A DVA N C E D PAT H O P H YS I O L O G Y
NSG 530
Exam 2
Wilkes University | Graduate Nursing
Practice Examination | 2026
1 0 0 QU E S TI ON S | WI TH RATI ON ALE S
,NSG 530 Advanced Pathophysiology Exam 2 Practice Examination
GRADUATE NURSING | ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY | PRACTICE EXAMINATION
Exam 2 Practice Examination
100 single-best-answer questions with answers and rationales | 2026
Directions. Each of the following 100 questions or incomplete statements is followed by four options
(A-D). Select the single best answer for each item. The correct answer and a brief rationale appear
immediately below each question, so cover the answer region if you wish to simulate examination
conditions.
Content spans inflammation and tissue repair, fever, immunity and hypersensitivity, infection, cancer
biology, and hematologic disorders, weighted toward the mid-course core of a typical advanced
pathophysiology curriculum. Suggested time is 150 minutes; each question is worth 1 point, for a total of
100 points.
This is an independent practice examination written for self-assessment and curriculum review. It is not an
official Wilkes University examination and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any institution.
1. During the vascular phase of acute inflammation, circulating neutrophils
slow down, roll along the vessel wall, and adhere to the endothelial surface at
the site of injury. Which term describes this process?
A. Diapedesis
B. Margination
C. Chemotaxis
D. Opsonization
Correct answer: B
Rationale. Margination (also called pavementing) is the adherence of
leukocytes to the endothelial lining, driven by selectin-mediated rolling
followed by integrin-mediated firm adhesion. Diapedesis is the next step, in
which the cells squeeze through interendothelial junctions into the tissue.
Chemotaxis refers to directed migration along a chemical gradient after the
cell has exited the vessel, and opsonization is the coating of microbes to
facilitate phagocytosis, not vascular adhesion.
100-question practice examination 1
,NSG 530 Advanced Pathophysiology Exam 2 Practice Examination
2. Which group of chemical mediators is most directly responsible for the
immediate increase in vascular permeability seen in the early acute
inflammatory response?
A. Interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha
B. Complement fragment C3b and immunoglobulin G
C. Histamine, bradykinin, and leukotrienes
D. Platelet-derived growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta
Correct answer: C
Rationale. Histamine released from mast cells, bradykinin generated by the
kinin system, and the leukotrienes C4, D4, and E4 cause endothelial cell
contraction, opening intercellular gaps and producing the immediate transient
increase in permeability. Interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis
factor-alpha primarily mediate fever and the hepatic acute-phase response.
C3b is an opsonin, and growth factors such as platelet-derived growth factor
drive later repair and fibroblast proliferation rather than the immediate
permeability change.
3. A nurse practitioner is reviewing the cellular profile of an acute bacterial
abscess. Which leukocyte is the predominant phagocytic cell in this exudate?
A. Neutrophil
B. Macrophage
C. Eosinophil
D. Lymphocyte
Correct answer: A
Rationale. The neutrophil is the first responder and principal phagocyte of
acute bacterial inflammation, arriving within the first 6 to 24 hours and
dominating purulent exudates. Macrophages appear later, at 24 to 48
hours, and predominate in chronic inflammation. Eosinophils are
characteristic of parasitic infection and allergic responses, while
lymphocytes mediate adaptive, antigen-specific immunity rather than
acute bacterial clearance.
4. A lung biopsy from a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis reveals well-
circumscribed granulomas containing central caseous necrosis, epithelioid cells,
and multinucleated giant cells. Which cell type is the central effector in forming
100-question practice examination 2
, NSG 530 Advanced Pathophysiology Exam 2 Practice Examination
these granulomas?
A. The macrophage, activated by T-helper 1 lymphocyte cytokines
B. The neutrophil, which generates purulent destruction of lung parenchyma
C. The eosinophil, recruited by interleukin-5
D. The natural killer cell, which directly lyses infected tissue
Correct answer: A
Rationale. Granulomatous inflammation is a form of chronic
inflammation in which interferon-gamma from T-helper 1 lymphocytes
activates macrophages, transforming them into epithelioid cells that
fuse into Langhans-type giant cells and wall off the indigestible
organism.
Neutrophils would produce suppurative, not granulomatous, injury, and
eosinophils signal allergic or parasitic disease. Natural killer cells contribute
to early antiviral defense but do not construct granulomas.
