Evolve HESI Fundamental Nursing Skills: Expert
Exam Prep, Practice Questions & Study Guide
1. Which activity would the nurse use as an example of fine motor skills of infants
aged 2 to 4 months?
A) Rolling from back to stomach
B) Sitting unsupported
C) Bringing objects from hand to mouth ✅
D) Walking with assistance
Rationale: Fine motor skills involve small muscle movements. At 2 to 4 months, infants
begin to grasp objects and bring them to their mouths. Gross motor skills, such as rolling
over or sitting, develop later.
2. A client with cystic fibrosis asks why the percussion procedure is being performed.
The nurse explains that the primary purpose of percussion is to:
A) Improve oxygen exchange
B) Strengthen respiratory muscles
C) Loosen pulmonary secretions ✅
D) Prevent aspiration
Rationale: Percussion, part of chest physiotherapy, helps mobilize and loosen thick mucus
in the lungs, making it easier for clients with cystic fibrosis to expel secretions.
3. An older adult in an acute care setting is experiencing emotional stress because of a
recent surgery. Which intervention would be most appropriate for the client?
A) Encouraging social isolation
B) Reality orientation ✅
C) Minimizing interaction with caregivers
D) Providing continuous sedation
,Rationale: Reality orientation techniques, such as reminding the client of the time, place,
and situation, help reduce confusion and stress in older adults.
4. After abdominal surgery, a client reports pain. What action should the nurse take
first?
A) Administer prescribed analgesics immediately
B) Encourage deep breathing and relaxation techniques
C) Determine the characteristics of the pain ✅
D) Place the client in a supine position
Rationale: Assessing pain characteristics (location, intensity, and nature) allows the nurse
to determine appropriate interventions.
5. When planning discharge teaching for a young adult, the nurse should include the
potential health problems common in this age group. What should the nurse include?
A) Cardiovascular disease prevention
B) Osteoporosis risk factors
C) Accidents, including their prevention ✅
D) Cognitive decline symptoms
Rationale: Young adults are at higher risk for accidental injuries, including motor vehicle
accidents, workplace injuries, and substance-related accidents.
6. Which statement is true about the nursing model "team nursing"?
A) Nurses work independently without coordination
B) Hierarchical communication exists from charge nurse to charge nurse, charge nurse
to team leader, and team leader to team members ✅
C) Only registered nurses provide client care
D) The team leader is not responsible for decision-making
Rationale: Team nursing is a model where a charge nurse delegates tasks through a
structured hierarchy to ensure efficient patient care.
,7. A registered nurse instructs a nursing student to use knowledge and experience to
choose proper strategies to use to care for clients. Which critical-thinking skill does
the registered nurse refer to?
A) Interpretation
B) Analysis
C) Evaluation
D) Explanation ✅
Rationale: Explanation involves justifying decisions and making informed choices based
on clinical experience.
8. Which theories are most relevant to development in adults? (Select all that apply.)
✅ A) Life Span Approach
✅ B) Stage-Crisis Theory
C) Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
D) Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
Rationale: The Life Span Approach and Stage-Crisis Theory focus on adult development,
unlike Piaget’s theory, which is centered on childhood development.
9. A nurse is assessing a middle-aged client whose children have left home in search
of work. The client is trying to adjust to these family changes. Which family life-cycle
stage is the client going through?
A) Parenting teenagers
B) Adjusting to retirement
C) Launching children and moving on ✅
D) Beginning a family with young children
Rationale: This stage involves adapting to an "empty nest" and finding new roles after
children leave home.
10. Which right of delegation refers to the giving of clear, concise descriptions of a task
to the delegatee?
, A) Right task
B) Right circumstances
C) Right communication ✅
D) Right supervision
Rationale: Clear and precise instructions ensure the delegatee understands what is
expected.
11. A client admitted to the hospital with malabsorption syndrome exhibits signs of
tetany. The nurse concludes that the tetany was precipitated by the inadequate
absorption of which electrolyte?
A) Sodium
B) Potassium
C) Calcium ✅
D) Magnesium
Rationale: Tetany, characterized by muscle spasms, is commonly caused by calcium
deficiency due to poor absorption.
12. A client who is dying jokes about the situation even though the client is becoming
sicker and weaker. Which is the most therapeutic response by the nurse?
A) "You should take your condition more seriously."
B) "Does it help to joke about your illness?" ✅
C) "You need to stay positive."
D) "Let's not focus on your illness right now."
Rationale: Acknowledging the client’s coping mechanism encourages open
communication and emotional support.
13. What type of functional health pattern would the nurse explain describes values
and goals?
