HUBS 1406 Exam Prep2026 Exam –
Verified Questions and Answers for an
A Grade
A critically ill patient in hospital who requires fluid replacement is given a large infusion of hypertonic
saline by mistake. What would be the likely result of this? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Hypertonic saline would cause water to move out of the patient's cells into the blood, resulting in cell
shrinkage. If this occurred in the brain, then brain function would be compromised.
A menopausal woman who eats a well-balanced diet with adequate vitamins and minerals is showing
signs of mild osteoporosis. Which of the following changes is likely to be the most beneficial in terms of
reversing this? - CORRECT ANSWERS An exercise regime of daily walking/jogging, to
increase stress on the bones
A patient has suffered central nervous system damage after a car accident. This could mean that there
was direct damage to: - CORRECT ANSWERS the brain and/or the spinal cord
Anxiety disorders are becoming increasingly common in our society, and may also be helping to increase
the incidence of a number of other illnesses such as heart disease, infections and cancer. What is the
most likely link between anxiety and these other diseases? - CORRECT ANSWERS An
anxious state of mind results in an increase in the release of the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone
also suppresses immune function, leaving an individual more vulnerable to infections and cancers.
Body fluids such as blood and intracellular fluid have their pH strictly controlled. There are some body
fluids, however, that are acidic. In which of the following locations would you expect to find strongly
acidic fluids and what would the purpose be ? - CORRECT ANSWERS the stomach, to
destroy incoming organisms
If a person does some very intense exercise, what is likely to happen to the acidity of their blood? -
CORRECT ANSWERS The pH will go down slightly, meaning the fluids are more acidic
, Patricia is suffering from emphysema which is limiting gas transfer in her lungs. Her arterial oxygen is
low and her arterial carbon dioxide is high. However, the acidity of her arterial blood is still within
normal limits. What is Patricia's body doing to keep the pH within normal limits? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Patricia's kidneys will be excreting more acid to compensate for the high arterial carbon dioxide level.
People who suffer from asthma attacks are sometimes taught to breathe out through a small tube while
they are having an attack. What good would this do? - CORRECT ANSWERS The narrow
tube would cause the air pressure inside the airways to increase, preventing the collapse of small
airways during expiration.
Premature babies may deveop great difficulty breathing immediately after birth, and have to make huge
efforts to breathe - a condition known as infant respiratory distress syndrome. If this occurred, they
would be given a particular drug via a breathing tube. What would this drug do? - CORRECT ANSWERS
It would reduce the surface tension in the alveoli of the lungs, allowing the babies to inflate their lungs
more easily
Soft bones (osteomalacia) and rickets can be a problem in people who keep their entire skin surface
covered most of the time, for example, muslim women who wear a burka. Why would this be? -
CORRECT ANSWERS Bones rely on their calcium content to make them hard, and calcium
absorption into the body is dependent on the active form of vitamin D. Vitamin D is converted to an
active form by the action of sunlight on the skin. If the skin does not get any sunlight on it, then this
process will not occur, and bones will become soft.
The glucose tolerance test is used to diagnose diabetes. The test involves giving the subject a glucose
drink, and then monitoring the blood level of glucose at intervals afterwards. How does this test show
whether a person has diabetes or not? - CORRECT ANSWERS In a healthy person, the
blood glucose level should rise rapidly after drinking the glucose drink, but should drop to pre-test levels
within 2 hours, as insulin will have caused the removal of glucose from the blood stream into cells.
Urine dipsticks are a quick and easy way to check for a range of substances in the urine. If the dipstick
indicates that significant protein and blood is present in a urine sample, is this normal or abnormal? -
CORRECT ANSWERS Neither blood nor protein should be present in significant amounts in
urine, so both results suggest something is not quite right.
Verified Questions and Answers for an
A Grade
A critically ill patient in hospital who requires fluid replacement is given a large infusion of hypertonic
saline by mistake. What would be the likely result of this? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Hypertonic saline would cause water to move out of the patient's cells into the blood, resulting in cell
shrinkage. If this occurred in the brain, then brain function would be compromised.
A menopausal woman who eats a well-balanced diet with adequate vitamins and minerals is showing
signs of mild osteoporosis. Which of the following changes is likely to be the most beneficial in terms of
reversing this? - CORRECT ANSWERS An exercise regime of daily walking/jogging, to
increase stress on the bones
A patient has suffered central nervous system damage after a car accident. This could mean that there
was direct damage to: - CORRECT ANSWERS the brain and/or the spinal cord
Anxiety disorders are becoming increasingly common in our society, and may also be helping to increase
the incidence of a number of other illnesses such as heart disease, infections and cancer. What is the
most likely link between anxiety and these other diseases? - CORRECT ANSWERS An
anxious state of mind results in an increase in the release of the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone
also suppresses immune function, leaving an individual more vulnerable to infections and cancers.
Body fluids such as blood and intracellular fluid have their pH strictly controlled. There are some body
fluids, however, that are acidic. In which of the following locations would you expect to find strongly
acidic fluids and what would the purpose be ? - CORRECT ANSWERS the stomach, to
destroy incoming organisms
If a person does some very intense exercise, what is likely to happen to the acidity of their blood? -
CORRECT ANSWERS The pH will go down slightly, meaning the fluids are more acidic
, Patricia is suffering from emphysema which is limiting gas transfer in her lungs. Her arterial oxygen is
low and her arterial carbon dioxide is high. However, the acidity of her arterial blood is still within
normal limits. What is Patricia's body doing to keep the pH within normal limits? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Patricia's kidneys will be excreting more acid to compensate for the high arterial carbon dioxide level.
People who suffer from asthma attacks are sometimes taught to breathe out through a small tube while
they are having an attack. What good would this do? - CORRECT ANSWERS The narrow
tube would cause the air pressure inside the airways to increase, preventing the collapse of small
airways during expiration.
Premature babies may deveop great difficulty breathing immediately after birth, and have to make huge
efforts to breathe - a condition known as infant respiratory distress syndrome. If this occurred, they
would be given a particular drug via a breathing tube. What would this drug do? - CORRECT ANSWERS
It would reduce the surface tension in the alveoli of the lungs, allowing the babies to inflate their lungs
more easily
Soft bones (osteomalacia) and rickets can be a problem in people who keep their entire skin surface
covered most of the time, for example, muslim women who wear a burka. Why would this be? -
CORRECT ANSWERS Bones rely on their calcium content to make them hard, and calcium
absorption into the body is dependent on the active form of vitamin D. Vitamin D is converted to an
active form by the action of sunlight on the skin. If the skin does not get any sunlight on it, then this
process will not occur, and bones will become soft.
The glucose tolerance test is used to diagnose diabetes. The test involves giving the subject a glucose
drink, and then monitoring the blood level of glucose at intervals afterwards. How does this test show
whether a person has diabetes or not? - CORRECT ANSWERS In a healthy person, the
blood glucose level should rise rapidly after drinking the glucose drink, but should drop to pre-test levels
within 2 hours, as insulin will have caused the removal of glucose from the blood stream into cells.
Urine dipsticks are a quick and easy way to check for a range of substances in the urine. If the dipstick
indicates that significant protein and blood is present in a urine sample, is this normal or abnormal? -
CORRECT ANSWERS Neither blood nor protein should be present in significant amounts in
urine, so both results suggest something is not quite right.
