NURSING · PATHOPHYSIOLOGY · FOUNDATIONS
N212 Pathophysiology Exam 1 Study Guide
2026/2027 A+
Complete Blueprint Coverage · Cellular Injury to Early Disease Exemplars
A+ 5 100%
QUESTIONS VERIFIED EXAM DOMAINS COVERED RATIONALES INCLUDED
CATEGORIES
Cellular Injury, Adaptation & Death
Inflammation & Tissue Repair
Fluid, Electrolyte & Acid-Base Balance
Immunity & Hypersensitivity
Stress, Infection & Selected Exemplars
STUVIAACTUALEXAM
, CELLULAR INJURY, ADAPTATION & DEATH
Q1
A 58-year-old man with long-standing hypertension is found to have left-ventricular wall thickening on echocardiogram.
The myocardial cells have increased in size without an increase in cell number. This adaptive change is best classified
as which of the following?
A. Atrophy of the left ventricle
B. Metaplasia of cardiac tissue
C. Hyperplasia of cardiac myocytes
D. Hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Hypertrophy is an increase in cell size. Cardiac myocytes have limited capacity to divide, so chronic pressure overload produces
hypertrophy rather than hyperplasia.
Q2
A pathologist examines a liver biopsy from a patient with chronic alcohol use and notes intracellular accumulation of
triglycerides. This finding is an example of which cellular response to injury?
A. Apoptosis of hepatocytes
B. Caseous necrosis
C. Fatty change (steatosis)
D. Coagulative necrosis
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Fatty change is a reversible accumulation of lipid within parenchymal cells, commonly seen in the liver with toxic or metabolic injury
such as alcohol exposure.
Q3
After a myocardial infarction, the affected cardiac muscle cells show loss of nuclei, eosinophilic cytoplasm, and
preservation of tissue architecture for several days. This pattern of cell death is termed which of the following?
A. Liquefactive necrosis
B. Coagulative necrosis
C. Fat necrosis
D. Gangrenous necrosis only
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Coagulative necrosis is the typical pattern in ischemic injury of solid organs (heart, kidney, spleen). Protein denaturation preserves
the cellular outlines temporarily.
, Q4
A patient develops a cerebral infarct. The necrotic brain tissue is soft and eventually forms a cystic cavity. This type of
necrosis is best described as which of the following?
A. Liquefactive necrosis
B. Coagulative necrosis
C. Caseous necrosis
D. Fibrinoid necrosis
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Brain tissue undergoes liquefactive necrosis after ischemia because of high lipid content and enzymatic digestion by inflammatory
cells, producing a fluid-filled cavity.
Q5
A cervical biopsy from a long-time smoker shows replacement of normal columnar epithelium by stratified squamous
epithelium. This adaptive change is called which of the following?
A. Dysplasia
B. Metaplasia
C. Hyperplasia
D. Neoplasia
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Metaplasia is the reversible replacement of one differentiated cell type by another that is better able to withstand a chronic
stressor, such as cigarette smoke.
Q6
Programmed cell death that occurs during normal development and does not elicit inflammation is known as which of
the following?
A. Pyroptosis
B. Apoptosis
C. Necrosis
D. Autophagy only
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Apoptosis is energy-dependent, genetically regulated cell death that packages cellular contents and avoids inflammation, in
contrast to necrosis.
N212 Pathophysiology Exam 1 Study Guide
2026/2027 A+
Complete Blueprint Coverage · Cellular Injury to Early Disease Exemplars
A+ 5 100%
QUESTIONS VERIFIED EXAM DOMAINS COVERED RATIONALES INCLUDED
CATEGORIES
Cellular Injury, Adaptation & Death
Inflammation & Tissue Repair
Fluid, Electrolyte & Acid-Base Balance
Immunity & Hypersensitivity
Stress, Infection & Selected Exemplars
STUVIAACTUALEXAM
, CELLULAR INJURY, ADAPTATION & DEATH
Q1
A 58-year-old man with long-standing hypertension is found to have left-ventricular wall thickening on echocardiogram.
The myocardial cells have increased in size without an increase in cell number. This adaptive change is best classified
as which of the following?
A. Atrophy of the left ventricle
B. Metaplasia of cardiac tissue
C. Hyperplasia of cardiac myocytes
D. Hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Hypertrophy is an increase in cell size. Cardiac myocytes have limited capacity to divide, so chronic pressure overload produces
hypertrophy rather than hyperplasia.
Q2
A pathologist examines a liver biopsy from a patient with chronic alcohol use and notes intracellular accumulation of
triglycerides. This finding is an example of which cellular response to injury?
A. Apoptosis of hepatocytes
B. Caseous necrosis
C. Fatty change (steatosis)
D. Coagulative necrosis
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Fatty change is a reversible accumulation of lipid within parenchymal cells, commonly seen in the liver with toxic or metabolic injury
such as alcohol exposure.
Q3
After a myocardial infarction, the affected cardiac muscle cells show loss of nuclei, eosinophilic cytoplasm, and
preservation of tissue architecture for several days. This pattern of cell death is termed which of the following?
A. Liquefactive necrosis
B. Coagulative necrosis
C. Fat necrosis
D. Gangrenous necrosis only
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Coagulative necrosis is the typical pattern in ischemic injury of solid organs (heart, kidney, spleen). Protein denaturation preserves
the cellular outlines temporarily.
, Q4
A patient develops a cerebral infarct. The necrotic brain tissue is soft and eventually forms a cystic cavity. This type of
necrosis is best described as which of the following?
A. Liquefactive necrosis
B. Coagulative necrosis
C. Caseous necrosis
D. Fibrinoid necrosis
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Brain tissue undergoes liquefactive necrosis after ischemia because of high lipid content and enzymatic digestion by inflammatory
cells, producing a fluid-filled cavity.
Q5
A cervical biopsy from a long-time smoker shows replacement of normal columnar epithelium by stratified squamous
epithelium. This adaptive change is called which of the following?
A. Dysplasia
B. Metaplasia
C. Hyperplasia
D. Neoplasia
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Metaplasia is the reversible replacement of one differentiated cell type by another that is better able to withstand a chronic
stressor, such as cigarette smoke.
Q6
Programmed cell death that occurs during normal development and does not elicit inflammation is known as which of
the following?
A. Pyroptosis
B. Apoptosis
C. Necrosis
D. Autophagy only
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Apoptosis is energy-dependent, genetically regulated cell death that packages cellular contents and avoids inflammation, in
contrast to necrosis.
