Edition by Booth & O’Brien (All Chapters) | Questions & Answers
|2026 update
Chapter 1: Electrocardiography – Role of the Electro
cardiographer
QUESTION 1
An ECG monitor technician's main responsibility is to:
A) View the ECG tracings and alert the healthcare professional of an abnormal heart
rhythm
B) Assist physicians with invasive cardiovascular diagnostic tests
C) Perform ultrasounds of the heart and blood vessels
D) Repair hospital telemetry monitors
Answer: A) View the ECG tracings and alert the healthcare professional of an
abnormal heart rhythm
Rationale: The responsibility of the ECG monitor technician is to view the ECG
tracings and, if an abnormal heart rhythm occurs, alert the healthcare professional
who can treat the abnormality.
QUESTION 2
,What is the normal rate of the sinoatrial (SA) node?
A) 20–40 bpm
B) 40–60 bpm
C) 60–100 bpm
D) 100–120 bpm
Answer: C) 60–100 bpm
Rationale: The SA node is the primary pacemaker of the heart and generates
impulses at a rate of 60–100 beats per minute in a healthy adult at rest.
QUESTION 3
The P wave represents:
A) Ventricular depolarization
B) Atrial depolarization
C) Ventricular repolarization
D) Atrial repolarization
Answer: B) Atrial depolarization
Rationale: The P wave represents atrial depolarization, which is the electrical
activation of the atria that leads to atrial contraction.
QUESTION 4
The QRS complex represents:
A) Ventricular depolarization
B) Atrial depolarization
C) Ventricular repolarization
D) SA node firing
Answer: A) Ventricular depolarization
, Rationale: The QRS complex represents ventricular depolarization, which is the
electrical activation of the ventricles that leads to ventricular contraction.
QUESTION 5
Which wave represents ventricular repolarization?
A) P wave
B) QRS complex
C) T wave
D) U wave
Answer: C) T wave
Rationale: The T wave represents ventricular repolarization, which is the electrical
recovery of the ventricles after contraction.
QUESTION 6
What is the number one cause of death in the United States?
A) Cancer
B) Diabetes
C) Cardiovascular disease
D) Accidents
Answer: C) Cardiovascular disease
Rationale: Cardiovascular disease has been the number one cause of death in the
United States since 1918 . This underscores the critical importance of ECG
technology in diagnosing and monitoring heart conditions.
QUESTION 7
, The abbreviation CAD stands for:
A) Cold appendage disorder
B) Coronary application disease
C) Cerebral artery disease
D) Coronary artery disease
Answer: D) Coronary artery disease
Rationale: CAD stands for coronary artery disease, which is the narrowing of the
blood vessels surrounding the heart. It causes a reduction of blood flow to the heart
muscle.
QUESTION 8
What does the electrocardiogram or ECG detect?
A) The electrical activity of the heart
B) The muscle contractions of the heart
C) High blood pressure readings
D) The volume of blood pumped per minute
Answer: A) The electrical activity of the heart
Rationale: The electrocardiograph produces a tracing of the electrical activity of the
heart. This tracing is known as the ECG . It does not directly measure mechanical
contractions, blood pressure, or cardiac output.
QUESTION 9
The first electrocardiograph was invented by:
A) Sir Thomas Lewis
B) Wilhelm Einthoven
C) Thomas Edison
D) Dr. James Herrick