Test Bank For Radiation Protection in Medical
Radiography | Questions and Answers | 2026
Update | Exam Review Pack
• Which of the following is a form of radiation that is capable of creating electrically
charged particles by removing orbital electrons from the atom of normal matter through
which it passes?
a. Ionizing radiation
b. Nonionizing radiation
c. Subatomic radiation
d. Ultrasonic radiation -✓✓a. Ionizing Radiation
• Regarding exposure to ionizing radiation, patients who are educated to understand the
medical benefit of an imaging procedure are more likely to...
a. assume a small chance of biologic damage but not suppress any radiation phobia
they may have.
b. cancel their scheduled procedure because they are not willing to assume a small
chance of biologic damage.
c. suppress any radiation phobia but not risk a small chance of possible biologic
damage.
d. suppress any radiation phobia and be willing to assume a small chance of possible
biologic damage. -✓✓D. Suppress any radiation phobia and be willing to assume a
small chance of possible biologic damage.
• The millisievert (mSv) is equal to
a. 1/10 of a sievert.
b. 1/100 of a sievert.
c. 1/1000 of a sievert.
d. 1/10,000 of a sievert. -✓✓C. 1/1000 of a sievert
• The advantages of the BERT method are
1. it does not imply radiation risk; it is simply a means for comparison.
2. it emphasizes that radiation is an innate part of our environment.
3. it provides an answer that is easy for the patient to comprehend.
a. 1 and 2 only
b. 1 and 3 only
c. 2 and 3 only
d. 1, 2, and 3 -✓✓D. 1, 2, & 3
• If a patient asks a radiographer a question about how much radiation he or she will
receive from a specific x-ray procedure, the radiographer can
a. respond by using an estimation based on the comparison of radiation received
from the x-ray to natural background radiation received.
,b. avoid the patient's question by changing the subject.
c. tell the patient that it is unethical to discuss such concerns.
d. refuse to answer the question and recommend that he or she speak with the referring
physician. -✓✓A. Respond by using an estimation based on the comparison of radiation
received.
• Why should the selection of technical exposure factors for all medical imaging
procedures always follow ALARA?
a. So that referring physicians ordering imaging procedures do not have to accept
responsibility for patient radiation safety.
b. So that radiographers and radiologists do not have to accept responsibility for patient
radiation safety.
c. Because radiation-induced cancer does not appear to have a dose level below
which individuals would have no chance of developing this disease.
d. Because radiation-induced cancer does have a dose level at which individuals would
have a chance of developing this disease. -✓✓C. Because radiation-induced cancer
does not appear to have a dose level below which individuals would have no chance of
developing this disease.
• What are the cardinal principles of radiation protection? -✓✓Time
Distance
Shielding
• In a hospital setting, which of the following professionals is expressly charged by the
hospital administration with being directly responsible for the execution, enforcement,
and maintenance of the ALARA program?
a. Assistant administrator of the facility
b. Chief of staff
c. Radiation Safety Officer
d. Student radiologic technologist -✓✓C. Radiation Safety Officer
• Why is a question concerning the amount of radiation a patient will receive during a
specific x-ray procedure difficult to answer?
1. Because the received dose is specified in a number of different units of measure
2. Because the scientific units for radiation dose are normally not comprehensible by a
patient
3. Because the patient should not receive any information about radiation dose
a. 1 and 2 only
b. 1 and 3 only
c. 2 and 3 only
d. 1, 2, and 3 -✓✓A. 1 & 2 only
• X-rays are a form of which of the following kinds of radiation?
a. Environmental
b. Ionizing
c. Internal
,d. Nonionizing -✓✓B. Ionizing
• What unit is used to measure radiation exposure in the metric International System of
Units?
a. Coulomb per kilogram
b. Milligray
c. Millisievert
d. Sievert -✓✓A. Coulomb per Kilogram
• What organization was founded in 2007 that continues their pursuit to raise awareness
of the need for dose reduction protocols by promoting pediatric-specified scan protocols
to be used for both radiology and nonradiology users of CT?
a. U.S. Food and Drug Administration
b. Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging.
c. American Registry of Radiologic Technologists
d. The Joint Commission -✓✓B. Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging
• Which of the following provides the basis for determining whether an imaging
procedure or practice is justified?
a. ALARA concept
b. BERT method
c. Diagnostic efficacy
d. NEXT program -✓✓C. Diagnostic Efficacy
• Which of the following is a method of explaining radiation to the public?
a. ALARA
b. BERT
c. ORP
d. NEXT -✓✓B. BERT
• Radiology departments or individual radiologic technologists can "pledge" to image
gently. The pledge includes which of the following?
