Question 1
Which of the following is true of the occlusion effect observed during pure tone
audiometry?
A.It results in artificially poorer thresholds at all frequencies.
B.It can affect the measurement of air-conduction thresholds at low frequencies.
C.It can affect the measurement of air-conduction thresholds at high frequencies.
D.It can affect the measurement of bone-conduction thresholds at low frequencies.
E.It can affect the measurement of bone-conduction thresholds at high frequencies.
CORRECT ANSWER
Correct Answer: D
Option (D) is correct.The occlusion effect is the sensation of increased loudness of low-
frequency sounds transmitted through bone conduction when the outer ear is blocked.
In cases of conductive hearing loss, the greater the degree of hearing loss, the louder
these sounds are likely to be perceived, so measurement of the bone-conduction
threshold at low frequencies is affected
Question 2
The caloric test is designed to stimulate which of the following structures?
A.The utricle
B.The saccule
C.The superior semicircular canal
D.The posterior semicircular canal
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,E.The lateral semicircular canal
CORRECT ANSWER
Correct Answer: E
Option (E) is correct. The caloric test introduces a temperature differential that is
designed to cause the fluid in the semicircular canal closest to the stimulus to move. The
lateral semicircular canal is closest to the tympanic membrane, where the stimulus is
introduced.
Question 3
An audiologist fit a young woman with binaural digital behind-the-ear hearing aids three
weeks ago. The patient reports that the devices have provided suitable amplification in
most environments, but she complains that low-level ambient noise has been distracting.
In an effort to reduce the adverse noise effect, what adjustment might the audiologist make
to the hearing aids?
A.Increasing the threshold kneepoint
B.Decreasing the threshold kneepoint
C.Enabling wide dynamic range compression
D.Decreasing the gain in all frequency bands
E.Enabling expansion
CORRECT ANSWER
Correct Answer: E
Option (E) is correct. Expansion reduces the gain of low-level ambient sounds.
Question 4
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,Individuals with normal hearing sensitivity in one ear and a severe hearing loss in the
other ear experience which of the following?
A.An improvement in speech understanding when the noise is closer to the ear with hearing
loss
B.Improved ability to localize when the noise source is closer to the ear with normal hearing
C.Better speech understanding and localization as the reverberation time increases
D.More difficulty understanding speech when the speaker moves closer to the ear with
hearing loss
E.Improved localization when the noise is at 0° azimuth and the source is closer to the ear
with hearing loss
CORRECT ANSWER
Correct Answer: A
Option (A) is correct. It is well-known that for individuals with unilateral hearing loss,
speech intelligibility improves when the more favorably placed ear (i.e., the better ear) is
further from the noise source. When this occurs then the SNR improves in the better ear.
Question 5
A patient is seen for a vestibular evaluation with the primary complaint of persistent
imbalance for the past six months. She states that she had one severe attack of true rotary
vertigo six months ago, and since then fears another will occur. She has limited her
activities, as quick head movements increase her symptoms. She reportedly takes
meclizine daily.
Videonystagmography results indicate normal saccade, optokinetic, and smooth pursuit
testing. A second-degree left-beating nystagmus is observed during gaze testing without
fixation. Postactive head-shake nystagmus reveals a left-beating nystagmus. No positioning
or positional nystagmus is observed. Bilateral bithermal caloric results indicate a 50 percent
right weakness with no significant directional preponderance.
Based on the above information, the patient most likely has
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, A.Ménière's disease
B.a central vestibular pathology
C.a statically uncompensated per
CORRECT ANSWER
Correct Answer: E
Option (E) is correct. Videonystagmography results normally provide site-of-lesion
specific information (i.e., caloric irrigations) to determine probable side of weakness. In
this example, the patient had a 50 percent right peripheral vestibular weakness,
suggesting a peripheral pathology affecting the right side. The postactive head-shake left-
beating nystagmus suggests that the lesion is dynamically uncompensated.
Question 6
Which of the following is a possible outcome of an audiologist using a physician's NPI for
billing rather than using his or her own NPI?
A.The reimbursement for services rendered will be enhanced.
B.The incorrect validation of the physician as the predominant provider of audiology
services.
C.The expansion of the scope of practice for audiologists.
D.The audiologist will not be liable for malpractice
E.The audiologist will no longer be eligible to maintain his or her own NPI.
CORRECT ANSWER
Correct Answer: B
Option (B) is correct. It is detrimental to the profession of audiology to have audiology
services billed under the NPI of a physician. Doing so can skew the Medicare claims data
to incorrectly indicate that physicians are the predominant providers of audiology
services and, as a result, limit the role of the profession of audiology in national and
regional audiology coding and reimbursement processes.
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Which of the following is true of the occlusion effect observed during pure tone
audiometry?
