NUR 239 EXAM 4 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | NUR 239
STUDY GUIDE & PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027
When explaining genetic coding to a group of students, the instructor discusses gene activation and
deactivation. It was stressed that inactivation of a gene requires which of the following processes? -
correct answer ✔✔Methylation of histone amino acid
When an infant is born with gene mutations in his cells, the nurse explains to the parents that accidental
errors may be a result of: Select all that apply. - correct answer ✔✔Loss of one or more base pairs
Substitution of one base pair for another
Rearrangement of the base pairs
Which of the following statements is true of genetic mutations? - correct answer ✔✔Mutations may
result from environmental agents.
While explaining the individual differences in physical traits in the family group, the health care provider
states this is usually a result of: - correct answer ✔✔Small DNA sequence variation
Which genetic disorders (body system) have a high requirement for oxidative metabolism associated
with mitochondrial DNA? - correct answer ✔✔Neuromuscular disorders
Which of the following statements is true of messenger RNA (mRNA)? - correct answer ✔✔mRNA
provides the template for protein synthesis.
When comparing and contrasting the various forms of RNA, the pathophysiology instructor identifies
that ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is unique in that it: - correct answer ✔✔Is produced in the nucleolus
A physiology instructor asks the students about the purpose of the promoter region on a DNA strand.
Which student response is most accurate? - correct answer ✔✔Contains amino acids that the RNA
polymerase recognized and binds to, thus starting the replication process
Splicing of mRNA during processing permits a cell to: - correct answer ✔✔Form different proteins
A genetic test result returns noting that the specimen (client) has inclusion bodies in the sample. The
health care provider can associate this result with the development of which pathologic disease process?
Select all that apply. - correct answer ✔✔Alzheimer disease
Parkinson disease
Which of the following would be an example of gene expression? Select all that apply. - correct answer
✔✔Control of insulin expression so it gives a signal for blood glucose regulation
Increasing the amount of UV light exposure to end up with darker skin
Identifying the genetic sex of a child is based on finding intracellular Barr bodies that consist of: - correct
answer ✔✔Inactive chromatin material
,Prenatal genetic testing that counts the number of Barr bodies in a chromosome is able to determine: -
correct answer ✔✔The genetic sex of a child
Crossing-over of chromatid segments during meiosis division 1 results in: - correct answer ✔✔New gene
combinations
When discussing upcoming chromosome studies, a client asks, "What kind of sample are they going to
take to do these tests?" The nurse replies, "The most common cells used for this purpose are: - correct
answer ✔✔Lymphocytes from a venous blood specimen."
While lecturing on inheritance patterns, a student asks, "My mother has blue eyes and my father has
brown eyes. All my siblings have brown eyes except me. How can this happen?" Which of the following is
the most accurate response? - correct answer ✔✔Phenotypically, the brown-eyed persons are the same,
but genotypically they are different.
The gene responsible for a particular congenital cardiac anomaly is said to have complete penetrance.
What are the clinical implications of this fact? - correct answer ✔✔All the individuals who possess the
gene will exhibit the anomaly.
A pregnant female has been told she is a carrier for fragile X syndrome. She asks, "What does that
mean?" The health care provider explains that she is heterozygous for fragile X recessive trait, but this
will only be a problem if: - correct answer ✔✔The expressed pairing becomes homozygous.
A child with cystic fibrosis (CF) asks the nurse why he has this disease, but his parents are perfectly
healthy. The nurse explains: - correct answer ✔✔Both parents are carriers and have a recessive
genotype with alleles for CF.
When discussing linkage studies, the instructor mentions that colorblindness is found in a small section
of the X chromosome and has been linked to development of which of the following diseases? Select all
that apply. - correct answer ✔✔Hemophilia A
Adrenal hyperplasia
A client diagnosed with a cancer has been prescribed monoclonal antibodies as a treatment option. He
asks the health care provider, "What are you talking about? I've never heard of this treatment. Is it
experimental?" The health care provider explains somatic cell hybridization to the client by explaining
that: - correct answer ✔✔Researchers inject mice with an antigen from human cancer cells. They then
harvest the antibody-producing cells from the mice and individually fuse them with a cancerous cell.
From the following list, which medications have been developed utilizing recombinant DNA technology?
Select all that apply. - correct answer ✔✔Insulin, for clients with diabetes
Erythropoietin to help the body generate more RBCs
Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to dissolve a clot in the brain
When a client with a kidney transplant develops graft versus host disease, a suicide gene transfer can be
accomplished by: - correct answer ✔✔Infusion of donor lymphocytes
Which of the following facts underlies the application of RNA interference in the treatment of disease? -
correct answer ✔✔Faulty gene activity that produces unwanted proteins can sometimes be stopped.
