Pathophysiology Final Exam Practice
Quiz Latest Update 2026 (Questions and
Answers-Verified solutions
A client receives a phone call from her gynecologist's office nurse and is informed that her Pap test
results identified mild dysplasia. The best explanation for the nurse to provide would be:
a. "Minor degrees of dysplasia are associated with chronic irritation or inflammation. However, we will
need to do additional diagnostic studies to confirm the diagnosis."
b. "You definitely have cancer."
c. "Do not be concerned; this is not abnormal."
d. "You need emergency treatment; please come in to the office today." - CORRECT ANSWERS
a
The nurse is educating about the importance of improving the metabolic process in a client who has
morbid obesity and is beginning a weight loss program with exercise. What should the nurse inform the
client about the importance of improving the metabolic rate?
a. Increasing metabolism improves the process by which cells engulf materials from their surroundings
to improve electrolyte function.
b. Increasing metabolism will allow the client to be able to eat whatever foods he wants as long as he is
exercising.
c. Increasing metabolism improves the secretion of intracellular substances into the extracellular spaces.
d. Increasing metabolism will improve the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to provide
energy for cell function. - CORRECT ANSWERS d
A client has been exercising his arms repeatedly. Which statement by the nurse explains the increase in
the size of the arms?
,a. "Your cells have atrophied in response to increased oxygen."
b. "Your cells have hypertrophied in response to increased workload."
c. "You have increased your number of cells due to increased oxygenation."
d. "You have caused the cells to clump together in response to exercise." - CORRECT ANSWERS
b
What can the nurse tell family members to best explain muscle atrophy of a family member who has
been in a persistent coma?
a. "Cell size has increased in response to immobility."
b. "Cells hypertrophy in response to disuse."
c. "Cell size decreases as workload declines."
d. "Cells need more oxygen the longer they are immobile." - CORRECT ANSWERS c
Which statement would a nurse tell a client to best describe apoptosis?
a. "Apoptosis describes increase in number of cells."
b. "Apoptosis occurs in irreversibly damaged cells."
c. "Apoptosis is an increase in the size of cells."
d. "Apoptosis is the natural removal of injured or worn out cells." - CORRECT ANSWERS d
The student nurse is removing sutures on client after abdominal surgery, and the wound begins to pull
apart. The student asks the instructor, "Did I do something wrong?" The instructor reviews wound
healing and replies:
a. "Maybe the wound edges were not close enough together to allow epithelialization of the wound to
occur."
,b. "Maybe the client was 'picking' at the wound and caused the edges to not be well-approximated."
c. "Maybe you were a little rough when you pulled out the sutures."
d. "Maybe the sutures were left in too long and impeded healing." - CORRECT ANSWERS a
Following hip replacement surgery, the client has had many weeks of physical therapy. Upon assessing
the wound, it is still red and draining thick, green, odoriferous secretions. The client has limited range-
of-motion and is constantly reporting pain. The physician explains that the hip device needs to be
removed. Why is removal required?
a. A fragment of bone may be rubbing at the insertion site of the joint and keeping it inflamed.
b. The body considers the hip replacement device a foreign body and an infection has developed around
the joint.
c. The device is impeding the supply of nutrients and oxygen to reach the inflamed area.
d. No amount of antibiotic therapy will be able to reach the area around the new joint and kill the
infection. - CORRECT ANSWERS b
A nurse is assessing a client for the classic signs of acute inflammation. The nurse would assess the client
for:
a. Cyanosis, heat, and swelling
b. Paresthesias, redness, and coolness
c. Pain, pulselessness, and edema
d. Rubor, swelling, and pain - CORRECT ANSWERS d
During a review session discussing cells, a student asks, "What do you call it when a cell becomes more
specialized in terms of structure?" Which response answers the question correctly?
a. Cell proliferation
, b. Matrix
c. Mitosis
d. Cell differentiation - CORRECT ANSWERS d
A client with pneumonia is admitted with these vital signs: temperature 99.7ºF (37.6°F), pulse 80
beats/min, respirations 18/minute, and BP 120/80 mm Hg. Which set of vital signs does the nurse
anticipate when the client begins to shiver and requests another blanket several hours later?
a. T 98.4ºF (36.9°C), P 82/min, R 16/min, BP 106/70 mm Hg
b. T 100.9ºF (38.3°C), P 90/min, R 20/min, BP 126/80 mm Hg
c. T 99.7ºF (37.6°C), P 86/min, R 18/min, BP 130/82 mm Hg
d. T 97.2ºF (36.2°C), P 70/min, R 12/min, BP 114/60 mmHg - CORRECT ANSWERS b
The daughter of a 79-year-old woman asks the nurse why her mother gets so many infections. The
daughter states, "My mother has always been healthy, but now she has pneumonia. Last month she got
cellulitis from a bug bite she scratched. The month before that was some other infection. How come she
seems to get sick so often now?" What is the nurse's best response?
a. As people get older, their immune system does not respond as well as it did when they were younger.
b. About the time we are 75 or 76 years old, our immune system quits working.
c. Your mother gets infections frequently because she wants attention from you.
d. Your mother just seems to be prone to getting infections. - CORRECT ANSWERS a
The nurse is teaching a male client who has been diagnosed as HIV positive. The client asks what
precautions he should take to prevent his family members from contracting HIV. Which statement will
the nurse include in teaching this client?
a. You and your family members should use separate toilet facilities.
