NURS 5220: ADVANCED
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY EXAM 1 PREP
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS.
JUST RELEASED
1. A patient is diagnosed with cardiac hypertrophy due to chronic hypertension. Which
cellular mechanism is primarily responsible for this change?
A. Increase in the number of cardiac myocytes
B. Increase in the synthesis of structural proteins and organelles
C. Replacement of cardiac muscle with fibrous connective tissue
D. Reduced degradation of existing intracellular proteins
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Hypertrophy involves an increase in cell size, not number
(which is hyperplasia), driven by increased protein synthesis to handle increased
mechanical load.
2. During hypoxic injury, why does the cell swell?
A. Release of lysosomal enzymes digests the cytoskeleton
,B. Increased anaerobic metabolism produces excess lactic acid
C. Decreased ATP leads to failure of the sodium-potassium pump
D. Calcium influx activates proteases that break down the membrane
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Hypoxia decreases ATP production, causing the Na+/K+ pump
to fail. Sodium accumulates inside the cell, creating an osmotic gradient that pulls water in,
resulting in oncosis (swelling).
3. Which type of necrosis is most characteristic of brain tissue death following an ischemic
stroke?
A. Liquefactive necrosis
B. Caseous necrosis
C. Coagulative necrosis
D. Fat necrosis
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Liquefactive necrosis occurs in the brain because brain tissue is
rich in digestive hydrolytic enzymes and lipids, turning the tissue into a soft, liquid mass.
, 4. A 45-year-old male has a history of heavy smoking. A biopsy of his bronchial lining shows a
change from ciliated columnar epithelium to stratified squamous epithelium. What is this
process called?
A. Dysplasia
B. Neoplasia
C. Anaplasia
D. Metaplasia
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: Metaplasia is the reversible replacement of one mature cell type
by another mature cell type, often as an adaptation to chronic irritation.
5. Which of the following describes an epigenetic mechanism that inhibits gene expression?
A. Missense mutation
B. Histone acetylation
C. DNA methylation
D. Alternative splicing
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: DNA methylation (adding methyl groups to cytosine) typically
results in the silencing of gene expression, unlike acetylation which usually opens
chromatin.
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY EXAM 1 PREP
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS.
JUST RELEASED
1. A patient is diagnosed with cardiac hypertrophy due to chronic hypertension. Which
cellular mechanism is primarily responsible for this change?
A. Increase in the number of cardiac myocytes
B. Increase in the synthesis of structural proteins and organelles
C. Replacement of cardiac muscle with fibrous connective tissue
D. Reduced degradation of existing intracellular proteins
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Hypertrophy involves an increase in cell size, not number
(which is hyperplasia), driven by increased protein synthesis to handle increased
mechanical load.
2. During hypoxic injury, why does the cell swell?
A. Release of lysosomal enzymes digests the cytoskeleton
,B. Increased anaerobic metabolism produces excess lactic acid
C. Decreased ATP leads to failure of the sodium-potassium pump
D. Calcium influx activates proteases that break down the membrane
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Hypoxia decreases ATP production, causing the Na+/K+ pump
to fail. Sodium accumulates inside the cell, creating an osmotic gradient that pulls water in,
resulting in oncosis (swelling).
3. Which type of necrosis is most characteristic of brain tissue death following an ischemic
stroke?
A. Liquefactive necrosis
B. Caseous necrosis
C. Coagulative necrosis
D. Fat necrosis
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Liquefactive necrosis occurs in the brain because brain tissue is
rich in digestive hydrolytic enzymes and lipids, turning the tissue into a soft, liquid mass.
, 4. A 45-year-old male has a history of heavy smoking. A biopsy of his bronchial lining shows a
change from ciliated columnar epithelium to stratified squamous epithelium. What is this
process called?
A. Dysplasia
B. Neoplasia
C. Anaplasia
D. Metaplasia
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: Metaplasia is the reversible replacement of one mature cell type
by another mature cell type, often as an adaptation to chronic irritation.
5. Which of the following describes an epigenetic mechanism that inhibits gene expression?
A. Missense mutation
B. Histone acetylation
C. DNA methylation
D. Alternative splicing
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: DNA methylation (adding methyl groups to cytosine) typically
results in the silencing of gene expression, unlike acetylation which usually opens
chromatin.
