TEST BANK FOR SEIDEL'S GUIDE
TO PHYSICAL EXAMINATION 11TH
EDITION BY JANE BALL, JOYCE
DAINS, JOHN FLYNN, BARRY
SOLOMON, ROSALYN STEWART|
ALL CHAPTERS 1-26| LATEST 2026
Chapter 1: Cultural Competency
1. Mr. L presents to the clinic with severe groin pain and a history of kidney stones.
Mr. L's son tells you that for religious reasons, his father wishes to keep any stone
that is passed into the urine filter that he has been using. What is your most
appropriate response?
A) "With your father's permission, we will examine the stone and request that it be
returned to him."
B) "The stone must be sent to the lab for examination and therefore cannot be kept."
C) "We cannot let him keep his stone because it violates our infection control policy."
D) "We don't know yet if your father has another kidney stone, so we must analyze this
one."
Rationale: Healthcare providers should be willing to modify the delivery of health care
in a manner that is respectful and in keeping with the patient's cultural background.
Option A respects the patient's religious beliefs while still allowing for necessary medical
examination.
2. Which statement is true regarding the relationship of physical characteristics
and culture?
A) Physical characteristics should be used to identify members of cultural groups.
B) There is a difference between distinguishing cultural characteristics and
,distinguishing physical characteristics.
C) To be a member of a specific culture, an individual must have certain identifiable
physical characteristics.
D) None of the above.
Rationale: Culture is learned and shared, not determined by physical characteristics.
Physical characteristics (race) and cultural characteristics (ethnicity, beliefs, practices) are
distinct concepts.
3. Mr. Marks is a 66-year-old patient who presents for a physical examination.
Which question has the most potential for exploring a patient's cultural beliefs
related to a health problem?
A) "How often do you have medical examinations?"
B) "What is your age, race, and educational level?"
C) "What types of symptoms have you been having?"
D) "Why do you think you are having these symptoms?"
Rationale: Option D is an open-ended question that avoids stereotyping, is sensitive
and respectful toward the individual, and allows for cultural data to be exchanged. The
other questions do not explore the patient's cultural beliefs about health problems.
4. The definition of ill or sick is based on a
A) stereotype.
B) cultural behavior.
C) belief system.
D) cultural attitude.
Rationale: The definition of ill or sick is based on the individual's belief system and is
determined in large part by his or her enculturation.
5. A 22-year-old female nurse is interviewing an 86-year-old male patient. The
patient avoids eye contact and answers questions only by saying, "Yeah," "No," or
"I guess so." Which of the following is appropriate for the interviewer to say or
ask?
A) "We will be able to communicate better if you look at me."
B) "It's hard for me to gather useful information because your answers are so short."
C) "Are you uncomfortable talking with me?"
D) "Does your religion make it hard for you to answer my questions?"
Rationale: It is appropriate to ask if the patient is uncomfortable with any aspect of the
interaction; the other choices are less respectful and potentially judgmental.
,6. As you explain your patient's condition to her husband, you notice that he is
leaning toward you and pointedly blinking his eyes. Knowing that he is from
England, your most appropriate response to this behavior is to
A) tell him that you understand his need to be alone.
B) ask whether he has any questions.
C) ask whether he would prefer to speak to the clinician.
D) tell him that it is all right to be angry.
Rationale: The English worry about being overheard and tend to speak in modulated
voices, so when they lean in toward you, they are probably poised to ask a question.
7. An aspect of traditional Western medicine that may be troublesome to many
Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians, and Middle Eastern groups is Western
medicine's attempts to
A) use a holistic approach that views a particular medical problem as part of a bigger
picture.
B) determine a specific cause for every problem in a precise way.
C) establish harmony between a person and the entire cosmos.
D) restore balance in an individual's life.
Rationale: A more scientific approach to healthcare problem solving, in which a specific
cause is determined for every problem in a precise way, may be troublesome to cultures
that view health holistically.
8. A 30-year-old man from a culture that values modesty presents for a first visit
with the complaint of new abdominal pain. You are concerned about violating a
cultural prohibition when you prepare to do his rectal examination. The best tactic
would be to
A) forego the examination for fear of violating cultural norms.
B) ask a colleague from the same geographic area if this examination is acceptable.
C) inform the patient of the reason for the examination and ask if it is acceptable
to him.
D) refer the patient to a provider more knowledgeable about cultural differences.
Rationale: Asking the patient directly is far better than making assumptions or
damaging the therapeutic relationship. Not completing the examination could cause the
patient further harm.
9. Mr. Jones is a 45-year-old patient who presents to the office. A person's
definition of illness is likely to be most influenced by
A) race.
B) socioeconomic class.
, C) enculturation.
D) age group.
Rationale: The definition of illness is determined in large part by the individual's
enculturation—the process whereby an individual assumes the traits and behaviors of a
given culture.
10. As the healthcare provider, you are informing a patient that he or she has a
terminal illness. This discussion is most likely to be discouraged in which cultural
group?
A) Navajo Native Americans
B) Dominant Americans
C) First-generation African descendants
D) First-generation European descendants
Rationale: The Navajo culture believes that thought and language have the power to
shape reality; the desire to avoid discussing negative information is particularly strong in
this culture.
11. Because of common cultural food preferences, avoidance of monosodium
glutamate (MSG) is likely to be most problematic for the hypertensive patient of
which group?
A) Native Americans
B) Hispanics
C) Chinese
D) Italians
Rationale: The Chinese are most likely to use MSG and soy sauce in their diet.
12. An example of a cold condition is
A) a fever.
B) a rash.
C) tuberculosis.
D) an ulcer.
Rationale: A cold condition in cultures with a holistic approach is tuberculosis.