, Which of the following is an application of recombinant DNA technology? - correct answer
✔✔Production of human insulin
Genetic disorders that involve a single-gene trait are characterized by: - correct answer ✔✔Mendelian
patterns of transmission
In one family, a son was born with polydactyly toes while his sister had polydactyly fingers. In explaining
this phenomenon in genetic terms to the parents, which concept should be addressed? - correct answer
✔✔Variable expressivity of a gene
A woman who is a carrier for which of the following diseases possesses the greatest likelihood of passing
the disease to her future children when heterozygous pairing exists? - correct answer
✔✔Neurofibromatosis
A 16-year-old male presents to the clinic complaining of headaches, trouble hearing the teacher in the
front of the classroom, and ringing in the ears. He also revealed that every time he goes swimming
underwater, he gets disorientated (which never happened when he was younger). Given these
manifestations, the health care provider is going to start testing for: - correct answer ✔✔Neurofibromas
Which of the following statements is true of autosomal recessive disorders? - correct answer ✔✔Effects
are typically the result of alterations in enzyme function.
Following routine newborn testing, an infant has been diagnosed with an elevated phenylalanine level.
The nurse teaches the parents to follow a strict low-protein diet to prevent which of the following major
complications for the infant? - correct answer ✔✔Impaired brain development
When a male child inherits an X-linked disorder from his heterozygous carrier mother: - correct answer
✔✔Some of his sisters will be carriers.
When quizzing obstetrical nursing students regarding tissues affected by mitochondrial DNA mutations,
the instructor accepts which of the following responses? Select all that apply. - correct answer
✔✔Retinal degeneration
Deafness
Which of the following statements about multifactorial inheritance disorders are accurate to share with
a family of a child born with a cleft lip and palate? Multifactorial inheritance disorders: Select all that
apply. - correct answer ✔✔Carry the same risk for recurrence with future pregnancies
Have an increased risk among first-degree relatives of the affected person
The parents of a newborn infant are relieved that their baby was born healthy, with the exception of a
cleft lip that will be surgically corrected in 10 or 12 weeks. Which of the nurse's following statements to
the parent's best conveys the probable cause of the infant's cleft lip? - correct answer ✔✔"Your child's
cleft lip likely results from the interplay between environment and genes."
Which of the following practitioners is most likely to be of immediate assistance in the first 24 hours
following delivery of an infant with a cleft lip? - correct answer ✔✔Lactation consultant
STUDY GUIDE & PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027
When explaining genetic coding to a group of students, the instructor discusses gene activation and
deactivation. It was stressed that inactivation of a gene requires which of the following processes? -
correct answer ✔✔Methylation of histone amino acid
When an infant is born with gene mutations in his cells, the nurse explains to the parents that accidental
errors may be a result of: Select all that apply. - correct answer ✔✔Loss of one or more base pairs
Substitution of one base pair for another
Rearrangement of the base pairs
Which of the following statements is true of genetic mutations? - correct answer ✔✔Mutations may
result from environmental agents.
While explaining the individual differences in physical traits in the family group, the health care provider
states this is usually a result of: - correct answer ✔✔Small DNA sequence variation
Which genetic disorders (body system) have a high requirement for oxidative metabolism associated
with mitochondrial DNA? - correct answer ✔✔Neuromuscular disorders
Which of the following statements is true of messenger RNA (mRNA)? - correct answer ✔✔mRNA
provides the template for protein synthesis.
When comparing and contrasting the various forms of RNA, the pathophysiology instructor identifies
that ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is unique in that it: - correct answer ✔✔Is produced in the nucleolus
A physiology instructor asks the students about the purpose of the promoter region on a DNA strand.
Which student response is most accurate? - correct answer ✔✔Contains amino acids that the RNA
polymerase recognized and binds to, thus starting the replication process
Splicing of mRNA during processing permits a cell to: - correct answer ✔✔Form different proteins
A genetic test result returns noting that the specimen (client) has inclusion bodies in the sample. The
health care provider can associate this result with the development of which pathologic disease process?
Select all that apply. - correct answer ✔✔Alzheimer disease
Parkinson disease
Which of the following would be an example of gene expression? Select all that apply. - correct answer
✔✔Control of insulin expression so it gives a signal for blood glucose regulation
Increasing the amount of UV light exposure to end up with darker skin
Identifying the genetic sex of a child is based on finding intracellular Barr bodies that consist of: - correct
answer ✔✔Inactive chromatin material
,Prenatal genetic testing that counts the number of Barr bodies in a chromosome is able to determine: -
correct answer ✔✔The genetic sex of a child
Crossing-over of chromatid segments during meiosis division 1 results in: - correct answer ✔✔New gene
combinations
When discussing upcoming chromosome studies, a client asks, "What kind of sample are they going to
take to do these tests?" The nurse replies, "The most common cells used for this purpose are: - correct
answer ✔✔Lymphocytes from a venous blood specimen."
