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PATHOPHYSIOLOGY EXAM 1 PRACTICE PROBLEMS
| 2026 VERIFIED Q&A | NURSING SCHOOL NCLEX
PREP | CELLULAR ADAPTATION & INFLAMMATION
A patient is found to have liver disease, resulting in the removal of a lobe of his liver.
Adaptation to the reduced size of the liver leads to ___________ of the remaining liver cells.
A. Metaplasia
B. Organ atrophy
C. Compensatory hyperplasia
D. Physiologic hyperplasia
C
An older adult patient comes to the clinic complaining of not being able to do what he used
to be able to. You know that normal changes associated with aging include: (Select all that
apply.)
A. Improved blood flow
B. Slowed metabolic rate
C. Decreased brain weight
D. Improved nerve fiber conduction
E. Less respiratory capacity
B, C, E
A 20-year-old college student has presented to her campus medical clinic for a scheduled
Pap smear. The clinician who will interpret the smear will examine cell samples for
evidence of:
A. Changes in cell shape, size, and organization
B. Presence of unexpected cell types
C. Ischemic changes in cell sample
D. Abnormally high numbers of cells
A
The parents of a 4-year-old girl have sought care because their daughter has admitted to
chewing and swallowing imported toy figurines that have been determined to be made of
lead. Which of the following blood tests should the care team prioritize?
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A. White blood cell levels with differential
B. Red blood cell levels and morphology
C. Urea and creatinine levels
D. Liver function panel
B
Lead -> anemia, RBC lysis
You know it's not A because there is no infection involved. C is focused on kidney function while
D is focused on liver function. Both of these would be important in the case of lead poisoning
BUT the priority answer is B, because you need first to address the most life-threatening patient
needs. The little girl in this question can go into shock or suffer permanent organ damage if her
RBCs are low.
A patient with severe peripheral vascular disease has developed signs of dry gangrene on
the great toe of one foot. Which of the following pathophysiologic processes most likely
contributed to this diagnosis?
A. Inappropriate activation of apoptosis
B. Bacterial invasion
C. Impaired arterial blood supply
D. Metaplastic cellular changes
B
Remember that it's not C because to have gangrene, you must have infection
Although stress exposure initiates integrated responses by multiple systems, the most
important changes are first activated by which system?
A. Pulmonary
B. Gastrointestinal
C. Neuroendocrine
D. Cardiovascular
C
Which manifestation of stress reflects the non-specific fight or flight response?
A. Decreased pupillary light response
B. Increased GI motility
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C. Decreased short-term memory
D. Increased cardiopulmonary rates
D
This would fall under physiologic responses to stress!! Slide 25 in your lecture powerpoint
Stress-induced cortisol hormone secretion is associated with:
A. Increased growth hormone level
B. Regulation of the stress response
C. Increased thyroid-stimulating hormone
D. Depressed adrenal gland function
B
You know it's not A because I mentioned in an earlier slide that growth hormone levels decrease
with stress. We didn't mention thyroid-stimulating hormone as one of the ones associated with
the stress repsonse so you can pretty much assume that's not right. And we know adrenal
function is not depressed because ACTH from the anterior pituitary stimulates the adrenal glands
to release cortisol.
Which of the following factors are known to contribute to an individual's ability to adapt to
stress? (Select all that apply.)
A. Ethnicity
B. Age
C. Socioeconomic status
D. Gender
E. Health status
B, C, D, E
"Ability to adapt to stress" = mediating factors! Slide 28 of this powerpoint
Two people experience the same stressor yet only one is able to cope and adapt adequately.
An example of the person with an increased capacity to adapt is the one with:
A. A sense of purpose in life
B. Circadian rhythm disruption
C. Age-related renal dysfunction
D. Excessive weight gain or loss
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A
Back to mediating factors. Which of these things do you think would help a person deal with
stress? Disruption in sleep cycle (B) will definitely not help, age-related renal dysfunction (C) is
an indicator of poor health status which also would not help, and excessive weight changes (D)
are also likely to cause more stress than alleviate it.
The characteristic, localized cardinal signs of acute inflammation include: (Select all that
apply.)
A. Redness
B. Fatigue
C. Swelling
D. Warmth
E. Fever
A, C, D
The cellular stage of acute inflammation is marked by the movement of leukocytes into the
area. Which of the following cells arrives first and in great numbers?
A. Basophils
B. Lymphocytes
C. Neutrophils
D. Platelets
C
Which of the following mediators of inflammation causes increased capillary permeability
and pain?
A. Serotonin
B. Histamine
C. Bradykinin
D. Nitric oxide
C
An older adult patient has just sheared the skin on her elbow while attempting to boost
herself up in bed, an event that has precipitated acute inflammation in the region
surrounding the wound. Which of the following events will occur during the vascular stage
of the patient's inflammation?