TO PHYSICAL EXAMINATION 11TH
EDITION BY JANE BALL, JOYCE
DAINS, JOHN FLYNN, BARRY
SOLOMON, ROSALYN STEWART|
ALL CHAPTERS 1-26| LATEST 2026
Chapter 1: Cultural Competency
1. Mr. L presents to the clinic with severe groin pain and a history of kidney stones.
Mr. L's son tells you that for religious reasons, his father wishes to keep any stone
that is passed into the urine filter that he has been using. What is your most
appropriate response?
A) "With your father's permission, we will examine the stone and request that it be
returned to him."
B) "The stone must be sent to the lab for examination and therefore cannot be kept."
C) "We cannot let him keep his stone because it violates our infection control policy."
D) "We don't know yet if your father has another kidney stone, so we must analyze this
one."
Rationale: Healthcare providers should be willing to modify the delivery of health care
in a manner that is respectful and in keeping with the patient's cultural background.
Option A respects the patient's religious beliefs while still allowing for necessary medical
examination.
2. Which statement is true regarding the relationship of physical characteristics
and culture?
A) Physical characteristics should be used to identify members of cultural groups.
B) There is a difference between distinguishing cultural characteristics and
,distinguishing physical characteristics.
C) To be a member of a specific culture, an individual must have certain identifiable
physical characteristics.
D) None of the above.
Rationale: Culture is learned and shared, not determined by physical characteristics.
Physical characteristics (race) and cultural characteristics (ethnicity, beliefs, practices) are
distinct concepts.
3. Mr. Marks is a 66-year-old patient who presents for a physical examination.
Which question has the most potential for exploring a patient's cultural beliefs
related to a health problem?
A) "How often do you have medical examinations?"
B) "What is your age, race, and educational level?"
C) "What types of symptoms have you been having?"
D) "Why do you think you are having these symptoms?"
Rationale: Option D is an open-ended question that avoids stereotyping, is sensitive
and respectful toward the individual, and allows for cultural data to be exchanged. The
other questions do not explore the patient's cultural beliefs about health problems.
4. The definition of ill or sick is based on a
A) stereotype.
B) cultural behavior.
C) belief system.
D) cultural attitude.
Rationale: The definition of ill or sick is based on the individual's belief system and is
determined in large part by his or her enculturation.
5. A 22-year-old female nurse is interviewing an 86-year-old male patient. The
patient avoids eye contact and answers questions only by saying, "Yeah," "No," or
"I guess so." Which of the following is appropriate for the interviewer to say or
ask?
A) "We will be able to communicate better if you look at me."
B) "It's hard for me to gather useful information because your answers are so short."
C) "Are you uncomfortable talking with me?"
D) "Does your religion make it hard for you to answer my questions?"
Rationale: It is appropriate to ask if the patient is uncomfortable with any aspect of the
interaction; the other choices are less respectful and potentially judgmental.
,6. As you explain your patient's condition to her husband, you notice that he is
leaning toward you and pointedly blinking his eyes. Knowing that he is from
England, your most appropriate response to this behavior is to
A) tell him that you understand his need to be alone.
B) ask whether he has any questions.
C) ask whether he would prefer to speak to the clinician.
D) tell him that it is all right to be angry.
Rationale: The English worry about being overheard and tend to speak in modulated
voices, so when they lean in toward you, they are probably poised to ask a question.
7. An aspect of traditional Western medicine that may be troublesome to many
Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians, and Middle Eastern groups is Western
medicine's attempts to
A) use a holistic approach that views a particular medical problem as part of a bigger
picture.
B) determine a specific cause for every problem in a precise way.
C) establish harmony between a person and the entire cosmos.
D) restore balance in an individual's life.
Rationale: A more scientific approach to healthcare problem solving, in which a specific
cause is determined for every problem in a precise way, may be troublesome to cultures
that view health holistically.
8. A 30-year-old man from a culture that values modesty presents for a first visit
with the complaint of new abdominal pain. You are concerned about violating a
cultural prohibition when you prepare to do his rectal examination. The best tactic
would be to
A) forego the examination for fear of violating cultural norms.
B) ask a colleague from the same geographic area if this examination is acceptable.
C) inform the patient of the reason for the examination and ask if it is acceptable
to him.
D) refer the patient to a provider more knowledgeable about cultural differences.
Rationale: Asking the patient directly is far better than making assumptions or
damaging the therapeutic relationship. Not completing the examination could cause the
patient further harm.
9. Mr. Jones is a 45-year-old patient who presents to the office. A person's
definition of illness is likely to be most influenced by
A) race.
B) socioeconomic class.
, C) enculturation.
D) age group.
Rationale: The definition of illness is determined in large part by the individual's
enculturation—the process whereby an individual assumes the traits and behaviors of a
given culture.
10. As the healthcare provider, you are informing a patient that he or she has a
terminal illness. This discussion is most likely to be discouraged in which cultural
group?
A) Navajo Native Americans
B) Dominant Americans
C) First-generation African descendants
D) First-generation European descendants
Rationale: The Navajo culture believes that thought and language have the power to
shape reality; the desire to avoid discussing negative information is particularly strong in
this culture.
11. Because of common cultural food preferences, avoidance of monosodium
glutamate (MSG) is likely to be most problematic for the hypertensive patient of
which group?
A) Native Americans
B) Hispanics
C) Chinese
D) Italians
Rationale: The Chinese are most likely to use MSG and soy sauce in their diet.
12. An example of a cold condition is
A) a fever.
B) a rash.
C) tuberculosis.
D) an ulcer.
Rationale: A cold condition in cultures with a holistic approach is tuberculosis.
