NSG 3160 Unit 4 Practice Questions and KEY
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the
question.
1. A physician tells the nurse that a patient’s vertebra prominens
is tender and asks the nurse to reevaluate the area in 1 hour.
What area of the body will the nurse assess?
A At the level of the C7
. vertebra
B At the level of the
. T11 vertebra
C At the level of the L5
. vertebra
D At the level of the S3
. vertebra
2. A mother brings her 2-month-old daughter in for an examination
and says, “My daughter rolled over against the wall, and now I have
noticed that she has this spot that is soft on the top of her head. Is
something terribly wrong?” How would the nurse respond?
A “Perhaps that could be a result of your dietary intake
. during pregnancy.”
B “Your baby may have craniosynostosis, a disease of the
. sutures of the skull.”
C “That ‘soft spot’ may be an indication of cretinism or
. congenital hypothyroidism.”
D “That ‘soft spot’ is normal, and actually allows for
. growth of the brain during the
first year of your baby’s life.”
3. The nurse notices that a patient’s palpebral fissures are not
symmetric. On examination, the nurse may find that damage has
occurred to which cranial nerve (CN)?
A V
.
B VII
.
C XI
.
D XIII
.
4. A patient is unable to differentiate between sharp and dull
stimulation to both sides of her face. What does the nurse suspect?
A Bell palsy
.
B Scleroderma
, .
C Damage to the trigeminal nerve
.
D Frostbite with resultant
. paresthesia to the cheeks
5. When examining the face of a patient, what are the two pairs of
salivary glands that are accessible for examination?
A Occipital;
. submental
B Parotid;
. submandibular
C Submandibular;
. occipital
D Sublingual;
. parotid
6. A patient comes to the clinic reporting neck and shoulder pain and
is unable to turn her head. Which nerve does the nurse suspect is
damaged and how would the nurse proceed with the examination?
A XII; assess for a positive Romberg sign.
.
B XI; palpate the anterior and posterior
. triangles.
C XI; have patient shrug their shoulders
. against resistance.
D XII; percuss the sternomastoid and
. submandibular neck muscles.
,7. When examining a patient’s CN function, what muscles would the
nurse assess to assess the function of CN XI?
A Sternomastoid and
. trapezius
B Spinal accessory and
. omohyoid
C Trapezius and
. sternomandibular
D Sternomandibular and
. spinal accessory
8. A patient’s laboratory data reveal an elevated thyroxine (T4)
level. What gland would the nurse assess?
A Thyroid
.
B Parotid
.
C Adrenal
.
D Parathy
. roid
9. A patient says that she has recently noticed a lump in the front of
her neck below her “Adam’s apple” that seems to be getting
bigger. During the assessment, what finding would lead the nurse
to suspect that this may not be a cancerous thyroid nodule?
A It is tender.
.
B It is mobile and soft.
.
C It disappears when the patient
. smiles.
D It is hard and fixed to the
. surrounding structures.
10. The nurse notices that a patient’s submental lymph nodes are
enlarged. In an effort to identify the cause of the node
enlargement, what would the nurse assess?
A Infraclavicular area
.
B Supraclavicular area
.
C Area distal to the
. enlarged node
D Area proximal to the
. enlarged node
11. The nurse is explaining to a student nurse the four areas in
the body where lymph nodes are accessible. Which areas
would the nurse include in the explanation to the student?
A Head, breasts, groin, and
. abdomen
, B Arms, breasts, inguinal area,
. and legs
C Head and neck, arms, breasts,
. and axillae
D Head and neck, arms, inguinal
. area, and axillae
12. A mother brings her newborn in for an assessment and asks, “Is
there something wrong with my baby? His head seems so big.”
Which statement is true regarding the relative proportions of the
head and trunk of the newborn?
A At birth, the head is one fifth the total length.
.
B Head circumference should be greater than chest
. circumference at birth.
C The head size reaches 90% of its final size when the
. child is 3 years old.
D When the anterior fontanel closes at 2 months, the
. head will be more proportioned
to the body.
13. An 85-year-old patient, is reporting that the bones in their face
have become more noticeable. What explanation should the nurse
give the patient?
A. Diets low in protein and high in carbohydrates may
cause enhanced facial bones.
