Practice Exam | 120 Questions with Answers and Rationales
Cardiovascular assessment and care
1. A patient reports new crushing chest pressure with diaphoresis. What is the
priority?
A. Assess promptly and activate urgent cardiac evaluation
B. Assume indigestion without assessment
C. Complete routine discharge teaching
D. Encourage unassisted walking
2. Which finding in a patient with heart failure suggests worsening congestion?
A. Increasing weight with dyspnea and peripheral edema
B. Stable weight and improved exercise tolerance
C. A healed surgical scar
D. Unchanged appetite alone
3. How should daily weights be obtained for fluid-status comparison?
A. Weigh only after large meals
B. Use a different scale each day
C. Estimate from appearance
D. Use the same scale and comparable timing and clothing
A patient with acute pulmonary congestion is breathless while lying flat.
4.
Which position may improve comfort?
A. Upright as tolerated while assessing stability
B. Standing without assistance
C. Flat supine without reassessment
D. Prone with pressure on the chest
5.A patient taking a loop diuretic develops weakness and palpitations. Which
laboratory result is especially relevant?
1
, A. Serum vitamin C
B. Serum potassium
C. Blood type
D. Serum folate
6. Before giving metoprolol, which assessment is particularly relevant?
A. Only bowel sounds
B. Pulse, blood pressure, and the prescribed administration parameters
C. Only pupil size
D. Only skin moisture
2
,7.A patient taking digoxin develops nausea, visual changes, and
bradycardia. What should be considered?
A. Resolved heart failure
B. A harmless dietary response
C. Expected evidence of full benefit
D. Digoxin toxicity
8. A patient with suspected venous thrombosis has a painful swollen calf. Which
action is appropriate?
A. Encourage strenuous exercise immediately
B. Massage the calf vigorously
C. Obtain prompt assessment and avoid calf massage
D. Assume all calf swelling is benign
9. A patient taking warfarin develops significant bleeding. What is appropriate?
A. Assess
stability, hold further dosing pending urgent review, and initiate the
response protocol
B. Give the next dose early
C. Treat only with dietary advice
D. Ignore the bleeding if the last INR was normal
10. A patient collapses and is unresponsive without normal breathing. What is
appropriate?
A. Wait for a scheduled ECG
B. Move the patient to a chair
C. Activate emergency response and begin indicated resuscitation
D. Give oral aspirin
Respiratory assessment and care
11. Which finding indicates increased work of breathing?
A. An isolated normal pulse
B. Comfortable speech in full sentences
3
, C. Accessory muscle use and retractions
D. Quiet breathing without distress
12. A patient with COPD is hypoxemic. What is appropriate?
A. Withhold all oxygen because of COPD
B. Assess only the oxygen tubing
C. Give an arbitrary maximum flow without review
D. Give prescribed titrated oxygen and monitor the response
4