PATHOPHYSIOLOGY SAMPLE EXAM WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS 2025
A report comes back indicating that muscular atrophy has occurred. A nurse
recalls that muscular atrophy involves a decrease in muscle cell:
a. number
b. size
c. vacuoles
d. lipofuscin - CORRECT-ANSWERS- B. Size
During childhood, the thymus decreases in size, and this is referred to as
what type of atrophy?
a. Physiologic
b. Pathologic
c. Disuse
d. Neurogenic - CORRECT-ANSWERS- A. Physiologic
When planning care for a cardiac patient, the nurse knows that in response
to an increased workload, cardiac myocardial cells will experience
hypertrophy which is an:
a. increase in size
b. decrease in length
c. increase in excitability
d. decrease in number - CORRECT-ANSWERS- A. Increase in size
A 55-year-old male with a 30-year history of smoking is examined for
respiratory disturbance. Examination of his airway (bronchial) reveals that
stratified squamous epithelial cells have replaced the normal columnar
ciliated cells. This type of cellular adaption is called:
a. anaplasia
1
,b. hyperplasia
c. metaplasia
d. dysplasia - CORRECT-ANSWERS- C. Metaplasia
When planning care for the pregnant patient, the nurse will recall that the
mammary glands enlarge as a consequence of:
a. compensatory hyperplasia
b. hormonal hyperplasia
c. hormonal anaplasia
d. compensatory anaplasia - CORRECT-ANSWERS- B. Hormonal
hyperplasia
A 24-year-old female presents with excessive menstrual bleeding. The
physician identified endometrial changes that are due to hormonal
imbalances. These cellular changes would be referred to as:
a. dysplasia
b. pathologic dysplasia
c. hyperplasia
d. pathologic hyperplas - CORRECT-ANSWERS- D. Pathologic hyperplasia
A 55-year-old male is diagnosed with hepatocellular cancer secondary to
hepatitis C. If the cancerous region of his liver is removed, the remaining
cells would undergo:
a. pathologic hyperplasia
b. pathologic metaplasia
c. compensatory hyperplasia
d. compensatory aplasia - CORRECT-ANSWERS- C. Compensatory
hyperplasia
2
,A 40-year-old female's Pap smear indicates abnormal changes in the shape
and organization of cervical cells. Which term would be used to identify this
type of change?
a. Metaplasia
b. Atrophy
c. Hypertrophy
d. Dysplasia - CORRECT-ANSWERS- D. Dyspalsia
A 75-year-old male presents with chest pain on exertion. The chest pain is
most likely due to hypoxic injury secondary to:
a. malnutrition
b. free radicals
c. ischemia
d. chemical toxicity - CORRECT-ANSWERS- C. Ischemia
A patient has a heart attack that leads to progressive cell injury that causes
cell death with severe cell swelling and breakdown of organelles. What term
would the nurse use to define this process?
a. Adaptation
b. Calcification
c. Apoptosis
D. Necrosis - CORRECT-ANSWERS- D. Necrosis
Sodium and water accumulation in an injured cell are a direct result of:
a. decreased ATP production
b. karyorrhexis
c. ribosome detachment
d. dehydration - CORRECT-ANSWERS- A. Decreased ATP production
3
, The early dilation (swelling) of the cell's endoplasmic reticulum results in:
a. increased aerobic metabolism
b. failure of DNA
c. reduced protein synthesis
d. increase Na+ - K+ pump function - CORRECT-ANSWERS- C. Reduced
protein synthesis
A 52-year-old male suffered a myocardial infarction secondary to
atherosclerosis and ischemia. Once blood flow is returned to the damaged
heart, reperfusion injury occurs as a result of:
a. oxidative stress
b. vacuolation
c. decreased intracellular calcium
d. lipid acceptor proteins - CORRECT-ANSWERS- A. Oxidative stress
A family presents to their primary care provider reporting headache, nausea,
weakness, tinnitus, and vomiting. Which of the following would be the most
likely expression for these symptoms?