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the
question.
1. A physician tells the nurse that a patient’s vertebra prominens
is tender and asks the nurse to reevaluate the area in 1 hour.
What area of the body will the nurse assess?
A At the level of the C7
. vertebra
B At the level of the
. T11 vertebra
C At the level of the L5
. vertebra
D At the level of the S3
. vertebra
2. A mother brings her 2-month-old daughter in for an examination
and says, “My daughter rolled over against the wall, and now I have
noticed that she has this spot that is soft on the top of her head. Is
something terribly wrong?” How would the nurse respond?
A “Perhaps that could be a result of your dietary intake
. during pregnancy.”
B “Your baby may have craniosynostosis, a disease of the
. sutures of the skull.”
C “That ‘soft spot’ may be an indication of cretinism or
. congenital hypothyroidism.”
D “That ‘soft spot’ is normal, and actually allows for
. growth of the brain during the
first year of your baby’s life.”
3. The nurse notices that a patient’s palpebral fissures are not
symmetric. On examination, the nurse may find that damage has
occurred to which cranial nerve (CN)?
A V
.
B VII
.
C XI
.
D XIII
.
4. A patient is unable to differentiate between sharp and dull
stimulation to both sides of her face. What does the nurse suspect?
A Bell palsy
.
B Scleroderma
, .
C Damage to the trigeminal nerve
.
D Frostbite with resultant
. paresthesia to the cheeks
5. When examining the face of a patient, what are the two pairs of
salivary glands that are accessible for examination?
A Occipital;
. submental
B Parotid;
. submandibular
C Submandibular;
. occipital
D Sublingual;
. parotid
6. A patient comes to the clinic reporting neck and shoulder pain and
is unable to turn her head. Which nerve does the nurse suspect is
damaged and how would the nurse proceed with the examination?
A XII; assess for a positive Romberg sign.
.
B XI; palpate the anterior and posterior
. triangles.
C XI; have patient shrug their shoulders
. against resistance.
D XII; percuss the sternomastoid and
. submandibular neck muscles.
,7. When examining a patient’s CN function, what muscles would the
nurse assess to assess the function of CN XI?
A Sternomastoid and
. trapezius
B Spinal accessory and
. omohyoid
C Trapezius and
. sternomandibular
D Sternomandibular and
. spinal accessory
8. A patient’s laboratory data reveal an elevated thyroxine (T4)
level. What gland would the nurse assess?
A Thyroid
.
B Parotid
.
C Adrenal
.
D Parathy
. roid
9. A patient says that she has recently noticed a lump in the front of
her neck below her “Adam’s apple” that seems to be getting
bigger. During the assessment, what finding would lead the nurse
to suspect that this may not be a cancerous thyroid nodule?
A It is tender.
.
B It is mobile and soft.
.
C It disappears when the patient
. smiles.
D It is hard and fixed to the
. surrounding structures.
10. The nurse notices that a patient’s submental lymph nodes are
enlarged. In an effort to identify the cause of the node
enlargement, what would the nurse assess?
A Infraclavicular area
.
B Supraclavicular area
.
C Area distal to the
. enlarged node
D Area proximal to the
. enlarged node
11. The nurse is explaining to a student nurse the four areas in
the body where lymph nodes are accessible. Which areas
would the nurse include in the explanation to the student?
A Head, breasts, groin, and
. abdomen
, B Arms, breasts, inguinal area,
. and legs
C Head and neck, arms, breasts,
. and axillae
D Head and neck, arms, inguinal
. area, and axillae
12. A mother brings her newborn in for an assessment and asks, “Is
there something wrong with my baby? His head seems so big.”
Which statement is true regarding the relative proportions of the
head and trunk of the newborn?
A At birth, the head is one fifth the total length.
.
B Head circumference should be greater than chest
. circumference at birth.
C The head size reaches 90% of its final size when the
. child is 3 years old.
D When the anterior fontanel closes at 2 months, the
. head will be more proportioned
to the body.
13. An 85-year-old patient, is reporting that the bones in their face
have become more noticeable. What explanation should the nurse
give the patient?
A. Diets low in protein and high in carbohydrates may
cause enhanced facial bones.
