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NSG 3800 EXAM 2 2026/2027 | NURSING PRACTICE
– ADULT HEALTH II | 40 VERIFIED Q&A | DETAILED
RATIONALES | PASS GUARANTEED – A+ GRADED
SECTION 1: RESPIRATORY DISORDERS & OXYGENATION – Questions 1-15
Q1: Tonsil Function
A patient is having her tonsils removed. The patient asks the nurse what function the tonsils
normally serve. Which of the following would be the most accurate response?
A. The tonsils separate your windpipe from your throat when you swallow.
B. The tonsils help to guard the body from invasion of organisms.
C. The tonsils make enzymes that you swallow and which aid with digestion.
D. The tonsils help with regulating the airflow down into your lungs.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The tonsils, the adenoids, and other lymphoid tissue encircle the throat. These structures
are important links in the chain of lymph nodes guarding the body from invasion of organisms
entering the nose and throat. The tonsils do not aid digestion, separate the trachea from the
esophagus, or regulate airflow to the bronchi .
Q2: Postoperative Hypoxia After Colon Resection
The nurse is caring for a patient who has just returned to the unit after a colon resection. The patient
is showing signs of hypoxia. The nurse knows that this is probably caused by what?
A. Nitrogen narcosis
B. Infection
C. Impaired diffusion
D. Shunting
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Shunting appears to be the main cause of hypoxia after thoracic or abdominal surgery
and most types of respiratory failure. Impairment of normal diffusion is a less common cause.
Infection would not likely be present at this early stage of recovery and nitrogen narcosis only occurs
from breathing compressed air .
Q3: Coughing After Eating or Drinking
The nurse is assessing a patient who frequently coughs after eating or drinking. How should the
nurse best follow up this assessment finding?
, 2
A. Obtain a sputum sample.
B. Perform a swallowing assessment.
C. Inspect the patient's tongue and mouth.
D. Assess the patient's nutritional status.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Coughing after food intake may indicate aspiration of material into the tracheobronchial
tree; a swallowing assessment is thus indicated. Obtaining a sputum sample is relevant in cases of
suspected infection. The status of the patient's tongue, mouth, and nutrition is not directly relevant
to the problem of aspiration .
Q4: Wheezing Assessment
The ED nurse is assessing a patient complaining of dyspnea. The nurse auscultates the patient's chest
and hears wheezing throughout the lung fields. What might this indicate?
A. The patient has a narrowed airway.
B. The patient has pneumonia.
C. The patient needs physiotherapy.
D. The patient has a hemothorax.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Wheezing is a high-pitched, musical sound that is often the major finding in a patient with
bronchoconstriction or airway narrowing. Wheezing is not normally indicative of pneumonia or
hemothorax. Wheezing does not indicate the need for physiotherapy .
Q5: Most Accurate Measurement of Blood Oxygen
The nurse is caring for a patient admitted with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. During assessment, the nurse finds that the patient is experiencing increased
dyspnea. What is the most accurate measurement of the concentration of oxygen in the patient's
blood?
A. A capillary blood sample
B. Pulse oximetry
C. An arterial blood gas (ABG) study
D. A complete blood count (CBC)
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The arterial oxygen tension (partial pressure or PaO2) indicates the degree of
oxygenation of the blood, and the arterial carbon dioxide tension (partial pressure or PaCO2)
indicates the adequacy of alveolar ventilation. ABG studies aid in assessing the ability of the lungs to
provide adequate oxygen and remove carbon dioxide and the ability of the kidneys to reabsorb or
excrete bicarbonate ions to maintain normal body pH. Capillary blood samples are venous blood, not
arterial blood, so they are not as accurate as an ABG. Pulse oximetry is a useful clinical tool but does
not replace ABG measurement, because it is not as accurate. A CBC does not indicate the
concentration of oxygen .
NSG 3800 EXAM 2 2026/2027 | NURSING PRACTICE
– ADULT HEALTH II | 40 VERIFIED Q&A | DETAILED
RATIONALES | PASS GUARANTEED – A+ GRADED
SECTION 1: RESPIRATORY DISORDERS & OXYGENATION – Questions 1-15
Q1: Tonsil Function
A patient is having her tonsils removed. The patient asks the nurse what function the tonsils
normally serve. Which of the following would be the most accurate response?
A. The tonsils separate your windpipe from your throat when you swallow.
B. The tonsils help to guard the body from invasion of organisms.
C. The tonsils make enzymes that you swallow and which aid with digestion.
D. The tonsils help with regulating the airflow down into your lungs.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The tonsils, the adenoids, and other lymphoid tissue encircle the throat. These structures
are important links in the chain of lymph nodes guarding the body from invasion of organisms
entering the nose and throat. The tonsils do not aid digestion, separate the trachea from the
esophagus, or regulate airflow to the bronchi .
Q2: Postoperative Hypoxia After Colon Resection
The nurse is caring for a patient who has just returned to the unit after a colon resection. The patient
is showing signs of hypoxia. The nurse knows that this is probably caused by what?
A. Nitrogen narcosis
B. Infection
C. Impaired diffusion
D. Shunting
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Shunting appears to be the main cause of hypoxia after thoracic or abdominal surgery
and most types of respiratory failure. Impairment of normal diffusion is a less common cause.
Infection would not likely be present at this early stage of recovery and nitrogen narcosis only occurs
from breathing compressed air .
Q3: Coughing After Eating or Drinking
The nurse is assessing a patient who frequently coughs after eating or drinking. How should the
nurse best follow up this assessment finding?
, 2
A. Obtain a sputum sample.
B. Perform a swallowing assessment.
C. Inspect the patient's tongue and mouth.
D. Assess the patient's nutritional status.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Coughing after food intake may indicate aspiration of material into the tracheobronchial
tree; a swallowing assessment is thus indicated. Obtaining a sputum sample is relevant in cases of
suspected infection. The status of the patient's tongue, mouth, and nutrition is not directly relevant
to the problem of aspiration .
Q4: Wheezing Assessment
The ED nurse is assessing a patient complaining of dyspnea. The nurse auscultates the patient's chest
and hears wheezing throughout the lung fields. What might this indicate?
A. The patient has a narrowed airway.
B. The patient has pneumonia.
C. The patient needs physiotherapy.
D. The patient has a hemothorax.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Wheezing is a high-pitched, musical sound that is often the major finding in a patient with
bronchoconstriction or airway narrowing. Wheezing is not normally indicative of pneumonia or
hemothorax. Wheezing does not indicate the need for physiotherapy .
Q5: Most Accurate Measurement of Blood Oxygen
The nurse is caring for a patient admitted with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. During assessment, the nurse finds that the patient is experiencing increased
dyspnea. What is the most accurate measurement of the concentration of oxygen in the patient's
blood?
A. A capillary blood sample
B. Pulse oximetry
C. An arterial blood gas (ABG) study
D. A complete blood count (CBC)
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The arterial oxygen tension (partial pressure or PaO2) indicates the degree of
oxygenation of the blood, and the arterial carbon dioxide tension (partial pressure or PaCO2)
indicates the adequacy of alveolar ventilation. ABG studies aid in assessing the ability of the lungs to
provide adequate oxygen and remove carbon dioxide and the ability of the kidneys to reabsorb or
excrete bicarbonate ions to maintain normal body pH. Capillary blood samples are venous blood, not
arterial blood, so they are not as accurate as an ABG. Pulse oximetry is a useful clinical tool but does
not replace ABG measurement, because it is not as accurate. A CBC does not indicate the
concentration of oxygen .
