The Ultimate WGU D344 Study Guide:
100 Practice Questions for the
Objective Assessment (OA) & Pre-
Assessment (PA) with Detailed
Clinical Rationales
SECTION 1: THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS & NURSING
PARADIGMS (Questions 1–20)
Question 1: Which statement best describes the relationship
between theory and research in nursing science?
A) Theory and research are completely unrelated components of
science
B) Research always precedes the development of theory
C) Theory may guide research through a deductive process or
generate research through an inductive process
D) Theory is a factual statement generated by research findings
Answer: C
Rationale: Theory and research are two core components of
science. Theory can guide research deductively (testing
hypotheses derived from theory) or be generated inductively from
,research findings. Both processes are essential to the
advancement of nursing science.
Question 2: A paradigm in nursing science is best defined as:
A) A specific research methodology
B) A worldview or widely accepted value system within a discipline
C) A clinical practice guideline
D) A hypothesis that has been proven through research
Answer: B
Rationale: A paradigm is a worldview or widely accepted value
system that provides a framework for thinking about a discipline.
In nursing, the paradigm encompasses a network of theory,
research, education, and practice that shapes how nurses
understand and approach patient care.
Question 3: What are the four components of the nursing
metaparadigm?
A) Theory, research, education, and practice
B) Person, environment, health, and nursing
C) Assessment, diagnosis, planning, and evaluation
D) Biological, psychological, social, and spiritual
Answer: B
,Rationale: The nursing metaparadigm consists of four central
concepts: person (the recipient of care), environment (internal and
external factors), health (the state of well-being), and nursing (the
actions taken to promote health). These components provide the
foundation for nursing theory and practice.
Question 4: Which theorist is most associated with
interpersonal relations theory in nursing?
A) Florence Nightingale
B) Hildegard Peplau
C) Dorothea Orem
D) Virginia Henderson
Answer: B
Rationale: Peplau's theory emphasizes the therapeutic nurse-
patient relationship and the interpersonal process in nursing. She
is considered the first nurse theorist who addressed psychiatric
and mental health nursing.
Question 5: Which theorist influenced Hildegard Peplau's
seminal work on the nurse-client relationship?
A) Sigmund Freud
B) Erik Erikson
, C) Harry Stack Sullivan
D) Abraham Maslow
Answer: C
Rationale: Harry Stack Sullivan's interpersonal theory heavily
influenced Peplau's work. Sullivan emphasized the role of
interpersonal relationships in personality development and mental
health, which became central to Peplau's nursing theory.
Question 6: Orem's Theory is best known as:
A) Interpersonal Relations Theory
B) Self-Care Deficit Theory
C) Psychosocial Development Theory
D) Humanistic Theory
Answer: B
Rationale: Dorothea Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory focuses on
the patient's self-care needs and the nurse's role in helping
patients meet those needs when they are unable to do so
independently. The theory guides nursing interventions to
support patients in achieving optimal health.
Question 7: Parse's Theory focuses on:
100 Practice Questions for the
Objective Assessment (OA) & Pre-
Assessment (PA) with Detailed
Clinical Rationales
SECTION 1: THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS & NURSING
PARADIGMS (Questions 1–20)
Question 1: Which statement best describes the relationship
between theory and research in nursing science?
A) Theory and research are completely unrelated components of
science
B) Research always precedes the development of theory
C) Theory may guide research through a deductive process or
generate research through an inductive process
D) Theory is a factual statement generated by research findings
Answer: C
Rationale: Theory and research are two core components of
science. Theory can guide research deductively (testing
hypotheses derived from theory) or be generated inductively from
,research findings. Both processes are essential to the
advancement of nursing science.
Question 2: A paradigm in nursing science is best defined as:
A) A specific research methodology
B) A worldview or widely accepted value system within a discipline
C) A clinical practice guideline
D) A hypothesis that has been proven through research
Answer: B
Rationale: A paradigm is a worldview or widely accepted value
system that provides a framework for thinking about a discipline.
In nursing, the paradigm encompasses a network of theory,
research, education, and practice that shapes how nurses
understand and approach patient care.
Question 3: What are the four components of the nursing
metaparadigm?
A) Theory, research, education, and practice
B) Person, environment, health, and nursing
C) Assessment, diagnosis, planning, and evaluation
D) Biological, psychological, social, and spiritual
Answer: B
,Rationale: The nursing metaparadigm consists of four central
concepts: person (the recipient of care), environment (internal and
external factors), health (the state of well-being), and nursing (the
actions taken to promote health). These components provide the
foundation for nursing theory and practice.
Question 4: Which theorist is most associated with
interpersonal relations theory in nursing?
A) Florence Nightingale
B) Hildegard Peplau
C) Dorothea Orem
D) Virginia Henderson
Answer: B
Rationale: Peplau's theory emphasizes the therapeutic nurse-
patient relationship and the interpersonal process in nursing. She
is considered the first nurse theorist who addressed psychiatric
and mental health nursing.
Question 5: Which theorist influenced Hildegard Peplau's
seminal work on the nurse-client relationship?
A) Sigmund Freud
B) Erik Erikson
, C) Harry Stack Sullivan
D) Abraham Maslow
Answer: C
Rationale: Harry Stack Sullivan's interpersonal theory heavily
influenced Peplau's work. Sullivan emphasized the role of
interpersonal relationships in personality development and mental
health, which became central to Peplau's nursing theory.
Question 6: Orem's Theory is best known as:
A) Interpersonal Relations Theory
B) Self-Care Deficit Theory
C) Psychosocial Development Theory
D) Humanistic Theory
Answer: B
Rationale: Dorothea Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory focuses on
the patient's self-care needs and the nurse's role in helping
patients meet those needs when they are unable to do so
independently. The theory guides nursing interventions to
support patients in achieving optimal health.
Question 7: Parse's Theory focuses on:
