This NURS 5315 Pulmonary 2026/2027 exam preparation document contains 79 multiple-choice questions with answers and rationales covering pulmonary physiology, respiratory pathophysiology, lung mechanics, gas exchange, pulmonary function testing, obstructive and restrictive lung disease, and major respiratory disorders. It provides a question-based review of respiration versus ventilation, alveolar gas exchange, oxygen and carbon dioxide transport, Fick’s law, hemoglobin, the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve, conducting airways, bronchodilation and bronchoconstriction, pleural and alveolar pressures, and pulmonary surfactant. Nurs 5315 Pulmonary 2026
A substantial section focuses on lung mechanics and pulmonary function testing, including lung compliance, elastic recoil, airway resistance, tidal volume (TV), inspiratory reserve volume (IRV), expiratory reserve volume (ERV), residual volume (RV), inspiratory capacity (IC), functional residual capacity (FRC), total lung capacity (TLC), FEV1, FVC, and the FEV1/FVC ratio. Students practice distinguishing the physiological and spirometric patterns associated with obstructive versus restrictive pulmonary disease, including emphysema, COPD, asthma, and pulmonary fibrosis. The document specifically connects obstructive disease with increased airway resistance and reduced FEV1/FVC and restrictive disease with reduced lung volumes and a normal or increased FEV1/FVC ratio. Nurs 5315 Pulmonary 2026
The material also provides detailed review of ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) matching, physiological shunting, anatomical and physiological dead space, pulmonary embolism, hypoxemia, hypercapnia, and hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. Clinical questions require students to distinguish poorly ventilated but perfused regions from ventilated regions with inadequate perfusion and to connect pulmonary embolism with increased physiological dead space. These concepts are central to understanding how disturbances in ventilation and perfusion impair pulmonary gas exchange. Nurs 5315 Pulmonary 2026
Another major area is pulmonary pathophysiology across the lifespan. Questions examine age-related alveolar enlargement, loss of elastic recoil, air trapping, changes in pulmonary capillaries, chest-wall rigidity, kyphosis and scoliosis, changes in the alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient, and reduced chemoreceptor responsiveness. Pediatric respiratory physiology is also included, with emphasis on smaller and more compliant airways, aspiration risk, chest-wall compliance, and the greater consequences of airway swelling and obstruction in children. Nurs 5315 Pulmonary 2026
The exam material extends into important respiratory disorders and emergencies, including primary spontaneous and tension pneumothorax, COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary embolism, cystic fibrosis, croup, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and respiratory failure. Cystic fibrosis questions cover the CFTR F508del mutation, autosomal-recessive inheritance, mucus plugging, sweat chloride testing, and pancreatic insufficiency. ARDS questions address alveolar-capillary membrane injury, hypoxemia, PEEP, and severe pancreatitis as a risk factor, while the pediatric croup section covers the characteristic barking cough, corticosteroid therapy, and the steeple sign. Nurs 5315 Pulmonary 2026
Relevant students: This resource is particularly relevant to NURS 5315 students, nursing students, advanced practice nursing and nurse practitioner students, pathophysiology students, respiratory therapy students, and other health-sciences students reviewing cardiopulmonary physiology and respiratory disorders. It is suitable for exam preparation, active recall, practice testing, pulmonary-function interpretation, and reviewing clinical applications of respiratory pathophysiology. The uploaded document does not identify a specific university, so an institution should not be added to the listing unless independently confirmed. Nurs 5315 Pulmonary 2026
