AMERICAN RED CROSS LIFEGUARD COURSE WRITTEN EXAM
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE WITH HIGH-YIELD PRACTICE
QUESTIONS, DETAILED ANSWER EXPLANATIONS, WATER SAFETY
PRINCIPLES, EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES, RESCUE
TECHNIQUES, CPR AND FIRST AID REVIEW, TEST-TAKING
STRATEGIES, AND COMPLETE CERTIFICATION SUCCESS TOOLKIT |
UPDATED FOR 2026/2027 | LATEST EDITION
A 12-year-old child at a swim meet grabs their chest and begins to make wheezing noises. After
you obtain consent to provide care, the child's parent informs you that the child has a history of
asthma, but does not have an inhaler nearby. What care should you provide? a. Give 5 back
blows.
b. Summon more advanced medical personnel and place the victim into a position that helps
breathing.
c. Tell the victim to use an inhaler borrowed from a bystander.
d. Wait 20 minutes to see if the breathing difficulty goes away. -
ANSWER-b. Summon more advanced medical personnel and place the victim into a position
that helps breathing.
Where should you place your hands when giving chest compressions to an infant during CPR?
a. One hand on the chin and one hand on the chest.
b. One hand on the chin and two or three fingers on the center of the chest.
c. One hand on the forehead and two or three fingers on the center of the chest.
d. One hand on the forehead and one hand on the chest. - ANSWER-c. One hand on the
forehead and two or three fingers on the center of the chest.
,When giving abdominal thrusts to an adult who is choking, where should you position your fist?
a. In the center of the breastbone
b. In the middle of the abdomen, just above the navel
c. In the middle of the abdomen, just below the navel
d. On the rib cage - ANSWER-b. In the middle of the abdomen, just above the navel
A person has been injured and is responsive. You should:
a. Have the victim walk with you to the first aid station so you can obtain consent and provide
care.
b. Provide care immediately based on the victim's condition.
c. Speak with the victim to find out what happened and check for nonlifethreatening
conditions.
d. Obtain consent, check the victim for life-threatening conditions and speak with the victim to
find out what happened. - ANSWER-d. Obtain consent, check the victim for life-threatening
conditions and speak with the victim to find out what happened.
Your initial impression reveals severe life-threatening bleeding in an adult victim who appears
to be unresponsive. Your next step should be:
a. Open the airway and check for breathing and a pulse.
b. Control the bleeding with any available resources.
c. Perform a secondary assessment.
d. Immediately begin CPR. - ANSWER-b. Control the bleeding with any available resources.
,An injured patron is responsive and bleeding. After summoning EMS personnel, obtaining
consent and putting on disposable gloves, what is your next care step?
a. Treat the victim for shock by lying the victim down.
b. Elevate the wound if you can do so without causing further pain.
c. Press firmly against the wound with a sterile dressing and bandage.
d. Let the wound bleed until it stops on its own. - ANSWER-c. Press firmly against the wound
with a sterile dressing and bandage.
A way to remember the questions to ask when taking a brief history is to use the acronym
SAMPLE. What does the A in SAMPLE stand for? a. Allergies
b. Age
c. Airway
d. Ankle - ANSWER-a. Allergies
What is the first step you should take in caring for a victim with burns?
a. Cool the burned area to stop the burning.
b. Keep the victim comfortable.
c. Take steps to minimize shock.
d. Remove the victim from the source of the burn. - ANSWER-d. Remove the victim from the
source of the burn.
, If a victim is having a seizure in the water:
a. Support the victim with their head above water until the seizure ends.
b. Immediately get them out of the water.
c. Immediately move the victim to shallow water until the seizure ends, if the victim is in deep
water.
d. Secure the victim onto a backboard. - ANSWER-a. Support the victim with their head above
water until the seizure ends.
During a swim meet, the bleachers behind your guard station suddenly collapse. As you check
the scene, you notice several people who appear injured. Who should you approach first? a. A
parent holding a crying infant.
b. A victim who appears unconscious.
c. A victim who is bleeding lightly from an injury on the leg.
d. A child who is holding their arm, which appears to be injured. - ANSWER-b. A victim who
appears unconscious.
