NEURO NPTE EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS
A patient is diagnosed with MS and experiences sudden electric - like shocks spreading
down the body elicited by neck flexion + hip flexion while in the long sitting position. This
is known as which of the following?
A: Head Jolt test
B: Kernig's sign
C: Lhermitte's sign
D: Tinel's test - Answer-C: Lhermitte's sign is sudden, transient, electric-like shocks
spreading down the body when the head is flexed forward. Occurs chiefly in patients
with MS but can also be seen in compression disorders of the cervical spine.
Head jolt - turning head to determine meningeal irritation
Kernig's - meningeal irritation (90/90 knee flexion)
Tinel's -carpal tunnel
A patient with a 7-year history of PD is hospitalized. The patient is ambulatory but
requires close supervision to prevent falls. What should be the focus of the physical
therapist's plan of care?
A: Manual balance perturbation training
B: Transfer and wheelchair training
C: Caregiver training for contact guarding during level walking and stairs
D: locomotor training using a rolling walker - Answer-C: Caregiver training with safety
instruction in contact guarding during level walking and stairs is the best choice to keep
this patient functional in the home environment
During a finger-to-nose test, a patient demonstrates hesitancy in getting started and is
then unable to control the movement. The finger slams into the side of the face, missing
the nose completely. How should the therapist document this finding?
A: Dysmetria
B: Dysdiadochokinesia
C: Dyssynergia
D: Intention tremor - Answer-A: dysmetria is an inability to judge the distance or range
of movement. Includes both overestimation and underestimation of the required range
to reach the goal.
A therapist wishes to use behavior modification techniques as part of a plan of care to
help shape the behavioral responses of a patient recovering form TBI, what intervention
is the BEST to use?
, A: use frequent reinforcements for all desired behaviors
B: encourage the staff to tell the patient which behaviors are correct and which are not
C: Reprimand the patient every time an undesirable behavior occurs
D: Allow the patient enough time for self-correction of the behavior - Answer-A: use
frequent reinforcements for all desired behaviors
behavior modification is best achieved through use of positive reinforcements for all
desired behaviors
An infant is diagnosed with Erb's paralysis. What would the physical therapy
examination of this infant MOST LIKELY reveal?
A: involvement of muscles innervated by c5-c6 nerve roots
B: involvement of muscles innervated by c4-c8 nerve roots
C: Intact shoulder and elbow movements but loss of wrist flexion
D: involvement o muscles innervated by C8-T1 nerve roots - Answer-A: involvement of
muscles innervated by c5-c6 nerve roots
Erbs = brachial plexus injury involving the upper trunk c5/6 nerves with paralysis of the
shoulder and elbow muscles, commonly involving the supra scapular,
musculocutaneous and axillary nerves. Limb is held in a position of forearm pronation
and wrist and finger flexion. (waiters tip)
A physical therapist examines an adult patient that recently suffered a stroke that
involved the right internal capsule. In addition to hemiparesis of the contralateral
extremities, the patient also exhibits a facial palsy. Which facial muscles would MOST
likely be affected?
A: all muscles on the left side of the face
B: all muscles on the right side of the face
C: only muscles on the lower half of the right side of the face
D: only muscles on the lower half of the left side of the face - Answer-D: only muscles
on the lower half of the left side of the face
A PT receives a referral to examine the fall risk of an elderly patient with Parkinson's
disease who lives alone and has had two recent falls. Which activity is the MOST
common reason for falls in the elderly?
A: walking with a roller walker with hand brakes
B: climbing on a step stool to reach overhead objects
C: turning around and sitting down in a chair
D: dressing while sitting on the edge of the bed - Answer-C: turning around and sitting
down in a chair
Most falls occur during normal ADL's. Getting up or down from a bed or chair, turning,
bending, walking, stairs are all high - risk activities.
CORRECT ANSWERS
A patient is diagnosed with MS and experiences sudden electric - like shocks spreading
down the body elicited by neck flexion + hip flexion while in the long sitting position. This
is known as which of the following?
A: Head Jolt test
B: Kernig's sign
C: Lhermitte's sign
D: Tinel's test - Answer-C: Lhermitte's sign is sudden, transient, electric-like shocks
spreading down the body when the head is flexed forward. Occurs chiefly in patients
with MS but can also be seen in compression disorders of the cervical spine.
Head jolt - turning head to determine meningeal irritation
Kernig's - meningeal irritation (90/90 knee flexion)
Tinel's -carpal tunnel
A patient with a 7-year history of PD is hospitalized. The patient is ambulatory but
requires close supervision to prevent falls. What should be the focus of the physical
therapist's plan of care?
A: Manual balance perturbation training
B: Transfer and wheelchair training
C: Caregiver training for contact guarding during level walking and stairs
D: locomotor training using a rolling walker - Answer-C: Caregiver training with safety
instruction in contact guarding during level walking and stairs is the best choice to keep
this patient functional in the home environment
During a finger-to-nose test, a patient demonstrates hesitancy in getting started and is
then unable to control the movement. The finger slams into the side of the face, missing
the nose completely. How should the therapist document this finding?
A: Dysmetria
B: Dysdiadochokinesia
C: Dyssynergia
D: Intention tremor - Answer-A: dysmetria is an inability to judge the distance or range
of movement. Includes both overestimation and underestimation of the required range
to reach the goal.
A therapist wishes to use behavior modification techniques as part of a plan of care to
help shape the behavioral responses of a patient recovering form TBI, what intervention
is the BEST to use?
, A: use frequent reinforcements for all desired behaviors
B: encourage the staff to tell the patient which behaviors are correct and which are not
C: Reprimand the patient every time an undesirable behavior occurs
D: Allow the patient enough time for self-correction of the behavior - Answer-A: use
frequent reinforcements for all desired behaviors
behavior modification is best achieved through use of positive reinforcements for all
desired behaviors
An infant is diagnosed with Erb's paralysis. What would the physical therapy
examination of this infant MOST LIKELY reveal?
A: involvement of muscles innervated by c5-c6 nerve roots
B: involvement of muscles innervated by c4-c8 nerve roots
C: Intact shoulder and elbow movements but loss of wrist flexion
D: involvement o muscles innervated by C8-T1 nerve roots - Answer-A: involvement of
muscles innervated by c5-c6 nerve roots
Erbs = brachial plexus injury involving the upper trunk c5/6 nerves with paralysis of the
shoulder and elbow muscles, commonly involving the supra scapular,
musculocutaneous and axillary nerves. Limb is held in a position of forearm pronation
and wrist and finger flexion. (waiters tip)
A physical therapist examines an adult patient that recently suffered a stroke that
involved the right internal capsule. In addition to hemiparesis of the contralateral
extremities, the patient also exhibits a facial palsy. Which facial muscles would MOST
likely be affected?
A: all muscles on the left side of the face
B: all muscles on the right side of the face
C: only muscles on the lower half of the right side of the face
D: only muscles on the lower half of the left side of the face - Answer-D: only muscles
on the lower half of the left side of the face
A PT receives a referral to examine the fall risk of an elderly patient with Parkinson's
disease who lives alone and has had two recent falls. Which activity is the MOST
common reason for falls in the elderly?
A: walking with a roller walker with hand brakes
B: climbing on a step stool to reach overhead objects
C: turning around and sitting down in a chair
D: dressing while sitting on the edge of the bed - Answer-C: turning around and sitting
down in a chair
Most falls occur during normal ADL's. Getting up or down from a bed or chair, turning,
bending, walking, stairs are all high - risk activities.
