NLN NEX Nursing Entrance Practice Exam 90 Questions with Answers
and Rationales Verbal, Math and Science
Verbal Skills and Reading Comprehension
1. In the sentence 'The new route was a viable alternative because it could be
used safely,' what does viable mean?
A. Historically famous
B. Practical and workable
C. Completely unrelated
D. Deliberately hidden
Correct answer: B. Practical and workable
Rationale: The clause explains that the route can be used safely, making workable
the best meaning. The other choices do not fit the stated reason.
2. In 'The researcher sought to corroborate the finding with a second
experiment,' corroborate means what?
A. Replace with a guess
B. Conceal from others
C. Confirm with additional evidence
D. Describe without support
Correct answer: C. Confirm with additional evidence
Rationale: A second experiment can provide supporting evidence. Corroborate
means strengthen or confirm a finding, not hide it or substitute speculation.
3. In 'The instructions were concise but complete,' concise means what?
A. Uncertain and unsupported
B. Long and repetitive
C. Secret and coded
D. Brief and clear
Correct answer: D. Brief and clear
Rationale: The contrast with complete shows that few words still conveyed the
necessary information. Concise concerns brevity and clarity rather than secrecy or
uncertainty.
Independent Practice Exam | 1
,4. In 'A transient noise interrupted the recording for only a moment,' transient
means what?
A. Harmonious
B. Intentional
C. Permanent
D. Temporary
Correct answer: D. Temporary
Rationale: The phrase 'for only a moment' establishes a short duration. Transient
describes something temporary rather than lasting or necessarily deliberate.
5. In 'The committee chose an impartial reviewer with no stake in the
outcome,' impartial means what?
A. Inexperienced
B. Unbiased
C. Impatient
D. Unavailable
Correct answer: B. Unbiased
Rationale: Having no stake in the outcome supports neutrality. Impartial describes
freedom from favoritism rather than a person's experience, schedule, or patience.
6. In 'The fragile sample required meticulous handling,' meticulous means
what?
A. Occasional and random
B. Very careful and attentive to detail
C. Hurried and careless
D. Informal and improvised
Correct answer: B. Very careful and attentive to detail
Rationale: A fragile sample calls for close attention and care. Meticulous describes
detailed precision, the opposite of careless or random handling.
Independent Practice Exam | 2
, 7. In 'The two reports were consistent; both described the same sequence,'
consistent means what?
A. Equal in length
B. Published on the same day
C. In agreement
D. Written by one person
Correct answer: C. In agreement
Rationale: The explanation states that the reports agree on the sequence.
Consistency does not require identical authorship, length, or publication date.
8. In 'The policy was revised to mitigate delays,' mitigate means what?
A. Make permanent
B. Hide every record of
C. Create intentionally
D. Reduce the severity of
Correct answer: D. Reduce the severity of
Rationale: Revising a policy to address delays implies reducing their impact or
extent. Mitigate does not mean conceal, preserve, or deliberately cause the problem.
9. In 'The apparent improvement was illusory because the instrument was
miscalibrated,' illusory means what?
A. Costly to produce
B. Exceptionally large
C. Fully verified
D. Misleading or not real
Correct answer: D. Misleading or not real
Rationale: The faulty instrument undermines the appearance of improvement.
Illusory describes a false impression rather than a verified result or financial cost.
10. In 'The team used a systematic approach, following the same ordered steps
each time,' systematic means what?
A. Organized according to a method
B. Unnecessarily emotional
C. Based entirely on chance
D. Restricted to one individual
Correct answer: A. Organized according to a method
Rationale: Repeated ordered steps indicate a structured method. Systematic
describes organization and does not by itself mean random, emotional, or solitary.
Independent Practice Exam | 3
and Rationales Verbal, Math and Science
Verbal Skills and Reading Comprehension
1. In the sentence 'The new route was a viable alternative because it could be
used safely,' what does viable mean?
A. Historically famous
B. Practical and workable
C. Completely unrelated
D. Deliberately hidden
Correct answer: B. Practical and workable
Rationale: The clause explains that the route can be used safely, making workable
the best meaning. The other choices do not fit the stated reason.
2. In 'The researcher sought to corroborate the finding with a second
experiment,' corroborate means what?
A. Replace with a guess
B. Conceal from others
C. Confirm with additional evidence
D. Describe without support
Correct answer: C. Confirm with additional evidence
Rationale: A second experiment can provide supporting evidence. Corroborate
means strengthen or confirm a finding, not hide it or substitute speculation.
3. In 'The instructions were concise but complete,' concise means what?
A. Uncertain and unsupported
B. Long and repetitive
C. Secret and coded
D. Brief and clear
Correct answer: D. Brief and clear
Rationale: The contrast with complete shows that few words still conveyed the
necessary information. Concise concerns brevity and clarity rather than secrecy or
uncertainty.
Independent Practice Exam | 1
,4. In 'A transient noise interrupted the recording for only a moment,' transient
means what?
A. Harmonious
B. Intentional
C. Permanent
D. Temporary
Correct answer: D. Temporary
Rationale: The phrase 'for only a moment' establishes a short duration. Transient
describes something temporary rather than lasting or necessarily deliberate.
5. In 'The committee chose an impartial reviewer with no stake in the
outcome,' impartial means what?
A. Inexperienced
B. Unbiased
C. Impatient
D. Unavailable
Correct answer: B. Unbiased
Rationale: Having no stake in the outcome supports neutrality. Impartial describes
freedom from favoritism rather than a person's experience, schedule, or patience.
6. In 'The fragile sample required meticulous handling,' meticulous means
what?
A. Occasional and random
B. Very careful and attentive to detail
C. Hurried and careless
D. Informal and improvised
Correct answer: B. Very careful and attentive to detail
Rationale: A fragile sample calls for close attention and care. Meticulous describes
detailed precision, the opposite of careless or random handling.
Independent Practice Exam | 2
, 7. In 'The two reports were consistent; both described the same sequence,'
consistent means what?
A. Equal in length
B. Published on the same day
C. In agreement
D. Written by one person
Correct answer: C. In agreement
Rationale: The explanation states that the reports agree on the sequence.
Consistency does not require identical authorship, length, or publication date.
8. In 'The policy was revised to mitigate delays,' mitigate means what?
A. Make permanent
B. Hide every record of
C. Create intentionally
D. Reduce the severity of
Correct answer: D. Reduce the severity of
Rationale: Revising a policy to address delays implies reducing their impact or
extent. Mitigate does not mean conceal, preserve, or deliberately cause the problem.
9. In 'The apparent improvement was illusory because the instrument was
miscalibrated,' illusory means what?
A. Costly to produce
B. Exceptionally large
C. Fully verified
D. Misleading or not real
Correct answer: D. Misleading or not real
Rationale: The faulty instrument undermines the appearance of improvement.
Illusory describes a false impression rather than a verified result or financial cost.
10. In 'The team used a systematic approach, following the same ordered steps
each time,' systematic means what?
A. Organized according to a method
B. Unnecessarily emotional
C. Based entirely on chance
D. Restricted to one individual
Correct answer: A. Organized according to a method
Rationale: Repeated ordered steps indicate a structured method. Systematic
describes organization and does not by itself mean random, emotional, or solitary.
Independent Practice Exam | 3
