NU650 | NU650 Health Assessment / Nursing Exam
4 Version 2 | Questions with Correct Answers and
Expert Explanation for Each Question | Regis
1. A patient presents with a suspected herniated lumbar disc. Which physical
examination maneuver is most appropriate to confirm this condition?
A. McMurray test
B. Straight leg raise test
C. Phalen’s test
D. Lachman test
Correct Answer: B
Expert Explanation: The straight leg raise test is specifically used to assess for
nerve root irritation or lumbar disc herniation. The clinician raises the patient’s
extended leg to see if it reproduces radicular pain. A positive result is typically pain
occurring between 30 and 70 degrees of elevation.
2. During a neurological exam, the nurse practitioner asks the patient to identify a
common object placed in their hand with their eyes closed. What is this assessing?
A. Graphesthesia
B. Stereognosis
C. Extinction
,D. Two-point discrimination
Correct Answer: B
Expert Explanation: Stereognosis is the ability to recognize the form and nature of
an object by touch alone. It requires intact sensory cortex and posterior column
function. Failure to identify the object correctly is termed astereognosis.
3. A 72-year-old female reports a sudden onset of ‘the worst headache of my life.’
Which diagnostic consideration is the highest priority?
A. Subarachnoid hemorrhage
B. Tension-type headache
C. Migraine headache
D. Temporal arteritis
Correct Answer: A
Expert Explanation: A sudden, severe ‘thunderclap’ headache is a hallmark sign of
a subarachnoid hemorrhage. This is a medical emergency that requires immediate
neuroimaging to rule out bleeding. Migraines and tension headaches usually have
different presentations and are rarely described in such extreme terms.
, 4. When assessing Cranial Nerve VII, which of the following actions should the patient
be asked to perform?
A. Stick out the tongue
B. Smile and puff out the cheeks
C. Shrug the shoulders
D. Follow a finger with the eyes
Correct Answer: B
Expert Explanation: Cranial Nerve VII, the facial nerve, controls the muscles of
facial expression. Asking the patient to smile, frown, or puff out their cheeks
assesses the motor function of this nerve. Asymmetry in these movements may
indicate a peripheral or central nerve lesion.
5. Which physical finding is most characteristic of Osteoarthritis (OA) in the hands?
A. Ulnar deviation of the fingers
B. Heberden’s nodes
C. Swan-neck deformities
D. Boutonniere deformities
Correct Answer: B
4 Version 2 | Questions with Correct Answers and
Expert Explanation for Each Question | Regis
1. A patient presents with a suspected herniated lumbar disc. Which physical
examination maneuver is most appropriate to confirm this condition?
A. McMurray test
B. Straight leg raise test
C. Phalen’s test
D. Lachman test
Correct Answer: B
Expert Explanation: The straight leg raise test is specifically used to assess for
nerve root irritation or lumbar disc herniation. The clinician raises the patient’s
extended leg to see if it reproduces radicular pain. A positive result is typically pain
occurring between 30 and 70 degrees of elevation.
2. During a neurological exam, the nurse practitioner asks the patient to identify a
common object placed in their hand with their eyes closed. What is this assessing?
A. Graphesthesia
B. Stereognosis
C. Extinction
,D. Two-point discrimination
Correct Answer: B
Expert Explanation: Stereognosis is the ability to recognize the form and nature of
an object by touch alone. It requires intact sensory cortex and posterior column
function. Failure to identify the object correctly is termed astereognosis.
3. A 72-year-old female reports a sudden onset of ‘the worst headache of my life.’
Which diagnostic consideration is the highest priority?
A. Subarachnoid hemorrhage
B. Tension-type headache
C. Migraine headache
D. Temporal arteritis
Correct Answer: A
Expert Explanation: A sudden, severe ‘thunderclap’ headache is a hallmark sign of
a subarachnoid hemorrhage. This is a medical emergency that requires immediate
neuroimaging to rule out bleeding. Migraines and tension headaches usually have
different presentations and are rarely described in such extreme terms.
, 4. When assessing Cranial Nerve VII, which of the following actions should the patient
be asked to perform?
A. Stick out the tongue
B. Smile and puff out the cheeks
C. Shrug the shoulders
D. Follow a finger with the eyes
Correct Answer: B
Expert Explanation: Cranial Nerve VII, the facial nerve, controls the muscles of
facial expression. Asking the patient to smile, frown, or puff out their cheeks
assesses the motor function of this nerve. Asymmetry in these movements may
indicate a peripheral or central nerve lesion.
5. Which physical finding is most characteristic of Osteoarthritis (OA) in the hands?
A. Ulnar deviation of the fingers
B. Heberden’s nodes
C. Swan-neck deformities
D. Boutonniere deformities
Correct Answer: B