While lecturing on inheritance patterns, a student asks, "My mother has blue eyes and my father has
brown eyes. All my siblings have brown eyes except me. How can this happen?" Which of the following is
the most accurate response? - correct answer ✔✔Phenotypically, the brown-eyed persons are the same,
but genotypically they are different.
The gene responsible for a particular congenital cardiac anomaly is said to have complete penetrance.
What are the clinical implications of this fact? - correct answer ✔✔All the individuals who possess the
gene will exhibit the anomaly.
A pregnant female has been told she is a carrier for fragile X syndrome. She asks, "What does that
mean?" The health care provider explains that she is heterozygous for fragile X recessive trait, but this
will only be a problem if: - correct answer ✔✔The expressed pairing becomes homozygous.
A child with cystic fibrosis (CF) asks the nurse why he has this disease, but his parents are perfectly
healthy. The nurse explains: - correct answer ✔✔Both parents are carriers and have a recessive
genotype with alleles for CF.
When discussing linkage studies, the instructor mentions that colorblindness is found in a small section
of the X chromosome and has been linked to development of which of the following diseases? Select all
that apply. - correct answer ✔✔Hemophilia A
Adrenal hyperplasia
A client diagnosed with a cancer has been prescribed monoclonal antibodies as a treatment option. He
asks the health care provider, "What are you talking about? I've never heard of this treatment. Is it
experimental?" The health care provider explains somatic cell hybridization to the client by explaining
that: - correct answer ✔✔Researchers inject mice with an antigen from human cancer cells. They then
harvest the antibody-producing cells from the mice and individually fuse them with a cancerous cell.
From the following list, which medications have been developed utilizing recombinant DNA technology?
Select all that apply. - correct answer ✔✔Insulin, for clients with diabetes
Erythropoietin to help the body generate more RBCs
Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to dissolve a clot in the brain
When a client with a kidney transplant develops graft versus host disease, a suicide gene transfer can be
accomplished by: - correct answer ✔✔Infusion of donor lymphocytes
Which of the following facts underlies the application of RNA interference in the treatment of disease? -
correct answer ✔✔Faulty gene activity that produces unwanted proteins can sometimes be stopped.
, Which of the following is an application of recombinant DNA technology? - correct answer
✔✔Production of human insulin
Genetic disorders that involve a single-gene trait are characterized by: - correct answer ✔✔Mendelian
patterns of transmission
In one family, a son was born with polydactyly toes while his sister had polydactyly fingers. In explaining
this phenomenon in genetic terms to the parents, which concept should be addressed? - correct answer
✔✔Variable expressivity of a gene
A woman who is a carrier for which of the following diseases possesses the greatest likelihood of passing
the disease to her future children when heterozygous pairing exists? - correct answer
✔✔Neurofibromatosis
A 16-year-old male presents to the clinic complaining of headaches, trouble hearing the teacher in the
front of the classroom, and ringing in the ears. He also revealed that every time he goes swimming
underwater, he gets disorientated (which never happened when he was younger). Given these
manifestations, the health care provider is going to start testing for: - correct answer ✔✔Neurofibromas
Which of the following statements is true of autosomal recessive disorders? - correct answer ✔✔Effects
are typically the result of alterations in enzyme function.
Following routine newborn testing, an infant has been diagnosed with an elevated phenylalanine level.
The nurse teaches the parents to follow a strict low-protein diet to prevent which of the following major
complications for the infant? - correct answer ✔✔Impaired brain development
When a male child inherits an X-linked disorder from his heterozygous carrier mother: - correct answer
✔✔Some of his sisters will be carriers.
When quizzing obstetrical nursing students regarding tissues affected by mitochondrial DNA mutations,
the instructor accepts which of the following responses? Select all that apply. - correct answer
✔✔Retinal degeneration
Deafness
Which of the following statements about multifactorial inheritance disorders are accurate to share with
a family of a child born with a cleft lip and palate? Multifactorial inheritance disorders: Select all that
apply. - correct answer ✔✔Carry the same risk for recurrence with future pregnancies
Have an increased risk among first-degree relatives of the affected person
The parents of a newborn infant are relieved that their baby was born healthy, with the exception of a
cleft lip that will be surgically corrected in 10 or 12 weeks. Which of the nurse's following statements to
the parent's best conveys the probable cause of the infant's cleft lip? - correct answer ✔✔"Your child's
cleft lip likely results from the interplay between environment and genes."
Which of the following practitioners is most likely to be of immediate assistance in the first 24 hours
following delivery of an infant with a cleft lip? - correct answer ✔✔Lactation consultant
