GCU NSG 300 Exam 1 – Foundations of Nursing – (2026) Actual Questions &
Answers
GCU NSG 300 Exam 1 – Foundations of Nursing – (2026)
200 Multiple-Choice Practice Questions with Answers & Rationales
Source: Based on GCU NSG 300 Foundations of Nursing curriculum for the
2025/2026 academic year .
SECTION 1: NURSING HISTORY & THEORIES (Questions 1-35)
Question 1
Who is considered the founder of modern nursing?
A) Clara Barton
B) Florence Nightingale
C) Dorothea Dix
D) Mary Mahoney
Answer: B) Florence Nightingale
Rationale: Florence Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing. She
established the first nursing school, improved sanitation during the Crimean War,
,and wrote "Notes on Nursing." Her environmental theory emphasized clean air,
pure water, efficient drainage, and light .
Question 2
Florence Nightingale's contributions to nursing included:
A) Establishing the American Red Cross
B) Improving sanitation and reducing infection rates
C) Developing the first nursing theory of caring
D) Founding the first nursing school in the United States
Answer: B) Improving sanitation and reducing infection rates
Rationale: Nightingale's work during the Crimean War demonstrated that
improved sanitation dramatically reduced infection and mortality rates. She
emphasized clean water, ventilation, and handwashing .
Question 3
Which nursing theorist developed the Theory of Human Caring (caring moments)?
A) Jean Watson
B) Dorothea Orem
,C) Hildegard Peplau
D) Madeleine Leininger
Answer: A) Jean Watson
Rationale: Jean Watson developed the Theory of Human Caring, which
emphasizes the caring relationship between nurse and patient. Caring is central to
nursing practice in this framework .
Question 4
Dorothea Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory focuses on:
A) Interpersonal relationships between nurse and patient
B) The patient's ability to perform self-care activities
C) The environment as a stressor
D) Cultural competence in nursing
Answer: B) The patient's ability to perform self-care activities
, Rationale: Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory proposes that nursing care is needed
when patients cannot perform self-care activities necessary for health and well-
being. Nursing helps patients meet their self-care needs .
Question 5
Hildegard Peplau is known for her theory of:
A) Interpersonal relations
B) Adaptation
C) Human caring
D) Self-care
Answer: A) Interpersonal relations
Rationale: Peplau's Theory of Interpersonal Relations focuses on the nurse-
patient relationship and describes phases: orientation, identification, exploitation,
and resolution .
Question 6
Madeleine Leininger is known for:
A) The theory of cultural care diversity and universality (transcultural nursing)
Answers
GCU NSG 300 Exam 1 – Foundations of Nursing – (2026)
200 Multiple-Choice Practice Questions with Answers & Rationales
Source: Based on GCU NSG 300 Foundations of Nursing curriculum for the
2025/2026 academic year .
SECTION 1: NURSING HISTORY & THEORIES (Questions 1-35)
Question 1
Who is considered the founder of modern nursing?
A) Clara Barton
B) Florence Nightingale
C) Dorothea Dix
D) Mary Mahoney
Answer: B) Florence Nightingale
Rationale: Florence Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing. She
established the first nursing school, improved sanitation during the Crimean War,
,and wrote "Notes on Nursing." Her environmental theory emphasized clean air,
pure water, efficient drainage, and light .
Question 2
Florence Nightingale's contributions to nursing included:
A) Establishing the American Red Cross
B) Improving sanitation and reducing infection rates
C) Developing the first nursing theory of caring
D) Founding the first nursing school in the United States
Answer: B) Improving sanitation and reducing infection rates
Rationale: Nightingale's work during the Crimean War demonstrated that
improved sanitation dramatically reduced infection and mortality rates. She
emphasized clean water, ventilation, and handwashing .
Question 3
Which nursing theorist developed the Theory of Human Caring (caring moments)?
A) Jean Watson
B) Dorothea Orem
,C) Hildegard Peplau
D) Madeleine Leininger
Answer: A) Jean Watson
Rationale: Jean Watson developed the Theory of Human Caring, which
emphasizes the caring relationship between nurse and patient. Caring is central to
nursing practice in this framework .
Question 4
Dorothea Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory focuses on:
A) Interpersonal relationships between nurse and patient
B) The patient's ability to perform self-care activities
C) The environment as a stressor
D) Cultural competence in nursing
Answer: B) The patient's ability to perform self-care activities
, Rationale: Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory proposes that nursing care is needed
when patients cannot perform self-care activities necessary for health and well-
being. Nursing helps patients meet their self-care needs .
Question 5
Hildegard Peplau is known for her theory of:
A) Interpersonal relations
B) Adaptation
C) Human caring
D) Self-care
Answer: A) Interpersonal relations
Rationale: Peplau's Theory of Interpersonal Relations focuses on the nurse-
patient relationship and describes phases: orientation, identification, exploitation,
and resolution .
Question 6
Madeleine Leininger is known for:
A) The theory of cultural care diversity and universality (transcultural nursing)