A. Outpouring of exudate into interstitial spaces
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY EXAM 1 PRACTICE PROBLEMS
| 2026 VERIFIED Q&A | NURSING SCHOOL NCLEX
PREP | CELLULAR ADAPTATION & INFLAMMATION
A patient is found to have liver disease, resulting in the removal of a lobe of his liver.
Adaptation to the reduced size of the liver leads to ___________ of the remaining liver cells.
A. Metaplasia
B. Organ atrophy
C. Compensatory hyperplasia
D. Physiologic hyperplasia
C
An older adult patient comes to the clinic complaining of not being able to do what he used
to be able to. You know that normal changes associated with aging include: (Select all that
apply.)
A. Improved blood flow
B. Slowed metabolic rate
C. Decreased brain weight
D. Improved nerve fiber conduction
E. Less respiratory capacity
B, C, E
A 20-year-old college student has presented to her campus medical clinic for a scheduled
Pap smear. The clinician who will interpret the smear will examine cell samples for
evidence of:
A. Changes in cell shape, size, and organization
B. Presence of unexpected cell types
C. Ischemic changes in cell sample
D. Abnormally high numbers of cells
A
The parents of a 4-year-old girl have sought care because their daughter has admitted to
chewing and swallowing imported toy figurines that have been determined to be made of
lead. Which of the following blood tests should the care team prioritize?
,2|Page
A. White blood cell levels with differential
B. Red blood cell levels and morphology
C. Urea and creatinine levels
D. Liver function panel
B
Lead -> anemia, RBC lysis
You know it's not A because there is no infection involved. C is focused on kidney function while
D is focused on liver function. Both of these would be important in the case of lead poisoning
BUT the priority answer is B, because you need first to address the most life-threatening patient
needs. The little girl in this question can go into shock or suffer permanent organ damage if her
RBCs are low.
A patient with severe peripheral vascular disease has developed signs of dry gangrene on
the great toe of one foot. Which of the following pathophysiologic processes most likely
contributed to this diagnosis?
A. Inappropriate activation of apoptosis
B. Bacterial invasion
C. Impaired arterial blood supply
D. Metaplastic cellular changes
B
Remember that it's not C because to have gangrene, you must have infection
Although stress exposure initiates integrated responses by multiple systems, the most
important changes are first activated by which system?
A. Pulmonary
B. Gastrointestinal
C. Neuroendocrine
D. Cardiovascular
C
Which manifestation of stress reflects the non-specific fight or flight response?
A. Decreased pupillary light response
B. Increased GI motility
,3|Page
C. Decreased short-term memory
D. Increased cardiopulmonary rates
D
This would fall under physiologic responses to stress!! Slide 25 in your lecture powerpoint
Stress-induced cortisol hormone secretion is associated with:
A. Increased growth hormone level
B. Regulation of the stress response
C. Increased thyroid-stimulating hormone
D. Depressed adrenal gland function
B
You know it's not A because I mentioned in an earlier slide that growth hormone levels decrease
with stress. We didn't mention thyroid-stimulating hormone as one of the ones associated with
the stress repsonse so you can pretty much assume that's not right. And we know adrenal
function is not depressed because ACTH from the anterior pituitary stimulates the adrenal glands
to release cortisol.
Which of the following factors are known to contribute to an individual's ability to adapt to
stress? (Select all that apply.)
A. Ethnicity
B. Age
C. Socioeconomic status
D. Gender
E. Health status
B, C, D, E
"Ability to adapt to stress" = mediating factors! Slide 28 of this powerpoint
Two people experience the same stressor yet only one is able to cope and adapt adequately.
An example of the person with an increased capacity to adapt is the one with:
A. A sense of purpose in life
B. Circadian rhythm disruption
C. Age-related renal dysfunction
D. Excessive weight gain or loss
, 4|Page
A
Back to mediating factors. Which of these things do you think would help a person deal with
stress? Disruption in sleep cycle (B) will definitely not help, age-related renal dysfunction (C) is
an indicator of poor health status which also would not help, and excessive weight changes (D)
are also likely to cause more stress than alleviate it.
The characteristic, localized cardinal signs of acute inflammation include: (Select all that
apply.)
A. Redness
B. Fatigue
C. Swelling
D. Warmth
E. Fever
A, C, D
The cellular stage of acute inflammation is marked by the movement of leukocytes into the
area. Which of the following cells arrives first and in great numbers?
A. Basophils
B. Lymphocytes
C. Neutrophils
D. Platelets
C
Which of the following mediators of inflammation causes increased capillary permeability
and pain?
A. Serotonin
B. Histamine
C. Bradykinin
D. Nitric oxide
C
An older adult patient has just sheared the skin on her elbow while attempting to boost
herself up in bed, an event that has precipitated acute inflammation in the region
surrounding the wound. Which of the following events will occur during the vascular stage
of the patient's inflammation?
A. Outpouring of exudate into interstitial spaces
