HESI Health Assessment Assignment Practice Test – 50
Questions with Correct Answers
1. The nurse is assessing a client who reports having shoulder pain. Which sign is the best indicator of a
rotator cuff tear?
A. Inability to adduct the arm from the body.
B. Inability to slowly lower the arm when abducted.
C. Inability to externally rotate the arm.
D. Inability to internally rotate the arm. - ANSWER ✔ - B. Inability to slowly lower the arm when
abducted.
2. The nurse is assessing a healthy young adult during an annual physical examination. Which
assessment technique should the nurse implement when palpating the abdominal aorta?
A. Deep palpation above and to the left of the umbilicus.
B. Palpation of abdomen as client completes a deep breath.
C. With client standing, compress the abdomen as the nurse stands behind the client.
D. With palm of one hand, compress the abdomen 2 finger breaths below xiphoid process. -
ANSWER ✔ - A. Deep palpation above and to the left of the umbilicus.
3. After completing the initial general assessment, the nurse is now completing a focused abdominal
assessment of a client who was admitted for abdominal pain. Which assessment is most important
for the nurse to implement?
A. Inspect for abdominal distension then percuss for tympani.
B. Palpate the abdomen after auscultating for bowel sounds.
C. Measure the client's oxygen saturation.
D. Ask if pain medication was taken - ANSWER ✔ - B. Palpate the abdomen after auscultating
for bowel sounds.
4. Which technique should the nurse use to assess a client for scoliosis?
A. Watch gait while the client ambulates down the hallway.
B. Observe spine while the client is erect and bent forward.
C. Palpate neck while the client rotates head from side to side.
D. Assess for presence of pain when the client twists the torso. - ANSWER ✔ - B. Observe spine
while the client is erect and bent forward.
PAGE 1 OF 12
, HESI HEALTH ASSESSMENT
5. The nurse is assessing a client's middle lung lobe. What is the best location for the nurse to place a
stethoscope diaphragm to hear normal lung sounds in this lobe?
A. 4th intercostal space, right midclavicular line.
B. 5th intercostal space, left midclavicular line.
C. Left mid-posterior lung field.
D. Right mid-posterior lung field. - ANSWER ✔ - A. 4th intercostal space, right midclavicular
line.
6. A client has been diagnosed with bilateral lower lobe atelectasis. What percussion sound should the
nurse expect to hear when percussing over the client's lower lobes?
A. Dull, thud-like.
B. Hyper resonant, booming.
C. Tympanic, drum like.
D. Flat, extremely dull. - ANSWER ✔ - A. Dull, thud-like.
7. The nurse is assessing bowel sounds for a hospitalized client. The nurse has heard bowel sounds in
the right upper quadrant. What action should the nurse take next?
A. Auscultate over the other 3 abdominal quadrants.
B. Count the number of bowel sounds per minute.
C. Note the character and frequency of bowel sounds.
D. Count to determine how many bowel sounds occur in one minute. - ANSWER ✔ - C. Note the
character and frequency of bowel sounds.
8. The nurse uses a tongue depressor to assess a client's mouth. Which structure should the nurse be
able to visualize?
A. Esophagus.
B. Pharynx.
C. Trachea.
D. Maxillary sinus. - ANSWER ✔ - B. Pharynx.
9. When teaching a client how to perform a monthly breast self-assessment, the nurse should tell the
client that it is most important to assess which part of the breast more closely for changes?
A. Upper outer quadrant.
B. Lower inner quadrant.
PAGE 2 OF 12