AAMI Comprehensive Review Science Questions with Correct
Answers (Grade A+)
Question 1: Which activity illustrates the concept of *primary prevention*?
A. exercising three times a week
B. monthly breast self-examination
C. education about living with asthma
D. colonoscopy after age of 50
Answer: A (a primary prevention aimed at preventing the individual from developing an illness.)
Question 2: A 75- y/o man reports he stopped playing cards with his friends because, over time, he
noticed their voices began to sound mumbled. How does the nurse explain the possible cause of this
change?
A. sudden low-frequency hearing loss
B. damage to the middle ear from ear infections
C. gradual high-frequency hearing loss
D. lack of earwax in the outer ear
Answer: C (High-frequency hearing loss, or *presbycusis*, can occur as we age. It involves problems
w]usually with discerning certain constant sounds like F, S, T and Z. Vowels are easier to hear for a person
with high- frequency loss. Not being able to hear certain letter sounds may make speech sound mumbled.
Older adults can become disheartened or frustrated when not being able to make out speech adequately and
can become withdrawn. The issue is not related to a low-frequency hearing loss, lack of earwax, or ear
infections.)
Question 3: A nurse is assessing a patient who complains of "awful" hip pain after suffering a fracture
and rates it as a 9 on a scale of 0 to 10. Which of the following physiologic signs may accompany acute
pain? (Select all that apply)
A. depression
B. tachycardia
C. increased blood pressure
D. loss of weight and appetite
Answer: CB (Tachycardia and increased bp are associated with the sympathetic nervous system response
that occurs in acute pain. Depression and loss of appetite are more associated with chronic pain.)
Page 1
,Question 4: A patient is describing his symptoms to the nurse. Which of these statements reflects a
description of the aggravating factors for his symptoms?
A. "It is a sharp, burning pain in my stomach."
B. "When I sit down to use the computer, it gets worse."
C. "I think this pain is telling me that something bad is wrong with me."
D. "I also have the sweats and nausea when I feel this pain."
Answer: B (Aggravating factors are things the patient does or that happen to the patient that make the
symptom worse or more pronounced. This answer is the only one that was *associated with a symptom.*)
Question 5: A patient drifts off to sleep when she is not being stimulated. The nurse can arouse her
easily when calling her name, but she remains drowsy during the conversation. The best description of
this patient's level of consciousness would be:
A. semialert
B. obtunded
C. stuporous
D. lethargic
Answer: D (When a patient is lethargic, they may be drowsy but awaken easily to stimulation. They can
answer questions and follow commands. A patient who is obtunded is difficult to arouse and needs constant
stimulation in order to keep them awake. They may answer basic, direct questions. Wen a patient is
stuporous, they require vigorous stimulation to arouse and will not be able to answer questions to follow
commands. Semialert is not a term used in a mental health assessment.)
Question 6: During shift report, a nurse learns that a patient has a *macular rash*. As the nurse
inspects the patient's skin, what finding will confirm the rash?
A. elevated, firm, well-defined lesions less than 1 cm in diameter
B. depressed, firm, or scaly, rough lesions greater than 1 cm in diameter.
C. flat, well-defined, small lesions less than 1 cm in diameter
D. elevated fluid-filled lesions less than 1 cm in diameter
Answer: C (A macule is a lesion that is flat, circumscribed, less than 1cm. An elevated lesion would be a
*papule*. An elevated, fluid-filled lesion is a vesicle.)
Question 7: When assessing the severity of a patient's pain, which question by the nurse is
appropriate?
A. "What makes your pain better or worse?"
B. "How much pain do you have now?"
C. "how does pain limit your activities?"
D. "What does your pain feel like?"
Answer: B (In rating the severity of the pain, you want to determine how strong or intense it is. The nurse
can ask them how much pain they are having often using some type of rating scale.)
Page 2
, Question 8: When taking a temperature, the nurse understands that which route would yield the
highest temperature?
A. axillary
B. oral
C. rectal
D. tympanic
Answer: C
Question 9: The nurse is examining a patient who came in for sore throat. The tonsils appear red and
swollen and are touching each other. How would the nurse grade the tonsils?
A. 1+
B. 2+
C. 3+
D. 4+
Answer: D
Question 10: A patient's vision is recorded as 20/50 when the Snellen eye chart is used. The nurse
interprets these results to indicate that:
A. at 50 feet the patient can read the entire chart.
B. the patient can read at 20 feet what a person with normal vision can read at 50 feet.
C. the patient can read the chart from 20 feet in the left eye and 50 feet in the right eye.
D. the patient can read from 50 feet what a person with normal vision can read from 250 feet.
Answer: B
Question 11: In an interview, the nurse may find it necessary to take notes to aid his or her memory
later. A competent nurse understands that note-taking:
A. allows the nurse to break eye contact with the patient
B. may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's nonverbal behaviors.
C. allows the patient to continue at his or her own pace as the nurse records everything that is said.
D. allows the nurse to shift attention away from the patient, resulting in increased comfort level.
Answer: B
Page 3
Answers (Grade A+)
Question 1: Which activity illustrates the concept of *primary prevention*?