100-question practice examination 3
NSG 530
Exam 2
Wilkes University | Graduate Nursing
Practice Examination | 2026
1 0 0 QU E S TI ON S | WI TH RATI ON ALE S
,NSG 530 Advanced Pathophysiology Exam 2 Practice Examination
GRADUATE NURSING | ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY | PRACTICE EXAMINATION
Exam 2 Practice Examination
100 single-best-answer questions with answers and rationales | 2026
Directions. Each of the following 100 questions or incomplete statements is followed by four options
(A-D). Select the single best answer for each item. The correct answer and a brief rationale appear
immediately below each question, so cover the answer region if you wish to simulate examination
conditions.
Content spans inflammation and tissue repair, fever, immunity and hypersensitivity, infection, cancer
biology, and hematologic disorders, weighted toward the mid-course core of a typical advanced
pathophysiology curriculum. Suggested time is 150 minutes; each question is worth 1 point, for a total of
100 points.
This is an independent practice examination written for self-assessment and curriculum review. It is not an
official Wilkes University examination and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any institution.
1. During the vascular phase of acute inflammation, circulating neutrophils
slow down, roll along the vessel wall, and adhere to the endothelial surface at
the site of injury. Which term describes this process?
A. Diapedesis
B. Margination
C. Chemotaxis
D. Opsonization
Correct answer: B
Rationale. Margination (also called pavementing) is the adherence of
leukocytes to the endothelial lining, driven by selectin-mediated rolling
followed by integrin-mediated firm adhesion. Diapedesis is the next step, in
which the cells squeeze through interendothelial junctions into the tissue.
Chemotaxis refers to directed migration along a chemical gradient after the
cell has exited the vessel, and opsonization is the coating of microbes to
facilitate phagocytosis, not vascular adhesion.
100-question practice examination 1
,NSG 530 Advanced Pathophysiology Exam 2 Practice Examination
2. Which group of chemical mediators is most directly responsible for the
immediate increase in vascular permeability seen in the early acute
inflammatory response?
A. Interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha
B. Complement fragment C3b and immunoglobulin G
C. Histamine, bradykinin, and leukotrienes
D. Platelet-derived growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta
Correct answer: C
Rationale. Histamine released from mast cells, bradykinin generated by the
kinin system, and the leukotrienes C4, D4, and E4 cause endothelial cell
contraction, opening intercellular gaps and producing the immediate transient
increase in permeability. Interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis
factor-alpha primarily mediate fever and the hepatic acute-phase response.
C3b is an opsonin, and growth factors such as platelet-derived growth factor
drive later repair and fibroblast proliferation rather than the immediate
permeability change.
3. A nurse practitioner is reviewing the cellular profile of an acute bacterial
abscess. Which leukocyte is the predominant phagocytic cell in this exudate?
A. Neutrophil
B. Macrophage
C. Eosinophil
D. Lymphocyte
Correct answer: A
Rationale. The neutrophil is the first responder and principal phagocyte of
acute bacterial inflammation, arriving within the first 6 to 24 hours and
dominating purulent exudates. Macrophages appear later, at 24 to 48
hours, and predominate in chronic inflammation. Eosinophils are
characteristic of parasitic infection and allergic responses, while
lymphocytes mediate adaptive, antigen-specific immunity rather than
acute bacterial clearance.
4. A lung biopsy from a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis reveals well-
circumscribed granulomas containing central caseous necrosis, epithelioid cells,
and multinucleated giant cells. Which cell type is the central effector in forming
100-question practice examination 2
, NSG 530 Advanced Pathophysiology Exam 2 Practice Examination
these granulomas?
A. The macrophage, activated by T-helper 1 lymphocyte cytokines
B. The neutrophil, which generates purulent destruction of lung parenchyma
C. The eosinophil, recruited by interleukin-5
D. The natural killer cell, which directly lyses infected tissue
Correct answer: A
Rationale. Granulomatous inflammation is a form of chronic
inflammation in which interferon-gamma from T-helper 1 lymphocytes
activates macrophages, transforming them into epithelioid cells that
fuse into Langhans-type giant cells and wall off the indigestible
organism.
Neutrophils would produce suppurative, not granulomatous, injury, and
eosinophils signal allergic or parasitic disease. Natural killer cells contribute
to early antiviral defense but do not construct granulomas.
100-question practice examination 3