A.It results in artificially poorer thresholds at all frequencies.
B.It can affect the measurement of air-conduction thresholds at low frequencies.
C.It can affect the measurement of air-conduction thresholds at high frequencies.
D.It can affect the measurement of bone-conduction thresholds at low frequencies.
E.It can affect the measurement of bone-conduction thresholds at high frequencies.
CORRECT ANSWER
Correct Answer: D
Option (D) is correct.The occlusion effect is the sensation of increased loudness of low-
frequency sounds transmitted through bone conduction when the outer ear is blocked.
In cases of conductive hearing loss, the greater the degree of hearing loss, the louder
these sounds are likely to be perceived, so measurement of the bone-conduction
threshold at low frequencies is affected
Question 2
The caloric test is designed to stimulate which of the following structures?
A.The utricle
B.The saccule
C.The superior semicircular canal
D.The posterior semicircular canal
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@THE STUDY VAULT
,E.The lateral semicircular canal
CORRECT ANSWER
Correct Answer: E
Option (E) is correct. The caloric test introduces a temperature differential that is
designed to cause the fluid in the semicircular canal closest to the stimulus to move. The
lateral semicircular canal is closest to the tympanic membrane, where the stimulus is
introduced.
Question 3
An audiologist fit a young woman with binaural digital behind-the-ear hearing aids three
weeks ago. The patient reports that the devices have provided suitable amplification in
most environments, but she complains that low-level ambient noise has been distracting.
In an effort to reduce the adverse noise effect, what adjustment might the audiologist make
to the hearing aids?
A.Increasing the threshold kneepoint
B.Decreasing the threshold kneepoint
C.Enabling wide dynamic range compression
D.Decreasing the gain in all frequency bands
E.Enabling expansion
CORRECT ANSWER
Correct Answer: E
Option (E) is correct. Expansion reduces the gain of low-level ambient sounds.
Question 4
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@THE STUDY VAULT
,Individuals with normal hearing sensitivity in one ear and a severe hearing loss in the
other ear experience which of the following?
A.An improvement in speech understanding when the noise is closer to the ear with hearing
loss
B.Improved ability to localize when the noise source is closer to the ear with normal hearing
C.Better speech understanding and localization as the reverberation time increases
D.More difficulty understanding speech when the speaker moves closer to the ear with
hearing loss
E.Improved localization when the noise is at 0° azimuth and the source is closer to the ear
with hearing loss
CORRECT ANSWER
Correct Answer: A
Option (A) is correct. It is well-known that for individuals with unilateral hearing loss,
speech intelligibility improves when the more favorably placed ear (i.e., the better ear) is
further from the noise source. When this occurs then the SNR improves in the better ear.
Question 5
A patient is seen for a vestibular evaluation with the primary complaint of persistent
imbalance for the past six months. She states that she had one severe attack of true rotary
vertigo six months ago, and since then fears another will occur. She has limited her
activities, as quick head movements increase her symptoms. She reportedly takes
meclizine daily.
Videonystagmography results indicate normal saccade, optokinetic, and smooth pursuit
testing. A second-degree left-beating nystagmus is observed during gaze testing without
fixation. Postactive head-shake nystagmus reveals a left-beating nystagmus. No positioning
or positional nystagmus is observed. Bilateral bithermal caloric results indicate a 50 percent
right weakness with no significant directional preponderance.
Based on the above information, the patient most likely has
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@THE STUDY VAULT
, A.Ménière's disease
B.a central vestibular pathology
C.a statically uncompensated per
CORRECT ANSWER
Correct Answer: E
Option (E) is correct. Videonystagmography results normally provide site-of-lesion
specific information (i.e., caloric irrigations) to determine probable side of weakness. In
this example, the patient had a 50 percent right peripheral vestibular weakness,
suggesting a peripheral pathology affecting the right side. The postactive head-shake left-
beating nystagmus suggests that the lesion is dynamically uncompensated.
Question 6
Which of the following is a possible outcome of an audiologist using a physician's NPI for
billing rather than using his or her own NPI?
A.The reimbursement for services rendered will be enhanced.
B.The incorrect validation of the physician as the predominant provider of audiology
services.
C.The expansion of the scope of practice for audiologists.
D.The audiologist will not be liable for malpractice
E.The audiologist will no longer be eligible to maintain his or her own NPI.
CORRECT ANSWER
Correct Answer: B
Option (B) is correct. It is detrimental to the profession of audiology to have audiology
services billed under the NPI of a physician. Doing so can skew the Medicare claims data
to incorrectly indicate that physicians are the predominant providers of audiology
services and, as a result, limit the role of the profession of audiology in national and
regional audiology coding and reimbursement processes.
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@THE STUDY VAULT
