NR 302 EXAM 2 -HEALTH ASSESSMENT I |ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS |BRAND
NEW 2026-2027 UPDATE|GRADED A+
Question 1
The nurse is preparing to assess a 55-year-old female. Which of the following will the
nurse do first?
Inspection
Percussion
Palpation
Auscultation
CORRECT ANSWER
Inspection
Inspection always precedes the other assessment skills and is never rushed. The order of
assessment techniques is: inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation, except
when assessing the abdomen, where the techniques are inspection, auscultation,
percussion, and palpation.
Nursing Process: Planning
Cognitive Level: Comprehension
Client Need: Physiological Integrity
Question 2
A client comes into the clinic with the complaint of swollen ankles. The nurse will utilize
which assessment technique to find out more information about this complaint?
Inspection
1
,Percussion
Palpation
Auscultation
CORRECT ANSWER
Palpation
Palpation is the use of touch to assess specific body characteristics, which include size,
shape, location, mobility, position, vibration, temperature, texture, moisture, tenderness,
and edema. Palpating the ankle will give the nurse information about tenderness,
temperature, mobility, and edema characteristics. Visual inspection is also included in
the assessment of the ankles, but palpation will yield the most information. Percussion
and auscultation are not techniques used to assess the ankles.
Nursing Process: Assessment
Cognitive Level: Synthesis
Client Need: Physiological Integrity
Question 3
A client comes into the clinic with acute right lower quadrant abdominal pain. During the
abdominal assessment of this client, the nurse realizes that:
This area should be palpated first.
This area should be palpated last.
This area should be assessed using deep palpation techniques.
This area should not be palpated.
CORRECT ANSWER
This area should be palpated last.
Known-painful areas of the body are usually the last areas to be palpated. Deep
palpation should be used with caution, especially if one suspects that there is
2
, inflammation, peritonitis, or ectopic pregnancy. The area should be assessed using light
to moderate palpation.
Nursing Process: Planning
Cognitive Level: Application
Client Need: Physiological Integrity
Question 4
The nurse is preparing to assess a client with flank pain and discomfort and pink-tinged
urine. Which of the following assessment techniques would be appropriate for the nurse
to use?
Direct percussion
Reflexive percussion
Indirect percussion
Blunt percussion
CORRECT ANSWER
Blunt percussion
Blunt percussion is used for assessing pain and tenderness in the gallbladder, liver, and
kidneys. With blunt percussion, the palm of the nondominant hand is flat against the
body and a closed fist is used to strike the hand on the body. Direct percussion is tapping
the body directly to examine the sinuses or the thorax of an infant. Reflexive percussion
is not an assessment technique. Indirect percussion is the most common method used to
produce sounds within the body. To perform indirect percussion, the middle finger of the
nondominant hand is placed firmly over the area being examined. The middle finger of
the dominant hand quickly strikes the middle finger of the nondominant hand, producing
vibrations and a sound.
Nursing Process: Assessment
Cognitive Level: Application
3
, Client Need: Physiological Integrity
Question 5
During the percussion of a client's abdomen, the nurse hears a loud, high-pitched,
drumlike tone. The nurse would document this sound as being:
Resonance
Hyperresonance
Tympany
Flatness
CORRECT ANSWER
Tympany
Tympany is a loud, high-pitched, drumlike tone of medium duration commonly heard
over the stomach or intestines. Resonance is a loud, low-pitched sound heard over the
lungs. Hyperresonance is a loud, long sound heard when air is trapped in the lungs.
Flatness is a soft, short sound heard over solid tissue such as bone.
Nursing Process: Assessment
Cognitive Level: Comprehension
Client Need: Physiological Integrity
Question 6
After auscultating the bowel sounds of a client, the nurse realizes the sounds were long.
Which of the following would be appropriate for the nurse to use to document this
finding?
Intensity
4
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS |BRAND
NEW 2026-2027 UPDATE|GRADED A+
Question 1
The nurse is preparing to assess a 55-year-old female. Which of the following will the
nurse do first?
Inspection
Percussion
Palpation
Auscultation
CORRECT ANSWER
Inspection
Inspection always precedes the other assessment skills and is never rushed. The order of
assessment techniques is: inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation, except
when assessing the abdomen, where the techniques are inspection, auscultation,
percussion, and palpation.
Nursing Process: Planning
Cognitive Level: Comprehension
Client Need: Physiological Integrity
Question 2
A client comes into the clinic with the complaint of swollen ankles. The nurse will utilize
which assessment technique to find out more information about this complaint?
Inspection
1
,Percussion
Palpation
Auscultation
CORRECT ANSWER
Palpation
Palpation is the use of touch to assess specific body characteristics, which include size,
shape, location, mobility, position, vibration, temperature, texture, moisture, tenderness,
and edema. Palpating the ankle will give the nurse information about tenderness,
temperature, mobility, and edema characteristics. Visual inspection is also included in
the assessment of the ankles, but palpation will yield the most information. Percussion
and auscultation are not techniques used to assess the ankles.
Nursing Process: Assessment
Cognitive Level: Synthesis
Client Need: Physiological Integrity
Question 3
A client comes into the clinic with acute right lower quadrant abdominal pain. During the
abdominal assessment of this client, the nurse realizes that:
This area should be palpated first.
This area should be palpated last.
This area should be assessed using deep palpation techniques.
This area should not be palpated.
CORRECT ANSWER
This area should be palpated last.
Known-painful areas of the body are usually the last areas to be palpated. Deep
palpation should be used with caution, especially if one suspects that there is
2
, inflammation, peritonitis, or ectopic pregnancy. The area should be assessed using light
to moderate palpation.
Nursing Process: Planning
Cognitive Level: Application
Client Need: Physiological Integrity
Question 4
The nurse is preparing to assess a client with flank pain and discomfort and pink-tinged
urine. Which of the following assessment techniques would be appropriate for the nurse
to use?
Direct percussion
Reflexive percussion
Indirect percussion
Blunt percussion
CORRECT ANSWER
Blunt percussion
Blunt percussion is used for assessing pain and tenderness in the gallbladder, liver, and
kidneys. With blunt percussion, the palm of the nondominant hand is flat against the
body and a closed fist is used to strike the hand on the body. Direct percussion is tapping
the body directly to examine the sinuses or the thorax of an infant. Reflexive percussion
is not an assessment technique. Indirect percussion is the most common method used to
produce sounds within the body. To perform indirect percussion, the middle finger of the
nondominant hand is placed firmly over the area being examined. The middle finger of
the dominant hand quickly strikes the middle finger of the nondominant hand, producing
vibrations and a sound.
Nursing Process: Assessment
Cognitive Level: Application
3
, Client Need: Physiological Integrity
Question 5
During the percussion of a client's abdomen, the nurse hears a loud, high-pitched,
drumlike tone. The nurse would document this sound as being:
Resonance
Hyperresonance
Tympany
Flatness
CORRECT ANSWER
Tympany
Tympany is a loud, high-pitched, drumlike tone of medium duration commonly heard
over the stomach or intestines. Resonance is a loud, low-pitched sound heard over the
lungs. Hyperresonance is a loud, long sound heard when air is trapped in the lungs.
Flatness is a soft, short sound heard over solid tissue such as bone.
Nursing Process: Assessment
Cognitive Level: Comprehension
Client Need: Physiological Integrity
Question 6
After auscultating the bowel sounds of a client, the nurse realizes the sounds were long.
Which of the following would be appropriate for the nurse to use to document this
finding?
Intensity
4
