HESI A2 Critical Thinking Exam Questions
and Verified Answers with Rationales
Question 1
The nurse is assessing a patient's apical impulse. Which of these statements is true
regarding the apical impulse?
A) It is palpable in all adults.
B) It occurs with the onset of diastole.
C) Its location may be indicative of heart size.
D) It should normally be palpable in the anterior axillary line.
Correct Answer
C) Its location may be indicative of heart size.
Page: 473 | Page: 492. The apical impulse is palpable in about 50% of adults. It is
located in the fifth left intercostal space in the midclavicular line. Horizontal or
downward displacement of the apical impulse may indicate an enlargement of the
left ventricle.
Question 2
When using a Doppler ultrasonic stethoscope, the nurse recognizes arterial flow when
which sound is heard?
A) Low humming sound
B) Regular "lub, dub" pattern
C) Swishing, whooshing sound
D) Steady, even, flowing sound
Correct Answer
C) Swishing, whooshing sound
Pages: 515-516. When using the Doppler ultrasonic stethoscope, the pulse site is
found when one hears a swishing, whooshing sound.
Page 1 of 199
,Question 3
During an examination, the nurse can assess mental status by which activity?
A) Examining the patient's electroencephalogram
B) Observing the patient as he or she performs an IQ test
C) Observing the patient and inferring health or dysfunction
D) Examining the patient's response to a specific set of questions
Correct Answer
C) Observing the patient and inferring health or dysfunction
Page: 71. Mental status cannot be scrutinized directly like the characteristics of skin
or heart sounds. Its functioning is inferred through assessment of an individual's
behaviors, such as consciousness, language, mood and affect, and other aspects.
Question 4
If an American Indian has come to the clinic to seek help with regulating her diabetes,
the nurse can expect that she:
A) will comply with the treatment prescribed.
B) has obviously given up her beliefs in naturalistic causes of disease.
C) may also be seeking the assistance of a shaman or medicine man.
D) will need extra help in dealing with her illness and may be experiencing a crisis of
faith.
Correct Answer
C) may also be seeking the assistance of a shaman or medicine man.
Page: 23 When self-treatment is unsuccessful, the individual may turn to the lay or
folk healing systems, to spiritual or religious healing, or to scientific biomedicine. In
addition to seeking help from a biomedical or scientific health care provider,
patients may also seek help from folk or religious healers.
Page 2 of 199
,Question 5
The nurse is performing an assessment on a 7-year-old child who has symptoms of
chronic watery eyes, sneezing, and clear nasal drainage. The nurse notices the
presence of a transverse line across the bridge of the nose, dark blue shadows below
the eyes, and a double crease on the lower eyelids. These findings are characteristic
of:
A) allergies.
B) a sinus infection.
C) nasal congestion.
D) an upper respiratory infection.
Correct Answer
A) allergies.
Page: 275. Chronic allergies often develop chronic facial characteristics. These
include blue shadows below the eyes, a double or single crease on the lower
eyelids, open-mouth breathing, and a transverse line on the nose.
Question 6
The nurse is assessing a 75-year-old man. As the nurse begins the mental status
portion of the assessment, the nurse expects that this patient:
A) will have no decrease in any of his abilities, including response time.
B) will have difficulty on tests of remote memory because this typically decreases with
age.
C) may take a little longer to respond, but his general knowledge and abilities should
not have declined.
D) will have had a decrease in his response time because of language loss and a
decrease in general knowledge.
Correct Answer
C) may take a little longer to respond, but his general knowledge and abilities
should not have declined.
Page: 72. The aging process leaves the parameters of mental status mostly intact.
There is no decrease in general knowledge and little or no loss in vocabulary.
Response time is slower than in youth. It takes a bit longer for the brain to process
information and to react to it. Recent memory, which requires some processing is
somewhat decreased with aging, but remote memory is not affected.
Page 3 of 199
, Question 7
While the nurse is taking the history of a 68-year-old patient who sustained a head
injury 3 days earlier, he tells the nurse that he is on a cruise ship and is 30 years old.
The nurse knows that this finding is indicative of:
A) a great sense of humor.
B) uncooperative behavior.
C) inability to understand questions.
D) decreased level of consciousness.
Correct Answer
D) decreased level of consciousness.
Pages: 660-661. A change in consciousness may be subtle. The nurse should notice
any decreasing level of consciousness, disorientation, memory loss, uncooperative
behavior, or even complacency in a previously combative person. The other
responses are incorrect.
Question 8
An elderly Mexican-American woman with traditional beliefs has been admitted to an
inpatient care unit. A culturally-sensitive nurse would:
A) contact the hospital administrator about the best course of action.
B) automatically get a curandero for her because it is not culturally appropriate for her
to request one.
C) further assess the patient's cultural beliefs and offer the patient assistance in
contacting a curandero or priest if she desires.
D) ask the family what they would like to do because Mexican-Americans traditionally
give control of decisions to their families.
Correct Answer
C) further assess the patient's cultural beliefs and offer the patient assistance in
contacting a curandero or priest if she desires.
Pages: 22-23 In addition to seeking help from the biomedical/scientific health care
provider, patients may also seek help from folk or religious healers. Some people,
such as those of Mexican-American or American Indian origins, may believe that the
cure is incomplete unless the body, mind, and spirit are also healed (although the
division of the person into parts is a Western concept).
