GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING
NUR 242 — Exam 4
Stress, Sleep, Grief & End-
of-Life
NCLEX-Style Practice Questions with Detailed Rationales
Topic: Stress & Coping, Sleep, Grief, End-of-Life Care — 100 Questions
Edition 1 · September 2026
Table of Contents
1. Instructions for Use 2
2. Practice Questions with Answers & Rationales — Stress, Sleep, Grief & EOL (100 2
Questions)
NUR 242 · Galen College of Nursing Page 1
,NUR 242 EXAM 4 PRACTICE GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS & PRACTICE QUESTIONS
How to Use This Guide
Read each stem, choose your answer, then check the rationale directly below it. The correct
option is marked, and each wrong option is explained so you understand why it's wrong — not
just that it is. All questions are based on the Galen College of Nursing NUR 242 Medical-
Surgical Nursing Concepts curriculum.
Category: Stress, Sleep, Grief & End-of-Life — Comprehensive Review (100
Questions)
1. A nurse is teaching a client about stress. Which statement accurately defines
stress?
A. The mental, emotional, or physical response and adaptation to real or perceived
changes and challenges
B. A negative emotional state that always leads to illness
C. A physical response to external threats only
D. A condition that only affects psychological well-being
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Stress is defined as the mental, emotional, or physical response and
adaptation to real or perceived changes and challenges. It is a condition in which the
body responds to changes affecting its normally balanced state.
Tested Concept: Stress definition
Source Concept: "stress: the mental, emotional, or physical response and adaptation to
real or perceived changes and challenges."
Easy
,2. A nurse is explaining stress to a client. The nurse explains that an individual's
perception of stress can be which of the following?
A. Positive or negative; stressors are neutral
B. Always negative; stressors are positive
C. Always neutral; stressors are negative
D. Positive only; stressors are always negative
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: An individual's perception of stress can be positive or negative, but
stressors themselves are neutral. How a person appraises a stressor determines their
response.
Tested Concept: Stress perception
Source Concept: "An individuals perception of stress can be positive or negative, but
stressors are neutral."
Easy
, 3. A stress reaction occurs under which condition?
A. When perceived demands (stressors) exceed an individual's resources to meet the
demands
B. When an individual has unlimited resources
C. When stressors are always perceived as positive
D. When the body is in a state of homeostasis
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: A stress reaction occurs when perceived demands (stressors) exceed an
individual's resources to meet the demands. This triggers the body's stress response.
Tested Concept: Stress reaction
Source Concept: "When does a stress reaction occur? when perceived demands (stressors)
exceed an individual's resources to meet the demands."
Moderate
NUR 242 — Exam 4
Stress, Sleep, Grief & End-
of-Life
NCLEX-Style Practice Questions with Detailed Rationales
Topic: Stress & Coping, Sleep, Grief, End-of-Life Care — 100 Questions
Edition 1 · September 2026
Table of Contents
1. Instructions for Use 2
2. Practice Questions with Answers & Rationales — Stress, Sleep, Grief & EOL (100 2
Questions)
NUR 242 · Galen College of Nursing Page 1
,NUR 242 EXAM 4 PRACTICE GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS & PRACTICE QUESTIONS
How to Use This Guide
Read each stem, choose your answer, then check the rationale directly below it. The correct
option is marked, and each wrong option is explained so you understand why it's wrong — not
just that it is. All questions are based on the Galen College of Nursing NUR 242 Medical-
Surgical Nursing Concepts curriculum.
Category: Stress, Sleep, Grief & End-of-Life — Comprehensive Review (100
Questions)
1. A nurse is teaching a client about stress. Which statement accurately defines
stress?
A. The mental, emotional, or physical response and adaptation to real or perceived
changes and challenges
B. A negative emotional state that always leads to illness
C. A physical response to external threats only
D. A condition that only affects psychological well-being
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Stress is defined as the mental, emotional, or physical response and
adaptation to real or perceived changes and challenges. It is a condition in which the
body responds to changes affecting its normally balanced state.
Tested Concept: Stress definition
Source Concept: "stress: the mental, emotional, or physical response and adaptation to
real or perceived changes and challenges."
Easy
,2. A nurse is explaining stress to a client. The nurse explains that an individual's
perception of stress can be which of the following?
A. Positive or negative; stressors are neutral
B. Always negative; stressors are positive
C. Always neutral; stressors are negative
D. Positive only; stressors are always negative
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: An individual's perception of stress can be positive or negative, but
stressors themselves are neutral. How a person appraises a stressor determines their
response.
Tested Concept: Stress perception
Source Concept: "An individuals perception of stress can be positive or negative, but
stressors are neutral."
Easy
, 3. A stress reaction occurs under which condition?
A. When perceived demands (stressors) exceed an individual's resources to meet the
demands
B. When an individual has unlimited resources
C. When stressors are always perceived as positive
D. When the body is in a state of homeostasis
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: A stress reaction occurs when perceived demands (stressors) exceed an
individual's resources to meet the demands. This triggers the body's stress response.
Tested Concept: Stress reaction
Source Concept: "When does a stress reaction occur? when perceived demands (stressors)
exceed an individual's resources to meet the demands."
Moderate