Academic references: West, J. B., & Luks, A. M. West’s Respiratory Physiology: The Essentials. Wolters Kluwer. This standard respiratory physiology text covers ventilation, diffusion, pulmonary blood flow, V/Q relationships, gas transport, mechanics of breathing, and pulmonary function concepts represented throughout the document. For disease-focused study, Jameson, J. L., Fauci, A. S., Kasper, D. L., Hauser, S. L., Loscalzo, J., & Longo, D. L. (Eds.). Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. McGraw Hill provides established clinical coverage of COPD, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary embolism, respiratory failure, and ARDS. The uploaded questions themselves should remain the primary source for what is specifically included in this NURS 5315 study document. Nurs 5315 Pulmonary 2026
Keywords: NURS 5315 pulmonary, pulmonary exam questions, pulmonary questions and answers, pulmonary exam , respiratory physiology exam, pulmonary pathophysiology, nursing pulmonary exam, respiratory exam questions, lung physiology questions, gas exchange, ventilation, respiration, oxygen transport, carbon dioxide transport, oxygen hemoglobin dissociation curve, Fick law, pulmonary surfactant, lung compliance, airway resistance, lung volumes, tidal volume, residual volume, total lung capacity, functional residual capacity, FEV1 FVC ratio, pulmonary function tests, spirometry, obstructive lung disease, restrictive lung disease, COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, pneumothorax, tension pneumothorax, ventilation perfusion matching, V Q mismatch, physiological dead space, pulmonary shunt, pulmonary embolism, hypoxemia, hypercapnia, cystic fibrosis, CFTR mutation, F508del, ARDS, respiratory failure, croup, pediatric airway, pulmonary aging, respiratory nursing questions, pulmonary exam preparation
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Nurs 5315 Pulmonary
2026/2027 Exam Questions and
Answers | Already Graded A+
Which of the following best describes respiration?
A) The mechanical process of moving air in and out of the lungs
B) The exchange of gases between the environment and the cells of the
body
C) The contraction and relaxation of the diaphragm
D) The movement of oxygen into the lungs through the trachea -
ANSWER ✔✔B) The exchange of gases between the environment
and the cells of the body
,Rationale: Respiration is a biochemical process that involves gas
exchange at the cellular level, including both external and internal
respiration.
What is the primary driver of ventilation?
A) Diffusion of gases across the alveoli
B) Contraction and relaxation of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles
C) Hemoglobin saturation levels
D) Carbonic anhydrase activity in red blood cells - ANSWER ✔✔B)
Contraction and relaxation of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles
Rationale: Ventilation refers to the mechanical process of air movement,
which is primarily controlled by muscle contraction and relaxation.
Which of the following is an example of external respiration?
A) The diffusion of oxygen from the alveoli into the bloodstream
B) The uptake of oxygen by mitochondria for ATP production
C) The conversion of carbon dioxide into bicarbonate in red blood cells
,D) The transportation of oxygen via hemoglobin - ANSWER ✔✔A)
The diffusion of oxygen from the alveoli into the bloodstream
Rationale: External respiration is the exchange of gases between the
lungs and the environment, primarily occurring at the alveolar-capillary
membrane.
Where does gas exchange primarily occur in the lungs?
A) Trachea
B) Bronchioles
C) Alveoli
D) Pharynx - ANSWER ✔✔C) Alveoli
Rationale: The alveoli are the primary site for gas exchange due to their
thin walls and extensive capillary network.
Which law explains the diffusion of gases across the alveolar-capillary
membrane?
A) Boyle's Law
B) Henry's Law
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, C) Fick's Law
D) Dalton's Law - ANSWER ✔✔C) Fick's Law
Rationale: Fick's Law states that gas diffusion depends on surface area,
membrane thickness, and partial pressure gradients.
What determines the direction of oxygen diffusion in the lungs?
A) The volume of air in the lungs
B) The concentration gradient between alveolar air and blood
C) The presence of surfactant in the alveoli
D) The amount of hemoglobin in red blood cells - ANSWER ✔✔B)
The concentration gradient between alveolar air and blood
Rationale: Oxygen moves from high partial pressure in the alveoli to the
lower partial pressure in the pulmonary capillaries.
How is most oxygen transported in the blood?
A) Dissolved in plasma
B) Bound to hemoglobin
C) Converted to bicarbonate