NURS 340 HEALTH ASSESSMENT EXAM 2
2025/2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS WELL
ELABORATED ACTUAL EXAM (SCORE A) CSU
FULLERTON
During symptom analysis, the nurse helps the patient distinguish between dizziness and vertigo.
Which description by the patient indicates dizziness?
a. "I felt faint, like I was going to pass out."
b. "It felt like I was on a merry-go-round."
c. "The room seemed to be spinning around."
d. "My body felt like it was revolving and could not stop."
a. "I felt faint, like I was going to pass out."
Which patient in the eye clinic should the nurse assess first?
a. The patient who reports a gradual clouding of vision
b. The patient who complains of sudden loss of vision
c. The patient who complains of double vision
d. The patient who complains of poor night vision
b. The patient who complains of sudden loss of vision
A patient complains of right ear pain. What findings does the nurse anticipate on inspecting the
patient's ears?
a. Redness and edema of the pinna of the right ear
b. Report of pain when the nurse manipulates the right ear
c. Bulging and red tympanic membrane in the right ear
d. Increased cerumen in the right ear canal
c. Bulging and red tympanic membrane in the right ear
During the history, a patient reports watery nasal drainage from allergies. Based on this information,
what does the nurse expect to find on inspection of the nares?
a. Enlarged and pale turbinates
b. Polyps within the nares
c. High vascularity of the turbinates
d. Dry and dull turbinates
a. Enlarged and pale turbinates
A patient complains of nasal drainage and sinus headache. The nurse suspects a nasal infection and
anticipates observing which finding during examination?
a. Foul-smelling drainage
,b. Purulent green-yellow drainage
c. Bloody drainage
d. Watery drainage
b. Purulent green-yellow drainage
A patient complains of itching, swelling, and drainage from the eyes with a postnasal drip and
sneezing. What type of nasal drainage does the nurse anticipate seeing during inspection of this
patient's nares?
a. Clear
b. Malodorous
c. Yellow
d. Green
a. Clear
A patient reports a history of snorting cocaine and is concerned about his bloody nasal drainage. What
does the nurse expect to see on inspection of his nose?
a. Deviated septum
b. Pale turbinates
c. Perforated nasal septum
d. Localized erythema and edema
c. Perforated nasal septum
While taking a history, the nurse observes that the patient's facial cranial nerves (CN VII) are intact
based on which behaviors of the patient?
a. The patient's eyes move to the left, right, up, down, and obliquely during conversation.
b. The patient moistens the lips with the tongue.
c. The sides of the mouth are symmetric when the patient smiles.
d. The patient's eyelids blink periodically.
c. The sides of the mouth are symmetric when the patient smiles.
To assess jaw movement of an adult patient, the nurse uses which technique?
a. Asking the patient to open the mouth and then passively moving the patient's open jaw from side
to side
b. Placing two fingers in front of each ear and asking the patient to slowly open and close the mouth
c. Asking the patient to open the mouth and to resist the nurse's attempt to close the mouth
d. Using the pads of all fingers to feel along the mandible for tenderness and nodules
b. Placing two fingers in front of each ear and asking the patient to slowly open and close the mouth
The nurse palpates the patient's jaw movement, placing two fingers in front of each ear and asking
the patient to slowly open and close the mouth. What additional request does the nurse ask the
patient to do to assess the jaw?
a. Clinch the jaws together as tightly as possible.
b. Move the lower jaw from side to side.
, c. Open the mouth as wide as possible, like a yawn.
d. Move the lower jaw forward and backward several times.
b. Move the lower jaw from side to side.
A patient is in a sitting position as the nurse palpates the temporal arteries and feels smooth, bilateral
pulsations. What is the appropriate action for the nurse at this time?
a. Auscultate the temporal arteries for bruits.
b. Palpate the arteries with the patient in supine position.
c. Document this as an expected finding.
d. Measure the patient's blood pressure.
c. Document this as an expected finding.
What instructions does the nurse give the patient before using the Snellen visual acuity chart?
a. "Remove your eyeglasses before attempting to read the lowest line."
b. "Stand 10 feet from the chart and read the first line aloud."
c. "Hold a white card over one eye and read the smallest possible line."
d. "Squint if necessary to improve the ability to read the largest letters."
c. "Hold a white card over one eye and read the smallest possible line."
Which cranial nerve is assessed by using the Snellen visual acuity chart?
a. Optic cranial nerve (CN II)
b. Oculomotor cranial nerve (CN III)
c. Abducens cranial nerve (CN IV)
d. Trochlear cranial nerve (CN VI)
a. Optic cranial nerve (CN II)
Which finding on assessment of a patient's eyes should the nurse document as abnormal?
a. An Asian American patient with an upward slant to the palpebral fissure
b. A Caucasian American patient whose sclerae are visible between the upper and lower lids and the
iris
c. An African American patient who has off-white sclerae with tiny black dots of pigmentation near
the limbus
d. An American Indian patient whose pupillary diameters are 5 mm bilaterally
b. A Caucasian American patient whose sclerae are visible between the upper and lower lids and the iris
A nurse shines a light toward the bridge of the patient's nose and notices that the light reflection in
the right cornea is at the 9 o'clock position and in the left cornea at the 9 o'clock position. What is the
interpretation of this finding?
a. The extraocular muscles of both eyes are intact.
b. The cornea of each eye is transparent.
c. The sclera of each eye is clear.
d. The consensual reaction of both eyes is intact.
a. The extraocular muscles of both eyes are intact.
