Answer: B — The median is preferred when data contain outliers or are skewed
because it is not influenced by extreme values. The mean is appropriate for normally
distributed data without outliers .
5. A risk factor is a behavior or exposure that causes a disease or injury.
A. True
B. False
,Answer: B — A risk factor is associated with disease occurrence but is NOT causal.
Having a risk factor does not mean a person will develop the disease. Causation
requires meeting specific criteria, such as the Bradford Hill criteria .
6. In a clinical trial comparing two medications (Drug A and Drug B) for
reducing blood pressure, the results are:
• Drug A: Mean decrease = 15 mg, 95% CI [10, 20]
• Drug B: Mean decrease = 10 mg, 95% CI [5, 15]
What is the correct decision regarding the null hypothesis (no difference
between drugs)?
A. Reject the null hypothesis
B. Do not reject the null hypothesis
Answer: B — Because the two confidence intervals overlap, there is no statistically
significant difference between the medications. Therefore, the null hypothesis should
not be rejected .
7. Screening tests are used to identify people in which stage of disease?
A. Clinical
B. Preclinical
C. Susceptibility
D. Recovery
Answer: B — Screening identifies disease in the preclinical (pre-symptomatic) stage,
allowing for early detection and secondary prevention to control disease and
minimize complications .
, 8. Using physical therapy for rehabilitation after a stroke is an example of what
type of prevention?
A. Primary prevention
B. Secondary prevention
C. Tertiary prevention
Answer: C — Tertiary prevention occurs during the clinical or disability stage and
aims to reduce long-term impact, such as through cardiac or stroke rehabilitation
programs .
9. Prevention of pneumonia by administering the pneumonia vaccine to older
adults is an example of which type of prevention?
A. Primary
B. Secondary
C. Tertiary
D. Primary and secondary
Answer: A — Primary prevention occurs during the stage of susceptibility, protecting
against disease before any disease process has started. Immunization is a classic
example .
10. Health equity means that everyone in the population should receive exactly
the same health services.
A. True
B. False
