NUR 245 Final Exam Test Questions and
Correct Answers
A patient is being assessed for range-of-joint movement. The nurse asks him to move his arm in toward
the center of his body. This movement is called:
a. Flexion.
b. Abduction.
c. Adduction.
d. Extension. - Answer-ANS: C
Moving a limb toward the midline of the body is called adduction; moving a limb away from the midline
of the body is called abduction. Flexion is bending a limb at a joint; and extension is straightening a limb
at a joint.
A patient tells the nurse that she is having a hard time bringing her hand to her mouth when she eats or
tries to brush her teeth. The nurse knows that for her to move her hand to her mouth, she must perform
which movement?
a. Flexion
b. Abduction
c. Adduction
d. Extension - Answer-ANS: A
,Flexion, or bending a limb at a joint, is required to move the hand to the mouth. Extension is
straightening a limb at a joint. Moving a limb toward the midline of the body is called adduction;
abduction is moving a limb away from the midline of the body.
The functional units of the musculoskeletal system are the:
a. Joints.
b. Bones.
c. Muscles.
d. Tendons. - Answer-ANS: A
Joints are the functional units of the musculoskeletal system because they permit the mobility needed
to perform the activities of daily living. The skeleton (bones) is the framework of the body. The other
options are not correct.
When reviewing the musculoskeletal system, the nurse recalls that hematopoiesis takes place in the:
a. Liver.
b. Spleen.
c. Kidneys.
d. Bone marrow. - Answer-ANS: D
The musculoskeletal system functions to encase and protect the inner vital organs, to support the body,
to produce red blood cells in the bone marrow (hematopoiesis), and to store minerals. The other
options are not correct.
Fibrous bands running directly from one bone to another that strengthen the joint and help prevent
movement in undesirable directions are called:
a. Bursa.
b. Tendons.
c. Cartilage.
d. Ligaments. - Answer-ANS: D
,Fibrous bands running directly from one bone to another that strengthen the joint and help prevent
movement in undesirable directions are called ligaments. The other options are not correct.
The nurse notices that a woman in an exercise class is unable to jump rope. The nurse is aware that to
jump rope, ones shoulder has to be capable of:
a. Inversion.
b. Supination.
c. Protraction.
d. Circumduction. - Answer-ANS: D
Circumduction is defined as moving the arm in a circle around the shoulder. The other options are not
correct
The articulation of the mandible and the temporal bone is known as the:
a. Intervertebral foramen.
b. Condyle of the mandible.
c. Temporomandibular joint.
d. Zygomatic arch of the temporal bone. - Answer-ANS: C
The articulation of the mandible and the temporal bone is the temporomandibular joint. The other
responses are not correct.
To palpate the temporomandibular joint, the nurses fingers should be placed in the depression
__________ of the ear.
a. Distal to the helix
b. Proximal to the helix
c. Anterior to the tragus
d. Posterior to the tragus - Answer-ANS: C
The temporomandibular joint can be felt in the depression anterior to the tragus of the ear. The other
locations are not correct.
, Of the 33 vertebrae in the spinal column, there are:
a. 5 lumbar.
b. 5 thoracic.
c. 7 sacral.
d. 12 cervical. - Answer-ANS: A
There are 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 3 to 4 coccygeal vertebrae in the spinal column.
An imaginary line connecting the highest point on each iliac crest would cross the __________ vertebra.
a. First sacral
b. Fourth lumbar
c. Seventh cervical
d. Twelfth thoracic - Answer-ANS: B
An imaginary line connecting the highest point on each iliac crest crosses the fourth lumbar vertebra.
The other options are not correct.
The nurse is explaining to a patient that there are shock absorbers in his back to cushion the spine and
to help it move. The nurse is referring to his:
a. Vertebral column.
b. Nucleus pulposus.
c. Vertebral foramen.
d. Intervertebral disks. - Answer-ANS: D
Intervertebral disks are elastic fibrocartilaginous plates that cushion the spine similar to shock absorbers
and help it move. The vertebral column is the spinal column itself. The nucleus pulposus is located in the
center of each disk. The vertebral foramen is the channel, or opening, for the spinal cord in the
vertebrae.