2025/2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS WELL
ELABORATED ACTUAL EXAM (SCORE A) CSU
FULLERTON
During symptom analysis, the nurse helps the patient distinguish between dizziness and vertigo.
Which description by the patient indicates dizziness?
a. "I felt faint, like I was going to pass out."
b. "It felt like I was on a merry-go-round."
c. "The room seemed to be spinning around."
d. "My body felt like it was revolving and could not stop."
a. "I felt faint, like I was going to pass out."
Which patient in the eye clinic should the nurse assess first?
a. The patient who reports a gradual clouding of vision
b. The patient who complains of sudden loss of vision
c. The patient who complains of double vision
d. The patient who complains of poor night vision
b. The patient who complains of sudden loss of vision
A patient complains of right ear pain. What findings does the nurse anticipate on inspecting the
patient's ears?
a. Redness and edema of the pinna of the right ear
b. Report of pain when the nurse manipulates the right ear
c. Bulging and red tympanic membrane in the right ear
d. Increased cerumen in the right ear canal
c. Bulging and red tympanic membrane in the right ear
During the history, a patient reports watery nasal drainage from allergies. Based on this information,
what does the nurse expect to find on inspection of the nares?
a. Enlarged and pale turbinates
b. Polyps within the nares
c. High vascularity of the turbinates
d. Dry and dull turbinates
a. Enlarged and pale turbinates
A patient complains of nasal drainage and sinus headache. The nurse suspects a nasal infection and
anticipates observing which finding during examination?
a. Foul-smelling drainage
,b. Purulent green-yellow drainage
c. Bloody drainage
d. Watery drainage
b. Purulent green-yellow drainage
A patient complains of itching, swelling, and drainage from the eyes with a postnasal drip and
sneezing. What type of nasal drainage does the nurse anticipate seeing during inspection of this
patient's nares?
a. Clear
b. Malodorous
c. Yellow
d. Green
a. Clear
A patient reports a history of snorting cocaine and is concerned about his bloody nasal drainage. What
does the nurse expect to see on inspection of his nose?
a. Deviated septum
b. Pale turbinates
c. Perforated nasal septum
d. Localized erythema and edema
c. Perforated nasal septum
While taking a history, the nurse observes that the patient's facial cranial nerves (CN VII) are intact
based on which behaviors of the patient?
a. The patient's eyes move to the left, right, up, down, and obliquely during conversation.
b. The patient moistens the lips with the tongue.
c. The sides of the mouth are symmetric when the patient smiles.
d. The patient's eyelids blink periodically.
c. The sides of the mouth are symmetric when the patient smiles.
To assess jaw movement of an adult patient, the nurse uses which technique?
a. Asking the patient to open the mouth and then passively moving the patient's open jaw from side
to side
b. Placing two fingers in front of each ear and asking the patient to slowly open and close the mouth
c. Asking the patient to open the mouth and to resist the nurse's attempt to close the mouth
d. Using the pads of all fingers to feel along the mandible for tenderness and nodules
b. Placing two fingers in front of each ear and asking the patient to slowly open and close the mouth
The nurse palpates the patient's jaw movement, placing two fingers in front of each ear and asking
the patient to slowly open and close the mouth. What additional request does the nurse ask the
patient to do to assess the jaw?
a. Clinch the jaws together as tightly as possible.
b. Move the lower jaw from side to side.
, c. Open the mouth as wide as possible, like a yawn.
d. Move the lower jaw forward and backward several times.
b. Move the lower jaw from side to side.
A patient is in a sitting position as the nurse palpates the temporal arteries and feels smooth, bilateral
pulsations. What is the appropriate action for the nurse at this time?
a. Auscultate the temporal arteries for bruits.
b. Palpate the arteries with the patient in supine position.
c. Document this as an expected finding.
d. Measure the patient's blood pressure.
c. Document this as an expected finding.
What instructions does the nurse give the patient before using the Snellen visual acuity chart?
a. "Remove your eyeglasses before attempting to read the lowest line."
b. "Stand 10 feet from the chart and read the first line aloud."
c. "Hold a white card over one eye and read the smallest possible line."
d. "Squint if necessary to improve the ability to read the largest letters."
c. "Hold a white card over one eye and read the smallest possible line."
Which cranial nerve is assessed by using the Snellen visual acuity chart?
a. Optic cranial nerve (CN II)
b. Oculomotor cranial nerve (CN III)
c. Abducens cranial nerve (CN IV)
d. Trochlear cranial nerve (CN VI)
a. Optic cranial nerve (CN II)
Which finding on assessment of a patient's eyes should the nurse document as abnormal?
a. An Asian American patient with an upward slant to the palpebral fissure
b. A Caucasian American patient whose sclerae are visible between the upper and lower lids and the
iris
c. An African American patient who has off-white sclerae with tiny black dots of pigmentation near
the limbus
d. An American Indian patient whose pupillary diameters are 5 mm bilaterally
b. A Caucasian American patient whose sclerae are visible between the upper and lower lids and the iris
A nurse shines a light toward the bridge of the patient's nose and notices that the light reflection in
the right cornea is at the 9 o'clock position and in the left cornea at the 9 o'clock position. What is the
interpretation of this finding?
a. The extraocular muscles of both eyes are intact.
b. The cornea of each eye is transparent.
c. The sclera of each eye is clear.
d. The consensual reaction of both eyes is intact.
a. The extraocular muscles of both eyes are intact.
