CRITICAL INQUIRY AND EIP 200
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS PLUS
RATIONALES (M1-4)
Sample Exam Questions (Modules 1–4)
1. What is the primary goal of critical inquiry in nursing
practice?
1. A) To memorize clinical protocols for rapid execution.
2. B) To make informed decisions through reflection,
questioning assumptions, and evidence evaluation.
3. C) To follow traditional authority without question.
4. D) To increase the speed of patient discharge.
5. Rationale: Critical inquiry involves a persistent, careful
consideration of knowledge and the grounds that support it to inform
future actions.
2. Which "way of knowing" is most closely associated with
quantitative nursing research?
1. A) Aesthetic knowing
2. B) Ethical knowing
3. C) Empiric knowing
4. D) Personal knowing
5. Rationale: Empiric knowing focuses on objective, quantifiable
data and universal truths independent of context, which aligns with
quantitative methodologies.
3. In the PICOT framework used to develop clinical
questions, what does the "I" represent?
1. A) Information literacy
2. B) Intervention or Issue of Interest
,3. C) Institutional policy
4. D) Inquiry antecedents
5. Rationale: The PICOT format stands for
Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Time.
4. What is an "antecedent" of critical inquiry according to
standard nursing frameworks?
1. A) Professional growth
2. B) Improved patient outcomes
3. C) Intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness
4. D) Systematic thinking tools
5. Rationale: Antecedents are the preconditions required for
inquiry to occur, such as skepticism, analytical skills, and intellectual
humility.
5. A nurse researcher believes reality is subjective and
constructed by individual experiences. This reflects
which ontological assumption?
1. A) Positivist paradigm
2. B) Constructivist (Relativist) paradigm
3. C) Realist ontology
4. D) Empirical ontology
5. Rationale: A constructivist or relativist view holds that reality
is not a single objective entity but is multiple and subjective.
6. What is the first step in the critical inquiry process?
1. A) Analyzing diverse data sources.
2. B) Questioning a belief, assumption, or clinical situation.
3. C) Evaluating the credibility of information.
4. D) Synthesizing diverse perspectives.
5. Rationale: The process begins with a trigger, such as
questioning why something happened or if a current practice is fair.
, 7. A nurse appraises a research article to stay informed of
findings that may impact their clinical practice. What
role are they fulfilling?
1. A) Producer of nursing research
2. B) Consumer of nursing research
3. C) Research designer
4. D) Policy maker
5. Rationale: Consumers read and critically appraise research
reports to stay up-to-date, whereas producers actively design and
conduct studies.
8. Which thinking tool helps a nurse understand how
specific actions fit into the "bigger picture" and their
subsequent impacts?
1. A) Perspectivity
2. B) Systemic thinking
3. C) Evidence evaluation
4. D) Intellectual curiosity
5. Rationale: Systemic thinking is used to understand causes,
effects, and how a situation fits into a broader context.
9. The capacity to monitor the quality of one's own thinking
process is known as:
1. A) Inferences
2. B) Metacognition
3. C) Information literacy
4. D) Social justice advocacy
5. Rationale: Metacognition is a critical thinking disposition that
involves developmental self-assessment of the thinker.
10. Which attribute of critical inquiry requires
assessing the reliability of information sources?
1. A) Open-mindedness
, 2. B) Evidence evaluation
3. C) Synthesis of information
4. D) Reflection
5. Rationale: Evidence evaluation involves assessing the quality,
relevance, and credibility of data to inform sound conclusions.
11. When a nurse considers how their own cultural background and
personal experiences might influence their perception of a patient’s
behavior, they are practicing:
A. Systemic thinking
B. Perspectivity
C. Evidence evaluation
D. Empirical knowing
Rationale: Perspectivity involves being aware of one’s own viewpoint
and recognizing that others may see the same situation differently
based on their unique lenses.
12. Which of the following is considered an "outcome" of critical
inquiry in nursing?
A. Skepticism
B. Social justice and practice change
C. Information literacy
D. Intellectual humility
Rationale: Outcomes are the results of inquiry, such as professional
growth, improved patient safety, and the advancement of social justice.
13. A study that explores the "lived experience" of patients undergoing
chemotherapy is an example of which research paradigm?
A. Positivist
B. Constructivist/Interpretive
C. Randomized Controlled Trial
D. Quantitative descriptive
Rationale: Constructivist research seeks to understand the subjective,
multiple realities of human experience rather than objective,
measurable facts.
14. What does the "C" in the CRAAP test for evaluating information
sources stand for?
A. Currency
B. Credibility
C. Complexity