Correct Answers
A patient is being assessed for range-of-joint movement. The nurse asks him to move his arm in toward
the center of his body. This movement is called:
a. Flexion.
b. Abduction.
c. Adduction.
d. Extension. - Answer-ANS: C
Moving a limb toward the midline of the body is called adduction; moving a limb away from the midline
of the body is called abduction. Flexion is bending a limb at a joint; and extension is straightening a limb
at a joint.
A patient tells the nurse that she is having a hard time bringing her hand to her mouth when she eats or
tries to brush her teeth. The nurse knows that for her to move her hand to her mouth, she must perform
which movement?
a. Flexion
b. Abduction
c. Adduction
d. Extension - Answer-ANS: A
,Flexion, or bending a limb at a joint, is required to move the hand to the mouth. Extension is
straightening a limb at a joint. Moving a limb toward the midline of the body is called adduction;
abduction is moving a limb away from the midline of the body.
The functional units of the musculoskeletal system are the:
a. Joints.
b. Bones.
c. Muscles.
d. Tendons. - Answer-ANS: A
Joints are the functional units of the musculoskeletal system because they permit the mobility needed
to perform the activities of daily living. The skeleton (bones) is the framework of the body. The other
options are not correct.
When reviewing the musculoskeletal system, the nurse recalls that hematopoiesis takes place in the:
a. Liver.
b. Spleen.
c. Kidneys.
d. Bone marrow. - Answer-ANS: D
The musculoskeletal system functions to encase and protect the inner vital organs, to support the body,
to produce red blood cells in the bone marrow (hematopoiesis), and to store minerals. The other
options are not correct.
Fibrous bands running directly from one bone to another that strengthen the joint and help prevent
movement in undesirable directions are called:
a. Bursa.
b. Tendons.
c. Cartilage.
d. Ligaments. - Answer-ANS: D
,Fibrous bands running directly from one bone to another that strengthen the joint and help prevent
movement in undesirable directions are called ligaments. The other options are not correct.
The nurse notices that a woman in an exercise class is unable to jump rope. The nurse is aware that to
jump rope, ones shoulder has to be capable of:
a. Inversion.
b. Supination.
c. Protraction.
d. Circumduction. - Answer-ANS: D
Circumduction is defined as moving the arm in a circle around the shoulder. The other options are not
correct
The articulation of the mandible and the temporal bone is known as the:
a. Intervertebral foramen.
b. Condyle of the mandible.
c. Temporomandibular joint.
d. Zygomatic arch of the temporal bone. - Answer-ANS: C
The articulation of the mandible and the temporal bone is the temporomandibular joint. The other
responses are not correct.
To palpate the temporomandibular joint, the nurses fingers should be placed in the depression
__________ of the ear.
a. Distal to the helix
b. Proximal to the helix
c. Anterior to the tragus
d. Posterior to the tragus - Answer-ANS: C
The temporomandibular joint can be felt in the depression anterior to the tragus of the ear. The other
locations are not correct.
, Of the 33 vertebrae in the spinal column, there are:
a. 5 lumbar.
b. 5 thoracic.
c. 7 sacral.
d. 12 cervical. - Answer-ANS: A
There are 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 3 to 4 coccygeal vertebrae in the spinal column.
An imaginary line connecting the highest point on each iliac crest would cross the __________ vertebra.
a. First sacral
b. Fourth lumbar
c. Seventh cervical
d. Twelfth thoracic - Answer-ANS: B
An imaginary line connecting the highest point on each iliac crest crosses the fourth lumbar vertebra.
The other options are not correct.
The nurse is explaining to a patient that there are shock absorbers in his back to cushion the spine and
to help it move. The nurse is referring to his:
a. Vertebral column.
b. Nucleus pulposus.
c. Vertebral foramen.
d. Intervertebral disks. - Answer-ANS: D
Intervertebral disks are elastic fibrocartilaginous plates that cushion the spine similar to shock absorbers
and help it move. The vertebral column is the spinal column itself. The nucleus pulposus is located in the
center of each disk. The vertebral foramen is the channel, or opening, for the spinal cord in the
vertebrae.
