WGU D236 PATHOPHYSIOLOGY FINAL EXAM NEW
VERSION MARCH REAL D236 FINAL QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS GRADED A+
Homeostasis, Cellular Adaptation, Injury & Death
1. A client's blood glucose rises after a meal, and the pancreas releases insulin to return
it to normal. This is:
A. Positive feedback
B. Negative feedback
C. Feed-forward control
D. Homeostatic failure
Answer: B. Negative feedback reverses a deviation from the set point.
2. Which is an example of positive feedback?
A. Insulin release
B. Uterine contractions during labor
C. Temperature regulation
D. Blood pressure regulation
Answer: B. Positive feedback amplifies the stimulus until a defined endpoint.
3. A cell that increases in size in response to increased workload is demonstrating:
A. Hyperplasia
B. Hypertrophy
C. Atrophy
D. Metaplasia
Answer: B. Hypertrophy = larger cells; hyperplasia = more cells.
4. The thymus shrinking with age is an example of:
A. Physiologic atrophy
B. Pathologic atrophy
C. Hyperplasia
,D. Dysplasia
Answer: A. Physiologic atrophy is normal age-related involution.
5. A smoker's bronchial epithelium changes from columnar to squamous. This is:
A. Dysplasia
B. Metaplasia
C. Anaplasia
D. Neoplasia
Answer: B. Metaplasia = reversible substitution of one mature cell type for another.
6. Which adaptation is considered pre-malignant?
A. Atrophy
B. Hypertrophy
C. Dysplasia
D. Metaplasia
Answer: C. Dysplasia = disordered, atypical growth; can progress to carcinoma.
7. The most common cause of cellular injury is:
A. Radiation
B. Hypoxia/ischemia
C. Drugs
D. Infection
Answer: B. Oxygen deprivation is the most common mechanism of cell injury.
8. During ischemia, the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase pump fails. The result is:
A. Cell shrinkage
B. Cellular swelling
C. Decreased intracellular sodium
D. Increased intracellular potassium
Answer: B. Without ATP, Na⁺ accumulates inside → water follows → swelling.
9. Which finding indicates irreversible cell injury?
A. Cellular swelling
,B. Fatty change
C. Membrane rupture with enzyme leakage
D. Reduced ATP
Answer: C. Loss of membrane integrity with enzyme leakage = irreversible.
10. Elevated troponin after an MI reflects:
A. Apoptosis
B. Necrosis with sarcolemmal rupture
C. Hypertrophy
D. Metaplasia
Answer: B. Troponin is intracellular; appears in blood only when the membrane
ruptures.
11. Which type of necrosis occurs in a brain infarct?
A. Coagulative
B. Liquefactive
C. Caseous
D. Fat
Answer: B. Brain is enzyme- and lipid-rich → liquefactive necrosis.
12. Coagulative necrosis is most typical of ischemia in the:
A. Brain
B. Heart and kidney
C. Pancreas
D. Lung
Answer: B. Heart, kidney, spleen show coagulative necrosis after ischemia.
13. Caseous necrosis is characteristic of:
A. Tuberculosis
B. Myocardial infarction
C. Pancreatitis
, D. Gangrene
Answer: A. Caseous necrosis is classic for TB and some fungal infections.
14. Which best distinguishes apoptosis from necrosis?
A. Apoptosis is inflammatory; necrosis is not
B. Apoptosis is programmed and non-inflammatory; necrosis is unregulated and
inflammatory
C. Both cause membrane rupture
D. Apoptosis is always pathologic
Answer: B. Apoptosis: ATP-dependent, cell shrinks, no inflammation.
15. Apoptosis is executed by:
A. Caspases
B. Complement
C. Histamine
D. Bradykinin
Answer: A. Caspases carry out apoptosis; Bcl-2 family regulates the mitochondrial
pathway.
16. Which is a cause of pathologic apoptosis?
A. Embryonic development
B. Normal cell turnover
C. HIV-induced CD4 cell death
D. Hormone-dependent involution
Answer: C. A, B, D are physiologic; HIV-induced death is pathologic.
17. Free radical injury is limited by:
A. Antioxidants such as glutathione, vitamins C and E
B. Calcium influx
C. Complement activation
D. Anaerobic metabolism
Answer: A. Antioxidants neutralize reactive oxygen species.