a. Lead exposure
b. Carbon monoxide poisoning
c. Ethanol exposure
d. Mercury poisoning - CORRECT-ANSWERS- B. Carbon monoxide
poisoning
A common pathway of irreversible cell injury involved increased intracellular:
a. sodium
b. potassium
c. magnesium
4
CORRECT ANSWERS 2025
A report comes back indicating that muscular atrophy has occurred. A nurse
recalls that muscular atrophy involves a decrease in muscle cell:
a. number
b. size
c. vacuoles
d. lipofuscin - CORRECT-ANSWERS- B. Size
During childhood, the thymus decreases in size, and this is referred to as
what type of atrophy?
a. Physiologic
b. Pathologic
c. Disuse
d. Neurogenic - CORRECT-ANSWERS- A. Physiologic
When planning care for a cardiac patient, the nurse knows that in response
to an increased workload, cardiac myocardial cells will experience
hypertrophy which is an:
a. increase in size
b. decrease in length
c. increase in excitability
d. decrease in number - CORRECT-ANSWERS- A. Increase in size
A 55-year-old male with a 30-year history of smoking is examined for
respiratory disturbance. Examination of his airway (bronchial) reveals that
stratified squamous epithelial cells have replaced the normal columnar
ciliated cells. This type of cellular adaption is called:
a. anaplasia
1
,b. hyperplasia
c. metaplasia
d. dysplasia - CORRECT-ANSWERS- C. Metaplasia
When planning care for the pregnant patient, the nurse will recall that the
mammary glands enlarge as a consequence of:
a. compensatory hyperplasia
b. hormonal hyperplasia
c. hormonal anaplasia
d. compensatory anaplasia - CORRECT-ANSWERS- B. Hormonal
hyperplasia
A 24-year-old female presents with excessive menstrual bleeding. The
physician identified endometrial changes that are due to hormonal
imbalances. These cellular changes would be referred to as:
a. dysplasia
b. pathologic dysplasia
c. hyperplasia
d. pathologic hyperplas - CORRECT-ANSWERS- D. Pathologic hyperplasia
A 55-year-old male is diagnosed with hepatocellular cancer secondary to
hepatitis C. If the cancerous region of his liver is removed, the remaining
cells would undergo:
a. pathologic hyperplasia
b. pathologic metaplasia
c. compensatory hyperplasia
d. compensatory aplasia - CORRECT-ANSWERS- C. Compensatory
hyperplasia
2
,A 40-year-old female's Pap smear indicates abnormal changes in the shape
and organization of cervical cells. Which term would be used to identify this
type of change?
a. Metaplasia
b. Atrophy
c. Hypertrophy
d. Dysplasia - CORRECT-ANSWERS- D. Dyspalsia
A 75-year-old male presents with chest pain on exertion. The chest pain is
most likely due to hypoxic injury secondary to:
a. malnutrition
b. free radicals
c. ischemia
d. chemical toxicity - CORRECT-ANSWERS- C. Ischemia
A patient has a heart attack that leads to progressive cell injury that causes
cell death with severe cell swelling and breakdown of organelles. What term
would the nurse use to define this process?
a. Adaptation
b. Calcification
c. Apoptosis
D. Necrosis - CORRECT-ANSWERS- D. Necrosis
Sodium and water accumulation in an injured cell are a direct result of:
a. decreased ATP production
b. karyorrhexis
c. ribosome detachment
d. dehydration - CORRECT-ANSWERS- A. Decreased ATP production
3
, The early dilation (swelling) of the cell's endoplasmic reticulum results in:
a. increased aerobic metabolism
b. failure of DNA
c. reduced protein synthesis
d. increase Na+ - K+ pump function - CORRECT-ANSWERS- C. Reduced
protein synthesis
A 52-year-old male suffered a myocardial infarction secondary to
atherosclerosis and ischemia. Once blood flow is returned to the damaged
heart, reperfusion injury occurs as a result of:
a. oxidative stress
b. vacuolation
c. decreased intracellular calcium
d. lipid acceptor proteins - CORRECT-ANSWERS- A. Oxidative stress
A family presents to their primary care provider reporting headache, nausea,
weakness, tinnitus, and vomiting. Which of the following would be the most
likely expression for these symptoms?
a. Lead exposure
b. Carbon monoxide poisoning
c. Ethanol exposure
d. Mercury poisoning - CORRECT-ANSWERS- B. Carbon monoxide
poisoning
A common pathway of irreversible cell injury involved increased intracellular:
a. sodium
b. potassium
c. magnesium
4