1. Make the image gently message a priority in staff communications each year.
2. Review the protocol recommendations and, when necessary, implement adjustments
to practice processes.
3. Communicate openly with parents.
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. 3 only
d. 1, 2, and 3 -✓✓D. 1, 2, & 3
• In a team approach to patient care, various participants
1. assume responsibility for their areas of expertise.
2. emphasize the importance of communication throughout the team
3. rotate as the person in charge of the team
a. 1 and 2 only
, b. 1 and 3 only
c. 2 and 3 only
d. 1, 2, and 3 -✓✓A. 1 & 2 only
• Which of the following radiation quantities is intended to be the best overall measure of
the biologic effects of ionizing radiation?
a. Exposure
b. Effective dose
c. Absorbed dose
d. There is no radiation quantity that is intended to be the best overall measure of the
biologic effects of ionizing radiation. -✓✓B. Effective Dose
• Typically, people are more willing to accept a risk if they perceive that the potential
benefit to be obtained is
a. greater than the risk involved.
b. equal to the risk involved.
c. less than the risk involved.
d. typically, people are not willing to accept risk no matter how great the benefit may be.
-✓✓A. Greater than the risk involved
• Which of the following statements below is true?
a. It appears that no safe dose level exists for radiation-induced malignant disease.
b. The ALARA principle establishes a dose level for radiation-induced malignancy.
c. The BERT method establishes a dose level for radiation-induced malignancy.
d. The NEXT program and reference values establish a dose level for radiation-induced
malignancy. -✓✓A. It appears that no safe dose level exists for radiation-induced
malignant disease.
• The ALARA principle provides a method for comparing the amount of radiation used in
various health care facilities in a particular area for specific imaging procedures. This
information may be helpful to many
a. accrediting bodies.
b. advisory groups.
c. radiation standards organizations.
d. regulatory agencies. -✓✓D. Regulatory Agencies
• The term as low as reasonable achievable (ALARA) is synonymous with the term
a. background equivalent radiation time (BERT).
b. equivalent dose (EqD).
c. diagnostic efficacy.
d. optimization for radiation protection (ORP). -✓✓D. optimization for radiation
protection (ORP).
• Diagnostic efficacy includes
1. determining if an imaging procedure is justified.
2. obtaining images with minimal radiation exposure.
Radiography | Questions and Answers | 2026
Update | Exam Review Pack
• Which of the following is a form of radiation that is capable of creating electrically
charged particles by removing orbital electrons from the atom of normal matter through
which it passes?
a. Ionizing radiation
b. Nonionizing radiation
c. Subatomic radiation
d. Ultrasonic radiation -✓✓a. Ionizing Radiation
• Regarding exposure to ionizing radiation, patients who are educated to understand the
medical benefit of an imaging procedure are more likely to...
a. assume a small chance of biologic damage but not suppress any radiation phobia
they may have.
b. cancel their scheduled procedure because they are not willing to assume a small
chance of biologic damage.
c. suppress any radiation phobia but not risk a small chance of possible biologic
damage.
d. suppress any radiation phobia and be willing to assume a small chance of possible
biologic damage. -✓✓D. Suppress any radiation phobia and be willing to assume a
small chance of possible biologic damage.
• The millisievert (mSv) is equal to
a. 1/10 of a sievert.
b. 1/100 of a sievert.
c. 1/1000 of a sievert.
d. 1/10,000 of a sievert. -✓✓C. 1/1000 of a sievert
• The advantages of the BERT method are
1. it does not imply radiation risk; it is simply a means for comparison.
2. it emphasizes that radiation is an innate part of our environment.
3. it provides an answer that is easy for the patient to comprehend.
a. 1 and 2 only
b. 1 and 3 only
c. 2 and 3 only
d. 1, 2, and 3 -✓✓D. 1, 2, & 3
• If a patient asks a radiographer a question about how much radiation he or she will
receive from a specific x-ray procedure, the radiographer can
a. respond by using an estimation based on the comparison of radiation received
from the x-ray to natural background radiation received.
,b. avoid the patient's question by changing the subject.
c. tell the patient that it is unethical to discuss such concerns.
d. refuse to answer the question and recommend that he or she speak with the referring
physician. -✓✓A. Respond by using an estimation based on the comparison of radiation
received.