VERSION MARCH REAL D236 FINAL QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS GRADED A+
Homeostasis, Cellular Adaptation, Injury & Death
1. A client's blood glucose rises after a meal, and the pancreas releases insulin to return
it to normal. This is:
A. Positive feedback
B. Negative feedback
C. Feed-forward control
D. Homeostatic failure
Answer: B. Negative feedback reverses a deviation from the set point.
2. Which is an example of positive feedback?
A. Insulin release
B. Uterine contractions during labor
C. Temperature regulation
D. Blood pressure regulation
Answer: B. Positive feedback amplifies the stimulus until a defined endpoint.
3. A cell that increases in size in response to increased workload is demonstrating:
A. Hyperplasia
B. Hypertrophy
C. Atrophy
D. Metaplasia
Answer: B. Hypertrophy = larger cells; hyperplasia = more cells.
4. The thymus shrinking with age is an example of:
A. Physiologic atrophy
B. Pathologic atrophy
C. Hyperplasia
,D. Dysplasia
Answer: A. Physiologic atrophy is normal age-related involution.
5. A smoker's bronchial epithelium changes from columnar to squamous. This is:
A. Dysplasia
B. Metaplasia
C. Anaplasia
D. Neoplasia
Answer: B. Metaplasia = reversible substitution of one mature cell type for another.
6. Which adaptation is considered pre-malignant?
A. Atrophy
B. Hypertrophy
C. Dysplasia
D. Metaplasia
Answer: C. Dysplasia = disordered, atypical growth; can progress to carcinoma.
7. The most common cause of cellular injury is:
A. Radiation
B. Hypoxia/ischemia
C. Drugs
D. Infection
Answer: B. Oxygen deprivation is the most common mechanism of cell injury.
8. During ischemia, the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase pump fails. The result is:
A. Cell shrinkage
B. Cellular swelling
C. Decreased intracellular sodium
D. Increased intracellular potassium
Answer: B. Without ATP, Na⁺ accumulates inside → water follows → swelling.
9. Which finding indicates irreversible cell injury?
A. Cellular swelling
,B. Fatty change
C. Membrane rupture with enzyme leakage
D. Reduced ATP
Answer: C. Loss of membrane integrity with enzyme leakage = irreversible.
10. Elevated troponin after an MI reflects:
A. Apoptosis
B. Necrosis with sarcolemmal rupture
C. Hypertrophy
D. Metaplasia
Answer: B. Troponin is intracellular; appears in blood only when the membrane
ruptures.
11. Which type of necrosis occurs in a brain infarct?
A. Coagulative
B. Liquefactive
C. Caseous
D. Fat
Answer: B. Brain is enzyme- and lipid-rich → liquefactive necrosis.
12. Coagulative necrosis is most typical of ischemia in the:
A. Brain
B. Heart and kidney
C. Pancreas
D. Lung
Answer: B. Heart, kidney, spleen show coagulative necrosis after ischemia.
13. Caseous necrosis is characteristic of:
A. Tuberculosis
B. Myocardial infarction
C. Pancreatitis
, D. Gangrene
Answer: A. Caseous necrosis is classic for TB and some fungal infections.
14. Which best distinguishes apoptosis from necrosis?
A. Apoptosis is inflammatory; necrosis is not
B. Apoptosis is programmed and non-inflammatory; necrosis is unregulated and
inflammatory
C. Both cause membrane rupture
D. Apoptosis is always pathologic
Answer: B. Apoptosis: ATP-dependent, cell shrinks, no inflammation.
15. Apoptosis is executed by:
A. Caspases
B. Complement
C. Histamine
D. Bradykinin
Answer: A. Caspases carry out apoptosis; Bcl-2 family regulates the mitochondrial
pathway.
16. Which is a cause of pathologic apoptosis?
A. Embryonic development
B. Normal cell turnover
C. HIV-induced CD4 cell death
D. Hormone-dependent involution
Answer: C. A, B, D are physiologic; HIV-induced death is pathologic.
17. Free radical injury is limited by:
A. Antioxidants such as glutathione, vitamins C and E
B. Calcium influx
C. Complement activation
D. Anaerobic metabolism
Answer: A. Antioxidants neutralize reactive oxygen species.
