Pathophysiology: Week 4 Midterm
Practice Question Bank – 250
High-Yield Questions with
Answers (Chamberlain University
Version A Aligned)
1. A 68-year-old male with long-standing hypertension has an
echocardiogram demonstrating increased left ventricular wall thickness.
Which cellular adaptation best explains this finding, and what is the
underlying mechanism?
A. Dysplasia, because the cardiac cells demonstrate disordered growth and
abnormal organization
B. Hypertrophy, because cardiac muscle cells cannot divide and instead
increase in cell size in response to increased workload
C. Hyperplasia, because cardiac muscle cells divide to increase cell number
under increased workload
D. Metaplasia, because cardiac muscle cells transform into a more resistant
cell type
Answer: B. Hypertrophy, because cardiac muscle cells cannot divide and
instead increase in cell size in response to increased workload
2. A 55-year-old chronic smoker undergoes bronchoscopy with biopsy of the
bronchial epithelium. Histology reveals that the normal ciliated
pseudostratified columnar epithelium has been replaced by stratified
,squamous epithelium. Which cellular adaptation is this, and what is its
significance?
A. Atrophy, the bronchial cells have decreased in size due to chronic irritation
B. Metaplasia, the change is a reversible substitution of one differentiated
cell type for another that better tolerates stress, though it may predispose to
malignant transformation with ongoing injury
C. Hyperplasia, the bronchial cells have increased in number due to chronic
inflammation
D. Dysplasia, the change is disordered growth that is irreversible and already
malignant
Answer: B. Metaplasia, the change is a reversible substitution of one
differentiated cell type for another that better tolerates stress, though it may
predispose to malignant transformation with ongoing injury
3. A 30-year-old female with menorrhagia has an endometrial biopsy showing
increased number of endometrial glands due to unopposed estrogen
stimulation. Which cellular adaptation is occurring?
A. Hyperplasia, because there is an increase in cell number in response to
hormonal stimulation
B. Hypertrophy, because the endometrial cells have increased in size
C. Dysplasia, because the cells show disordered growth and atypia
D. Metaplasia, because one cell type has replaced another
Answer: A. Hyperplasia, because there is an increase in cell number in
response to hormonal stimulation
4. A cervical biopsy in a 35-year-old female shows disordered cellular growth
with abnormal size, shape, and organization of squamous epithelial cells that
,has not broken through the basement membrane. Which term best describes
this finding?
A. Carcinoma with metastasis, because the cells have invaded surrounding
tissues
B. Hyperplasia, because there is an increased number of normal cells
C. Metaplasia, because one cell type has been replaced by another
D. Dysplasia that may be reversible but can progress to carcinoma in situ if
the insult continues
Answer: D. Dysplasia that may be reversible but can progress to carcinoma
in situ if the insult continues
5. A 60-year-old male with a cast on his leg for 6 weeks has noticeable
decrease in muscle mass of the affected limb when the cast is removed.
Which cellular adaptation explains this finding, and what is its likely
mechanism?
A. Metaplasia due to chronic irritation from the cast material
B. Atrophy due to decreased workload, denervation, ischemia, malnutrition,
or aging
C. Hypertrophy due to increased workload from the cast
D. Apoptosis due to programmed cell death from cast pressure
Answer: B. Atrophy due to decreased workload, denervation, ischemia,
malnutrition, or aging
6. A pathologist examining a tissue specimen from an acutely ischemic
myocardium notes cellular swelling and fatty change. These findings are
most characteristic of which stage of cellular injury?
, A. Apoptosis with chromatin condensation and apoptotic body formation
B. Coagulative necrosis with preserved tissue architecture
C. Irreversible injury with nuclear pyknosis and karyorrhexis
D. Reversible injury characterized by impaired Na+/K+ ATPase activity and
accumulation of lipids
Answer: D. Reversible injury characterized by impaired Na+/K+ ATPase
activity and accumulation of lipids
7. Histologic examination of a myocardial infarction at 24 hours
demonstrates preserved cellular outlines with loss of nuclei and eosinophilic
cytoplasm. Which type of necrosis is this?
A. Caseous necrosis, characteristic of tuberculosis
B. Gangrenous necrosis, characteristic of lower extremity ischemia
C. Coagulative necrosis, characteristic of ischemic injury in solid organs such
as the heart, kidney, and liver
D. Liquefactive necrosis, characteristic of brain infarction
Answer: C. Coagulative necrosis, characteristic of ischemic injury in solid
organs such as the heart, kidney, and liver
8. A 72-year-old male suffers an ischemic stroke. CT scan days later shows
an area of tissue liquefaction in the cerebral cortex. Which type of necrosis
explains this finding?
A. Fat necrosis, characteristic of acute pancreatic enzyme release
B. Coagulative necrosis, because neurons lack connective tissue