NURS 201 MENTAL HEALTH AND
PSYCHIATRIC NURSING: WEEK 2 QUIZ
2026 | WCU
1. A patient with depression states, ‘I am a total failure in everything I do.’ Which response by
the nurse represents the therapeutic technique of restating?
A. Why do you feel like a failure?
B. You feel that you are not achieving your goals?
C. You should focus on your strengths instead.
D. I am sure you have had many successes in your life.
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Restating involves repeating the main idea expressed by the
client to let them know the nurse is listening and to provide the opportunity for
clarification.
2. Which ethical principle is a nurse practicing when they ensure that a patient who has been
refused visitors by the family is allowed to see their legal counsel?
A. Autonomy
B. Beneficence
,C. Justice
D. Fidelity
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Autonomy refers to the client’s right to make their own
decisions and maintain their individual rights, such as access to legal counsel.
3. A client who was passed over for a promotion at work comes home and yells at their
spouse and children. Which defense mechanism is this client using?
A. Projection
B. Denial
C. Reaction Formation
D. Displacement
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: Displacement is the transfer of feelings from one target to
another that is considered less threatening or neutral.
4. Under the Tarasoff ruling, what is the legal obligation of a mental health professional when
a patient makes a specific threat against an identifiable third party?
A. Maintain patient confidentiality at all costs.
B. Duty to warn the intended victim and law enforcement.
C. Document the threat but take no further action.
, D. Wait until the patient is discharged to notify the party.
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: The ‘Duty to Warn’ requires clinicians to breach confidentiality
to protect a third party from a specific threat of violence.
5. During a Mental Status Exam (MSE), the nurse asks the client to interpret the proverb
‘Don’t cry over spilled milk.’ What is the nurse assessing?
A. Memory
B. Abstract thinking
C. Orientation
D. Judgment
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Asking a client to interpret a proverb evaluates their ability to
think abstractly rather than concretely.
6. A nurse tells a patient, ‘If you don’t take your medication, I will have to put you in
seclusion.’ This is an example of which legal tort?
A. Battery
B. False Imprisonment
C. Assault
D. Negligence
PSYCHIATRIC NURSING: WEEK 2 QUIZ
2026 | WCU
1. A patient with depression states, ‘I am a total failure in everything I do.’ Which response by
the nurse represents the therapeutic technique of restating?
A. Why do you feel like a failure?
B. You feel that you are not achieving your goals?
C. You should focus on your strengths instead.
D. I am sure you have had many successes in your life.
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Restating involves repeating the main idea expressed by the
client to let them know the nurse is listening and to provide the opportunity for
clarification.
2. Which ethical principle is a nurse practicing when they ensure that a patient who has been
refused visitors by the family is allowed to see their legal counsel?
A. Autonomy
B. Beneficence
,C. Justice
D. Fidelity
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Autonomy refers to the client’s right to make their own
decisions and maintain their individual rights, such as access to legal counsel.
3. A client who was passed over for a promotion at work comes home and yells at their
spouse and children. Which defense mechanism is this client using?
A. Projection
B. Denial
C. Reaction Formation
D. Displacement
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: Displacement is the transfer of feelings from one target to
another that is considered less threatening or neutral.
4. Under the Tarasoff ruling, what is the legal obligation of a mental health professional when
a patient makes a specific threat against an identifiable third party?
A. Maintain patient confidentiality at all costs.
B. Duty to warn the intended victim and law enforcement.
C. Document the threat but take no further action.
, D. Wait until the patient is discharged to notify the party.
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: The ‘Duty to Warn’ requires clinicians to breach confidentiality
to protect a third party from a specific threat of violence.
5. During a Mental Status Exam (MSE), the nurse asks the client to interpret the proverb
‘Don’t cry over spilled milk.’ What is the nurse assessing?
A. Memory
B. Abstract thinking
C. Orientation
D. Judgment
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Asking a client to interpret a proverb evaluates their ability to
think abstractly rather than concretely.
6. A nurse tells a patient, ‘If you don’t take your medication, I will have to put you in
seclusion.’ This is an example of which legal tort?
A. Battery
B. False Imprisonment
C. Assault
D. Negligence