A. exercising three times a week
B. monthly breast self-examination
C. education about living with asthma
D. colonoscopy after age of 50
Answer: A (a primary prevention aimed at preventing the individual from developing an illness.)
Question 2: A 75- y/o man reports he stopped playing cards with his friends because, over time, he
noticed their voices began to sound mumbled. How does the nurse explain the possible cause of this
change?
A. sudden low-frequency hearing loss
B. damage to the middle ear from ear infections
C. gradual high-frequency hearing loss
D. lack of earwax in the outer ear
Answer: C (High-frequency hearing loss, or *presbycusis*, can occur as we age. It involves problems
w]usually with discerning certain constant sounds like F, S, T and Z. Vowels are easier to hear for a person
with high- frequency loss. Not being able to hear certain letter sounds may make speech sound mumbled.
Older adults can become disheartened or frustrated when not being able to make out speech adequately and
can become withdrawn. The issue is not related to a low-frequency hearing loss, lack of earwax, or ear
infections.)
Question 3: A nurse is assessing a patient who complains of "awful" hip pain after suffering a fracture
and rates it as a 9 on a scale of 0 to 10. Which of the following physiologic signs may accompany acute
pain? (Select all that apply)
A. depression
B. tachycardia
C. increased blood pressure
D. loss of weight and appetite
Answer: CB (Tachycardia and increased bp are associated with the sympathetic nervous system response
that occurs in acute pain. Depression and loss of appetite are more associated with chronic pain.)
Page 1
,Question 4: A patient is describing his symptoms to the nurse. Which of these statements reflects a
description of the aggravating factors for his symptoms?
A. "It is a sharp, burning pain in my stomach."
B. "When I sit down to use the computer, it gets worse."
C. "I think this pain is telling me that something bad is wrong with me."
D. "I also have the sweats and nausea when I feel this pain."
Answer: B (Aggravating factors are things the patient does or that happen to the patient that make the
symptom worse or more pronounced. This answer is the only one that was *associated with a symptom.*)
Question 5: A patient drifts off to sleep when she is not being stimulated. The nurse can arouse her
easily when calling her name, but she remains drowsy during the conversation. The best description of
this patient's level of consciousness would be:
A. semialert
B. obtunded
C. stuporous
D. lethargic
Answer: D (When a patient is lethargic, they may be drowsy but awaken easily to stimulation. They can
answer questions and follow commands. A patient who is obtunded is difficult to arouse and needs constant
stimulation in order to keep them awake. They may answer basic, direct questions. Wen a patient is
stuporous, they require vigorous stimulation to arouse and will not be able to answer questions to follow
commands. Semialert is not a term used in a mental health assessment.)
Question 6: During shift report, a nurse learns that a patient has a *macular rash*. As the nurse
inspects the patient's skin, what finding will confirm the rash?
A. elevated, firm, well-defined lesions less than 1 cm in diameter
B. depressed, firm, or scaly, rough lesions greater than 1 cm in diameter.
C. flat, well-defined, small lesions less than 1 cm in diameter
D. elevated fluid-filled lesions less than 1 cm in diameter
Answer: C (A macule is a lesion that is flat, circumscribed, less than 1cm. An elevated lesion would be a
*papule*. An elevated, fluid-filled lesion is a vesicle.)
Question 7: When assessing the severity of a patient's pain, which question by the nurse is
appropriate?
A. "What makes your pain better or worse?"
B. "How much pain do you have now?"
C. "how does pain limit your activities?"
D. "What does your pain feel like?"
Answer: B (In rating the severity of the pain, you want to determine how strong or intense it is. The nurse
can ask them how much pain they are having often using some type of rating scale.)
Page 2
, Question 8: When taking a temperature, the nurse understands that which route would yield the
highest temperature?
A. axillary
B. oral
C. rectal
D. tympanic
Answer: C
Question 9: The nurse is examining a patient who came in for sore throat. The tonsils appear red and
swollen and are touching each other. How would the nurse grade the tonsils?
A. 1+
B. 2+
C. 3+
D. 4+
Answer: D
Question 10: A patient's vision is recorded as 20/50 when the Snellen eye chart is used. The nurse
interprets these results to indicate that:
A. at 50 feet the patient can read the entire chart.
B. the patient can read at 20 feet what a person with normal vision can read at 50 feet.
C. the patient can read the chart from 20 feet in the left eye and 50 feet in the right eye.
D. the patient can read from 50 feet what a person with normal vision can read from 250 feet.
Answer: B
Question 11: In an interview, the nurse may find it necessary to take notes to aid his or her memory
later. A competent nurse understands that note-taking:
A. allows the nurse to break eye contact with the patient
B. may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's nonverbal behaviors.
C. allows the patient to continue at his or her own pace as the nurse records everything that is said.
D. allows the nurse to shift attention away from the patient, resulting in increased comfort level.
Answer: B
Page 3