Page 4 of 199
and Verified Answers with Rationales
Question 1
The nurse is assessing a patient's apical impulse. Which of these statements is true
regarding the apical impulse?
A) It is palpable in all adults.
B) It occurs with the onset of diastole.
C) Its location may be indicative of heart size.
D) It should normally be palpable in the anterior axillary line.
Correct Answer
C) Its location may be indicative of heart size.
Page: 473 | Page: 492. The apical impulse is palpable in about 50% of adults. It is
located in the fifth left intercostal space in the midclavicular line. Horizontal or
downward displacement of the apical impulse may indicate an enlargement of the
left ventricle.
Question 2
When using a Doppler ultrasonic stethoscope, the nurse recognizes arterial flow when
which sound is heard?
A) Low humming sound
B) Regular "lub, dub" pattern
C) Swishing, whooshing sound
D) Steady, even, flowing sound
Correct Answer
C) Swishing, whooshing sound
Pages: 515-516. When using the Doppler ultrasonic stethoscope, the pulse site is
found when one hears a swishing, whooshing sound.
Page 1 of 199
,Question 3
During an examination, the nurse can assess mental status by which activity?
A) Examining the patient's electroencephalogram
B) Observing the patient as he or she performs an IQ test
C) Observing the patient and inferring health or dysfunction
D) Examining the patient's response to a specific set of questions
Correct Answer
C) Observing the patient and inferring health or dysfunction
Page: 71. Mental status cannot be scrutinized directly like the characteristics of skin
or heart sounds. Its functioning is inferred through assessment of an individual's
behaviors, such as consciousness, language, mood and affect, and other aspects.
Question 4
If an American Indian has come to the clinic to seek help with regulating her diabetes,
the nurse can expect that she:
A) will comply with the treatment prescribed.
B) has obviously given up her beliefs in naturalistic causes of disease.
C) may also be seeking the assistance of a shaman or medicine man.
D) will need extra help in dealing with her illness and may be experiencing a crisis of
faith.
Correct Answer
C) may also be seeking the assistance of a shaman or medicine man.
Page: 23 When self-treatment is unsuccessful, the individual may turn to the lay or
folk healing systems, to spiritual or religious healing, or to scientific biomedicine. In
addition to seeking help from a biomedical or scientific health care provider,
patients may also seek help from folk or religious healers.
Page 2 of 199
,Question 5
The nurse is performing an assessment on a 7-year-old child who has symptoms of
chronic watery eyes, sneezing, and clear nasal drainage. The nurse notices the
presence of a transverse line across the bridge of the nose, dark blue shadows below
the eyes, and a double crease on the lower eyelids. These findings are characteristic
of:
A) allergies.
B) a sinus infection.
C) nasal congestion.
D) an upper respiratory infection.
Correct Answer
A) allergies.
Page: 275. Chronic allergies often develop chronic facial characteristics. These
include blue shadows below the eyes, a double or single crease on the lower
eyelids, open-mouth breathing, and a transverse line on the nose.
Question 6
The nurse is assessing a 75-year-old man. As the nurse begins the mental status
portion of the assessment, the nurse expects that this patient:
A) will have no decrease in any of his abilities, including response time.
B) will have difficulty on tests of remote memory because this typically decreases with
age.
C) may take a little longer to respond, but his general knowledge and abilities should
not have declined.
D) will have had a decrease in his response time because of language loss and a
decrease in general knowledge.
Correct Answer
C) may take a little longer to respond, but his general knowledge and abilities
should not have declined.
Page: 72. The aging process leaves the parameters of mental status mostly intact.
There is no decrease in general knowledge and little or no loss in vocabulary.
Response time is slower than in youth. It takes a bit longer for the brain to process
information and to react to it. Recent memory, which requires some processing is
somewhat decreased with aging, but remote memory is not affected.
Page 3 of 199
, Question 7
While the nurse is taking the history of a 68-year-old patient who sustained a head
injury 3 days earlier, he tells the nurse that he is on a cruise ship and is 30 years old.
The nurse knows that this finding is indicative of:
A) a great sense of humor.
B) uncooperative behavior.
C) inability to understand questions.
D) decreased level of consciousness.
Correct Answer
D) decreased level of consciousness.
Pages: 660-661. A change in consciousness may be subtle. The nurse should notice
any decreasing level of consciousness, disorientation, memory loss, uncooperative
behavior, or even complacency in a previously combative person. The other
responses are incorrect.
Question 8
An elderly Mexican-American woman with traditional beliefs has been admitted to an
inpatient care unit. A culturally-sensitive nurse would:
A) contact the hospital administrator about the best course of action.
B) automatically get a curandero for her because it is not culturally appropriate for her
to request one.
C) further assess the patient's cultural beliefs and offer the patient assistance in
contacting a curandero or priest if she desires.
D) ask the family what they would like to do because Mexican-Americans traditionally
give control of decisions to their families.
Correct Answer
C) further assess the patient's cultural beliefs and offer the patient assistance in
contacting a curandero or priest if she desires.
Pages: 22-23 In addition to seeking help from the biomedical/scientific health care
provider, patients may also seek help from folk or religious healers. Some people,
such as those of Mexican-American or American Indian origins, may believe that the
cure is incomplete unless the body, mind, and spirit are also healed (although the
division of the person into parts is a Western concept).
Page 4 of 199