A) Cognitive-perceptual pattern
B) Self-perception pattern
C) Value-belief pattern ✅
D) Coping-stress tolerance pattern
Exam Prep, Practice Questions & Study Guide
1. Which activity would the nurse use as an example of fine motor skills of infants
aged 2 to 4 months?
A) Rolling from back to stomach
B) Sitting unsupported
C) Bringing objects from hand to mouth ✅
D) Walking with assistance
Rationale: Fine motor skills involve small muscle movements. At 2 to 4 months, infants
begin to grasp objects and bring them to their mouths. Gross motor skills, such as rolling
over or sitting, develop later.
2. A client with cystic fibrosis asks why the percussion procedure is being performed.
The nurse explains that the primary purpose of percussion is to:
A) Improve oxygen exchange
B) Strengthen respiratory muscles
C) Loosen pulmonary secretions ✅
D) Prevent aspiration
Rationale: Percussion, part of chest physiotherapy, helps mobilize and loosen thick mucus
in the lungs, making it easier for clients with cystic fibrosis to expel secretions.
3. An older adult in an acute care setting is experiencing emotional stress because of a
recent surgery. Which intervention would be most appropriate for the client?
A) Encouraging social isolation
B) Reality orientation ✅
C) Minimizing interaction with caregivers
D) Providing continuous sedation
,Rationale: Reality orientation techniques, such as reminding the client of the time, place,
and situation, help reduce confusion and stress in older adults.
4. After abdominal surgery, a client reports pain. What action should the nurse take
first?
A) Administer prescribed analgesics immediately
B) Encourage deep breathing and relaxation techniques
C) Determine the characteristics of the pain ✅
D) Place the client in a supine position
Rationale: Assessing pain characteristics (location, intensity, and nature) allows the nurse
to determine appropriate interventions.
5. When planning discharge teaching for a young adult, the nurse should include the
potential health problems common in this age group. What should the nurse include?
A) Cardiovascular disease prevention
B) Osteoporosis risk factors
C) Accidents, including their prevention ✅
D) Cognitive decline symptoms
Rationale: Young adults are at higher risk for accidental injuries, including motor vehicle
accidents, workplace injuries, and substance-related accidents.
6. Which statement is true about the nursing model "team nursing"?
A) Nurses work independently without coordination
B) Hierarchical communication exists from charge nurse to charge nurse, charge nurse
to team leader, and team leader to team members ✅
C) Only registered nurses provide client care
D) The team leader is not responsible for decision-making
Rationale: Team nursing is a model where a charge nurse delegates tasks through a
structured hierarchy to ensure efficient patient care.
,7. A registered nurse instructs a nursing student to use knowledge and experience to
choose proper strategies to use to care for clients. Which critical-thinking skill does
the registered nurse refer to?
A) Interpretation
B) Analysis
C) Evaluation
D) Explanation ✅
Rationale: Explanation involves justifying decisions and making informed choices based
on clinical experience.
8. Which theories are most relevant to development in adults? (Select all that apply.)
✅ A) Life Span Approach
✅ B) Stage-Crisis Theory
C) Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
D) Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
Rationale: The Life Span Approach and Stage-Crisis Theory focus on adult development,
unlike Piaget’s theory, which is centered on childhood development.
9. A nurse is assessing a middle-aged client whose children have left home in search
of work. The client is trying to adjust to these family changes. Which family life-cycle
stage is the client going through?
A) Parenting teenagers
B) Adjusting to retirement
C) Launching children and moving on ✅
D) Beginning a family with young children
Rationale: This stage involves adapting to an "empty nest" and finding new roles after
children leave home.
10. Which right of delegation refers to the giving of clear, concise descriptions of a task
to the delegatee?
, A) Right task
B) Right circumstances
C) Right communication ✅
D) Right supervision
Rationale: Clear and precise instructions ensure the delegatee understands what is
expected.
11. A client admitted to the hospital with malabsorption syndrome exhibits signs of
tetany. The nurse concludes that the tetany was precipitated by the inadequate
absorption of which electrolyte?
A) Sodium
B) Potassium
C) Calcium ✅
D) Magnesium
Rationale: Tetany, characterized by muscle spasms, is commonly caused by calcium
deficiency due to poor absorption.
12. A client who is dying jokes about the situation even though the client is becoming
sicker and weaker. Which is the most therapeutic response by the nurse?
A) "You should take your condition more seriously."
B) "Does it help to joke about your illness?" ✅
C) "You need to stay positive."
D) "Let's not focus on your illness right now."
Rationale: Acknowledging the client’s coping mechanism encourages open
communication and emotional support.
13. What type of functional health pattern would the nurse explain describes values
and goals?
A) Cognitive-perceptual pattern
B) Self-perception pattern
C) Value-belief pattern ✅
D) Coping-stress tolerance pattern
