Lifeguarding Test Questions and
Complete Solutions Graded A+
Abandonment - Answer: Ending care of an ill or injured person without that person's consent or without
ensuring that someone with equal or greater training will continue that care.
Abrasion - Answer: A wound in which skin is rubbed or scraped away
Active drowning victim - Answer: A person exhibiting universal behavior that includes struggling at the
surface in a vertical position and being unable to move forward or tread water.
Agonal gasps - Answer: Isolated or infrequent gasping in the absence of other breathing in an
unconscious person.
Airway adjunct - Answer: a mechanical device to keep a victim's airway clear
Anaphylactic shock - Answer: A severe allergic reaction in which air passages may swell and restrict
breathing; a form of shock.
Anatomic splint - Answer: A part of the body used to immobilize an injured body part.
Anatomical airway obstruction - Answer: Complete or partial blockage of the airway by the tongue or
swollen tissues of the mouth or throat
Aquatic safety team - Answer: A network of people in the facility and emergency medical services
system who can plan for, respond to and assist in an emergency at an aquatic facility.
Area of responsibility - Answer: The zone or area in which a lifeguard conducts surveillance.
Asystole - Answer: A condition in which the heart has stopped
,generating electrical activity
Automated external defibrillator (AED) - Answer: An automatic device used to recognize a heart rhythm
that requires an electric shock and either delivers the shock or prompts the rescuer to deliver it.
Avulsion - Answer: A wound in which soft tissue is partially or
completely torn away.
Backboard - Answer: A standard piece of rescue equipment at all aquatic facilities used to maintain in-
line stabilization while securing and transporting a victim with a suspected head, neck or back injury.
Bag-valve-mask (BVM) resuscitator - Answer: A handheld breathing device used on a victim in
respiratory distress or respiratory arrest. It consists of a self-inflating bag, a one-way valve and a mask;
can be used with or without supplemental oxygen.
Blind spots - Answer: Areas within a lifeguard's area of responsibility that cannot be seen or are difficult
to see
Bloodborne pathogens - Answer: Bacteria and viruses present in blood and body fluids that can cause
disease in humans.
Body substance isolation (BSI) precautions - Answer: An approach to infection control that considers all
body fluids and substances to be infectious.
Buddy board - Answer: A board with identification tags used to keep track of swimmers and reinforce
the importance of the buddy system.
Bulkhead - Answer: A moveable wall placed in a swimming pool to separate activities or water of
different depths.
Cardiac arrest - Answer: A condition in which the heart has stopped or beats too ineffectively to
generate a pulse
, Catch pool - Answer: A small pool at the bottom of a slide where patrons enter water deep enough to
cushion their landing.
Chain of command - Answer: The structure of employee and management positions in a facility or
organization.
Closed wound - Answer: An injury that does not break the skin and in which soft tissue damage occurs
beneath the skin
Chemical hazard - Answer: A harmful or potentially harmful substance in or around a facility
Cold-related emergencies - Answer: Emergencies, including hypothermia and frostbite, caused by
overexposure to cold.
Consent - Answer: Permission to provide care given by an ill or injured person to a rescuer.
CPR - Answer: A technique that combines chest compressions
and rescue breaths for a victim whose heart and
breathing have stopped.
Critical incident - Answer: Any situation that causes a person to experience unusually strong emotional
reactions that interfere with his or her ability to function during and after a highly stressful incident.
Cyanosis - Answer: A blue discoloration of the skin around the mouth and fingertips resulting from a
lack of oxygen in
the blood.
Defibrillation - Answer: An electrical shock that disrupts the electrical activity of the heart long enough
to allow the heart to spontaneously develop an effective rhythm on its own.
Complete Solutions Graded A+
Abandonment - Answer: Ending care of an ill or injured person without that person's consent or without
ensuring that someone with equal or greater training will continue that care.
Abrasion - Answer: A wound in which skin is rubbed or scraped away
Active drowning victim - Answer: A person exhibiting universal behavior that includes struggling at the
surface in a vertical position and being unable to move forward or tread water.
Agonal gasps - Answer: Isolated or infrequent gasping in the absence of other breathing in an
unconscious person.
Airway adjunct - Answer: a mechanical device to keep a victim's airway clear
Anaphylactic shock - Answer: A severe allergic reaction in which air passages may swell and restrict
breathing; a form of shock.
Anatomic splint - Answer: A part of the body used to immobilize an injured body part.
Anatomical airway obstruction - Answer: Complete or partial blockage of the airway by the tongue or
swollen tissues of the mouth or throat
Aquatic safety team - Answer: A network of people in the facility and emergency medical services
system who can plan for, respond to and assist in an emergency at an aquatic facility.
Area of responsibility - Answer: The zone or area in which a lifeguard conducts surveillance.
Asystole - Answer: A condition in which the heart has stopped
,generating electrical activity
Automated external defibrillator (AED) - Answer: An automatic device used to recognize a heart rhythm
that requires an electric shock and either delivers the shock or prompts the rescuer to deliver it.
Avulsion - Answer: A wound in which soft tissue is partially or
completely torn away.
Backboard - Answer: A standard piece of rescue equipment at all aquatic facilities used to maintain in-
line stabilization while securing and transporting a victim with a suspected head, neck or back injury.
Bag-valve-mask (BVM) resuscitator - Answer: A handheld breathing device used on a victim in
respiratory distress or respiratory arrest. It consists of a self-inflating bag, a one-way valve and a mask;
can be used with or without supplemental oxygen.
Blind spots - Answer: Areas within a lifeguard's area of responsibility that cannot be seen or are difficult
to see
Bloodborne pathogens - Answer: Bacteria and viruses present in blood and body fluids that can cause
disease in humans.
Body substance isolation (BSI) precautions - Answer: An approach to infection control that considers all
body fluids and substances to be infectious.
Buddy board - Answer: A board with identification tags used to keep track of swimmers and reinforce
the importance of the buddy system.
Bulkhead - Answer: A moveable wall placed in a swimming pool to separate activities or water of
different depths.
Cardiac arrest - Answer: A condition in which the heart has stopped or beats too ineffectively to
generate a pulse
, Catch pool - Answer: A small pool at the bottom of a slide where patrons enter water deep enough to
cushion their landing.
Chain of command - Answer: The structure of employee and management positions in a facility or
organization.
Closed wound - Answer: An injury that does not break the skin and in which soft tissue damage occurs
beneath the skin
Chemical hazard - Answer: A harmful or potentially harmful substance in or around a facility
Cold-related emergencies - Answer: Emergencies, including hypothermia and frostbite, caused by
overexposure to cold.
Consent - Answer: Permission to provide care given by an ill or injured person to a rescuer.
CPR - Answer: A technique that combines chest compressions
and rescue breaths for a victim whose heart and
breathing have stopped.
Critical incident - Answer: Any situation that causes a person to experience unusually strong emotional
reactions that interfere with his or her ability to function during and after a highly stressful incident.
Cyanosis - Answer: A blue discoloration of the skin around the mouth and fingertips resulting from a
lack of oxygen in
the blood.
Defibrillation - Answer: An electrical shock that disrupts the electrical activity of the heart long enough
to allow the heart to spontaneously develop an effective rhythm on its own.