• Why should the selection of technical exposure factors for all medical imaging
procedures always follow ALARA?
a. So that referring physicians ordering imaging procedures do not have to accept
responsibility for patient radiation safety.
b. So that radiographers and radiologists do not have to accept responsibility for patient
radiation safety.
c. Because radiation-induced cancer does not appear to have a dose level below
which individuals would have no chance of developing this disease.
d. Because radiation-induced cancer does have a dose level at which individuals would
have a chance of developing this disease. -✓✓C. Because radiation-induced cancer
does not appear to have a dose level below which individuals would have no chance of
developing this disease.
• What are the cardinal principles of radiation protection? -✓✓Time
Distance
Shielding
• In a hospital setting, which of the following professionals is expressly charged by the
hospital administration with being directly responsible for the execution, enforcement,
and maintenance of the ALARA program?
a. Assistant administrator of the facility
b. Chief of staff
c. Radiation Safety Officer
d. Student radiologic technologist -✓✓C. Radiation Safety Officer
• Why is a question concerning the amount of radiation a patient will receive during a
specific x-ray procedure difficult to answer?
1. Because the received dose is specified in a number of different units of measure
2. Because the scientific units for radiation dose are normally not comprehensible by a
patient
3. Because the patient should not receive any information about radiation dose
a. 1 and 2 only
b. 1 and 3 only
c. 2 and 3 only
d. 1, 2, and 3 -✓✓A. 1 & 2 only
• X-rays are a form of which of the following kinds of radiation?
a. Environmental
b. Ionizing
c. Internal
,d. Nonionizing -✓✓B. Ionizing
• What unit is used to measure radiation exposure in the metric International System of
Units?
a. Coulomb per kilogram
b. Milligray
c. Millisievert
d. Sievert -✓✓A. Coulomb per Kilogram
• What organization was founded in 2007 that continues their pursuit to raise awareness
of the need for dose reduction protocols by promoting pediatric-specified scan protocols
to be used for both radiology and nonradiology users of CT?
a. U.S. Food and Drug Administration
b. Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging.
c. American Registry of Radiologic Technologists
d. The Joint Commission -✓✓B. Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging
• Which of the following provides the basis for determining whether an imaging
procedure or practice is justified?
a. ALARA concept
b. BERT method
c. Diagnostic efficacy
d. NEXT program -✓✓C. Diagnostic Efficacy
• Which of the following is a method of explaining radiation to the public?
a. ALARA
b. BERT
c. ORP
d. NEXT -✓✓B. BERT
• Radiology departments or individual radiologic technologists can "pledge" to image
gently. The pledge includes which of the following?
1. Make the image gently message a priority in staff communications each year.
2. Review the protocol recommendations and, when necessary, implement adjustments
to practice processes.
3. Communicate openly with parents.
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. 3 only
d. 1, 2, and 3 -✓✓D. 1, 2, & 3
• In a team approach to patient care, various participants
1. assume responsibility for their areas of expertise.
2. emphasize the importance of communication throughout the team
3. rotate as the person in charge of the team
a. 1 and 2 only
, b. 1 and 3 only
c. 2 and 3 only
d. 1, 2, and 3 -✓✓A. 1 & 2 only
• Which of the following radiation quantities is intended to be the best overall measure of
the biologic effects of ionizing radiation?
a. Exposure
b. Effective dose
c. Absorbed dose
d. There is no radiation quantity that is intended to be the best overall measure of the
biologic effects of ionizing radiation. -✓✓B. Effective Dose
• Typically, people are more willing to accept a risk if they perceive that the potential
benefit to be obtained is
a. greater than the risk involved.
b. equal to the risk involved.
c. less than the risk involved.
d. typically, people are not willing to accept risk no matter how great the benefit may be.
-✓✓A. Greater than the risk involved
• Which of the following statements below is true?
a. It appears that no safe dose level exists for radiation-induced malignant disease.
b. The ALARA principle establishes a dose level for radiation-induced malignancy.
c. The BERT method establishes a dose level for radiation-induced malignancy.
d. The NEXT program and reference values establish a dose level for radiation-induced
malignancy. -✓✓A. It appears that no safe dose level exists for radiation-induced
malignant disease.
• The ALARA principle provides a method for comparing the amount of radiation used in
various health care facilities in a particular area for specific imaging procedures. This
information may be helpful to many
a. accrediting bodies.
b. advisory groups.
c. radiation standards organizations.
d. regulatory agencies. -✓✓D. Regulatory Agencies
• The term as low as reasonable achievable (ALARA) is synonymous with the term
a. background equivalent radiation time (BERT).
b. equivalent dose (EqD).
c. diagnostic efficacy.
d. optimization for radiation protection (ORP). -✓✓D. optimization for radiation
protection (ORP).
• Diagnostic efficacy includes
1. determining if an imaging procedure is justified.
2. obtaining images with minimal radiation exposure.
