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NR 603 WEEK 4 APEA PREDICTOR EXAM WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS AND RATIONALES
1. During pregnancy, dyspnea accompanied by increased respiratory rate,
cough, rales, or respiratory distress raises concerns of:
peripartum cardiomyopathy
Rationales:
Dyspnea accompanied by increased respiratory rate, cough, rales, or respiratory
distress raises concerns of possible infection, asthma, pulmonary embolus, or
peripartum cardiomyopathy.
2. The middle section of the thoracic cavity containing the esophagus, trachea,
heart, and great vessels is the:
mediastinum
Rationales:
The middle section of the thoracic cavity containing the esophagus, trachea, heart,
and great vessels is the mediastinum. The right and left pleural cavities, are on
either side of the mediastinum and those contain the lungs. The visceral pleura
encloses the lung. The pericardium surrounds the heart.
3. A patient is unable to identify the smell of an orange. This inability could
reflect an abnormality in cranial nerves:
CN I
, 2
2|Page
Rationales:
Cranial Nerve I is the olfactory nerve responsible for the sense of smell. To test the
sense of smell, the examiner presents the patient with familiar and nonirritating
odors. A person should normally perceive odor on each side and correctly identify
the source. Cranial Nerves II and III assess vision and pupillary reaction. Cranial
Nerve VIII tests the hearing and balance.
4. A transient ischemic attack is:
a transient episode of neurologic dysfunction by focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal
ischemia, without acute infarction
Rationales:
TIA is now defined as “a transient episode of neurological dysfunction caused by
focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal ischemia, without acute infarction.” Ischemic
stroke is “an infarction of central nervous system tissue” that may be symptomatic
or silent. The other terms are not related to the new definitions.
5. The term asteatosis refers to:
skin that is dry, flaky, rough, and often itchy
Rationales:
Physiologic changes of aging include loss of elastic turgor, and wrinkling. Skin
that appears dry, flaky, rough, and itchy is termed asteatosis. Sun exposure can
cause damage to the skin resembling an appearance as weather beaten, thickened,
yellowed, and deeply furrowed.
Seborrheic keratosis appear as raised, yellowish lesions that feel greasy, velvety, or
warty.
Painful vesicular lesions in a dermatomal distribution may suggest herpes zoster.
NR 603 WEEK 4 APEA PREDICTOR EXAM WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS AND RATIONALES
1. During pregnancy, dyspnea accompanied by increased respiratory rate,
cough, rales, or respiratory distress raises concerns of:
peripartum cardiomyopathy
Rationales:
Dyspnea accompanied by increased respiratory rate, cough, rales, or respiratory
distress raises concerns of possible infection, asthma, pulmonary embolus, or
peripartum cardiomyopathy.
2. The middle section of the thoracic cavity containing the esophagus, trachea,
heart, and great vessels is the:
mediastinum
Rationales:
The middle section of the thoracic cavity containing the esophagus, trachea, heart,
and great vessels is the mediastinum. The right and left pleural cavities, are on
either side of the mediastinum and those contain the lungs. The visceral pleura
encloses the lung. The pericardium surrounds the heart.
3. A patient is unable to identify the smell of an orange. This inability could
reflect an abnormality in cranial nerves:
CN I
, 2
2|Page
Rationales:
Cranial Nerve I is the olfactory nerve responsible for the sense of smell. To test the
sense of smell, the examiner presents the patient with familiar and nonirritating
odors. A person should normally perceive odor on each side and correctly identify
the source. Cranial Nerves II and III assess vision and pupillary reaction. Cranial
Nerve VIII tests the hearing and balance.
4. A transient ischemic attack is:
a transient episode of neurologic dysfunction by focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal
ischemia, without acute infarction
Rationales:
TIA is now defined as “a transient episode of neurological dysfunction caused by
focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal ischemia, without acute infarction.” Ischemic
stroke is “an infarction of central nervous system tissue” that may be symptomatic
or silent. The other terms are not related to the new definitions.
5. The term asteatosis refers to:
skin that is dry, flaky, rough, and often itchy
Rationales:
Physiologic changes of aging include loss of elastic turgor, and wrinkling. Skin
that appears dry, flaky, rough, and itchy is termed asteatosis. Sun exposure can
cause damage to the skin resembling an appearance as weather beaten, thickened,
yellowed, and deeply furrowed.
Seborrheic keratosis appear as raised, yellowish lesions that feel greasy, velvety, or
warty.
Painful vesicular lesions in a dermatomal distribution may suggest herpes zoster.