Quiz Latest Update 2026 (Questions and
Answers-Verified solutions
A client receives a phone call from her gynecologist's office nurse and is informed that her Pap test
results identified mild dysplasia. The best explanation for the nurse to provide would be:
a. "Minor degrees of dysplasia are associated with chronic irritation or inflammation. However, we will
need to do additional diagnostic studies to confirm the diagnosis."
b. "You definitely have cancer."
c. "Do not be concerned; this is not abnormal."
d. "You need emergency treatment; please come in to the office today." - CORRECT ANSWERS
a
The nurse is educating about the importance of improving the metabolic process in a client who has
morbid obesity and is beginning a weight loss program with exercise. What should the nurse inform the
client about the importance of improving the metabolic rate?
a. Increasing metabolism improves the process by which cells engulf materials from their surroundings
to improve electrolyte function.
b. Increasing metabolism will allow the client to be able to eat whatever foods he wants as long as he is
exercising.
c. Increasing metabolism improves the secretion of intracellular substances into the extracellular spaces.
d. Increasing metabolism will improve the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to provide
energy for cell function. - CORRECT ANSWERS d
A client has been exercising his arms repeatedly. Which statement by the nurse explains the increase in
the size of the arms?
,a. "Your cells have atrophied in response to increased oxygen."
b. "Your cells have hypertrophied in response to increased workload."
c. "You have increased your number of cells due to increased oxygenation."
d. "You have caused the cells to clump together in response to exercise." - CORRECT ANSWERS
b
What can the nurse tell family members to best explain muscle atrophy of a family member who has
been in a persistent coma?
a. "Cell size has increased in response to immobility."
b. "Cells hypertrophy in response to disuse."
c. "Cell size decreases as workload declines."
d. "Cells need more oxygen the longer they are immobile." - CORRECT ANSWERS c
Which statement would a nurse tell a client to best describe apoptosis?
a. "Apoptosis describes increase in number of cells."
b. "Apoptosis occurs in irreversibly damaged cells."
c. "Apoptosis is an increase in the size of cells."
d. "Apoptosis is the natural removal of injured or worn out cells." - CORRECT ANSWERS d
The student nurse is removing sutures on client after abdominal surgery, and the wound begins to pull
apart. The student asks the instructor, "Did I do something wrong?" The instructor reviews wound
healing and replies:
a. "Maybe the wound edges were not close enough together to allow epithelialization of the wound to
occur."
,b. "Maybe the client was 'picking' at the wound and caused the edges to not be well-approximated."
c. "Maybe you were a little rough when you pulled out the sutures."
d. "Maybe the sutures were left in too long and impeded healing." - CORRECT ANSWERS a
Following hip replacement surgery, the client has had many weeks of physical therapy. Upon assessing
the wound, it is still red and draining thick, green, odoriferous secretions. The client has limited range-
of-motion and is constantly reporting pain. The physician explains that the hip device needs to be
removed. Why is removal required?
a. A fragment of bone may be rubbing at the insertion site of the joint and keeping it inflamed.
b. The body considers the hip replacement device a foreign body and an infection has developed around
the joint.
c. The device is impeding the supply of nutrients and oxygen to reach the inflamed area.
d. No amount of antibiotic therapy will be able to reach the area around the new joint and kill the
infection. - CORRECT ANSWERS b
A nurse is assessing a client for the classic signs of acute inflammation. The nurse would assess the client
for:
a. Cyanosis, heat, and swelling
b. Paresthesias, redness, and coolness
c. Pain, pulselessness, and edema
d. Rubor, swelling, and pain - CORRECT ANSWERS d
During a review session discussing cells, a student asks, "What do you call it when a cell becomes more
specialized in terms of structure?" Which response answers the question correctly?
a. Cell proliferation
, b. Matrix
c. Mitosis
d. Cell differentiation - CORRECT ANSWERS d
A client with pneumonia is admitted with these vital signs: temperature 99.7ºF (37.6°F), pulse 80
beats/min, respirations 18/minute, and BP 120/80 mm Hg. Which set of vital signs does the nurse
anticipate when the client begins to shiver and requests another blanket several hours later?
a. T 98.4ºF (36.9°C), P 82/min, R 16/min, BP 106/70 mm Hg
b. T 100.9ºF (38.3°C), P 90/min, R 20/min, BP 126/80 mm Hg
c. T 99.7ºF (37.6°C), P 86/min, R 18/min, BP 130/82 mm Hg
d. T 97.2ºF (36.2°C), P 70/min, R 12/min, BP 114/60 mmHg - CORRECT ANSWERS b
The daughter of a 79-year-old woman asks the nurse why her mother gets so many infections. The
daughter states, "My mother has always been healthy, but now she has pneumonia. Last month she got
cellulitis from a bug bite she scratched. The month before that was some other infection. How come she
seems to get sick so often now?" What is the nurse's best response?
a. As people get older, their immune system does not respond as well as it did when they were younger.
b. About the time we are 75 or 76 years old, our immune system quits working.
c. Your mother gets infections frequently because she wants attention from you.
d. Your mother just seems to be prone to getting infections. - CORRECT ANSWERS a
The nurse is teaching a male client who has been diagnosed as HIV positive. The client asks what
precautions he should take to prevent his family members from contracting HIV. Which statement will
the nurse include in teaching this client?
a. You and your family members should use separate toilet facilities.