When caring for musculoskeletal injuries, what does RICE stand for? a. Remove, immobilize,
care, elevate
b. Rest, ice, care, evaluate
c. Rest, immobilize, cold, elevate
d. Remove, ice, care, evaluate - ANSWER-c. Rest, immobilize, cold, elevate
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE WITH HIGH-YIELD PRACTICE
QUESTIONS, DETAILED ANSWER EXPLANATIONS, WATER SAFETY
PRINCIPLES, EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES, RESCUE
TECHNIQUES, CPR AND FIRST AID REVIEW, TEST-TAKING
STRATEGIES, AND COMPLETE CERTIFICATION SUCCESS TOOLKIT |
UPDATED FOR 2026/2027 | LATEST EDITION
A 12-year-old child at a swim meet grabs their chest and begins to make wheezing noises. After
you obtain consent to provide care, the child's parent informs you that the child has a history of
asthma, but does not have an inhaler nearby. What care should you provide? a. Give 5 back
blows.
b. Summon more advanced medical personnel and place the victim into a position that helps
breathing.
c. Tell the victim to use an inhaler borrowed from a bystander.
d. Wait 20 minutes to see if the breathing difficulty goes away. -
ANSWER-b. Summon more advanced medical personnel and place the victim into a position
that helps breathing.
Where should you place your hands when giving chest compressions to an infant during CPR?
a. One hand on the chin and one hand on the chest.
b. One hand on the chin and two or three fingers on the center of the chest.
c. One hand on the forehead and two or three fingers on the center of the chest.
d. One hand on the forehead and one hand on the chest. - ANSWER-c. One hand on the
forehead and two or three fingers on the center of the chest.
,When giving abdominal thrusts to an adult who is choking, where should you position your fist?
a. In the center of the breastbone
b. In the middle of the abdomen, just above the navel
c. In the middle of the abdomen, just below the navel
d. On the rib cage - ANSWER-b. In the middle of the abdomen, just above the navel
A person has been injured and is responsive. You should:
a. Have the victim walk with you to the first aid station so you can obtain consent and provide
care.
b. Provide care immediately based on the victim's condition.
c. Speak with the victim to find out what happened and check for nonlifethreatening
conditions.
d. Obtain consent, check the victim for life-threatening conditions and speak with the victim to
find out what happened. - ANSWER-d. Obtain consent, check the victim for life-threatening
conditions and speak with the victim to find out what happened.
Your initial impression reveals severe life-threatening bleeding in an adult victim who appears
to be unresponsive. Your next step should be:
a. Open the airway and check for breathing and a pulse.
b. Control the bleeding with any available resources.
c. Perform a secondary assessment.
d. Immediately begin CPR. - ANSWER-b. Control the bleeding with any available resources.
,An injured patron is responsive and bleeding. After summoning EMS personnel, obtaining
consent and putting on disposable gloves, what is your next care step?
a. Treat the victim for shock by lying the victim down.
b. Elevate the wound if you can do so without causing further pain.
c. Press firmly against the wound with a sterile dressing and bandage.
d. Let the wound bleed until it stops on its own. - ANSWER-c. Press firmly against the wound
with a sterile dressing and bandage.
A way to remember the questions to ask when taking a brief history is to use the acronym
SAMPLE. What does the A in SAMPLE stand for? a. Allergies
b. Age
c. Airway
d. Ankle - ANSWER-a. Allergies
What is the first step you should take in caring for a victim with burns?
a. Cool the burned area to stop the burning.
b. Keep the victim comfortable.
c. Take steps to minimize shock.
d. Remove the victim from the source of the burn. - ANSWER-d. Remove the victim from the
source of the burn.
, If a victim is having a seizure in the water:
a. Support the victim with their head above water until the seizure ends.
b. Immediately get them out of the water.
c. Immediately move the victim to shallow water until the seizure ends, if the victim is in deep
water.
d. Secure the victim onto a backboard. - ANSWER-a. Support the victim with their head above
water until the seizure ends.
During a swim meet, the bleachers behind your guard station suddenly collapse. As you check
the scene, you notice several people who appear injured. Who should you approach first? a. A
parent holding a crying infant.
b. A victim who appears unconscious.
c. A victim who is bleeding lightly from an injury on the leg.
d. A child who is holding their arm, which appears to be injured. - ANSWER-b. A victim who
appears unconscious.
When caring for musculoskeletal injuries, what does RICE stand for? a. Remove, immobilize,
care, elevate
b. Rest, ice, care, evaluate
c. Rest, immobilize, cold, elevate
d. Remove, ice, care, evaluate - ANSWER-c. Rest, immobilize, cold, elevate
