NR-302 Health Assessment Final Exam 1
Questions and Answers with Rationales
2025 Chamberlain University
1. During a physical exam, which technique is performed first on the abdomen?
A. Percussion
B. Inspection
C. Palpation
D. Auscultation
Rationale: Always begin with inspection to visually assess the area. For the
abdomen, auscultation is done before percussion and palpation to avoid altering
bowel sounds, but inspection is always first in every system.
2. The nurse assesses a patient’s respiratory rate and notes 10 breaths per
minute. This is known as:
A. Tachypnea
B. Hyperventilation
C. Bradypnea
D. Orthopnea
,Rationale: A respiratory rate below 12 in an adult is considered bradypnea,
which may be caused by opioid use, brain injury, or hypothyroidism.
3. Which statement is accurate about auscultating lung sounds?
A. Crackles are heard during expiration only.
B. Bronchial sounds are normally heard over the trachea.
C. Vesicular sounds are heard over the sternum.
D. Wheezes are usually heard over the lower lobes.
Rationale: Bronchial sounds are high-pitched and heard over the trachea, while
vesicular sounds are soft and heard over peripheral lung fields. Wheezes are high-
pitched sounds from narrowed airways, typically heard in asthma.
4. Which of the following is an example of subjective data?
A. The patient reports nausea.
B. The nurse observes pallor.
C. The patient’s heart rate is 88 bpm.
D. The nurse notes a lesion on the skin.
Rationale: Subjective data is what the patient says or feels (e.g., pain, nausea),
whereas objective data is what the nurse sees, hears, touches, or measures.
5. A patient’s pupils constrict when exposed to light. This is a normal:
A. Accommodation reflex
B. Pupillary light reflex
, C. Extraocular movement
D. Consensual response
Rationale: The pupillary light reflex is the direct response of a pupil to light.
Accommodation refers to focusing on a near object, and consensual response
refers to constriction of the opposite pupil.
6. When percussing over the liver, the nurse should expect to hear:
A. Resonance
B. Hyperresonance
C. Dullness
D. Tympany
Rationale: The liver is a solid organ, so percussion should elicit dullness, whereas
tympany is heard over air-filled areas like the stomach.
7. A patient exhibits a bluish discoloration of the lips and fingertips. This finding
is termed:
A. Jaundice
B. Cyanosis
C. Erythema
D. Pallor
Rationale: Cyanosis results from low oxygen levels in the blood and appears as a
bluish discoloration of the skin or mucous membranes.
Questions and Answers with Rationales
2025 Chamberlain University
1. During a physical exam, which technique is performed first on the abdomen?
A. Percussion
B. Inspection
C. Palpation
D. Auscultation
Rationale: Always begin with inspection to visually assess the area. For the
abdomen, auscultation is done before percussion and palpation to avoid altering
bowel sounds, but inspection is always first in every system.
2. The nurse assesses a patient’s respiratory rate and notes 10 breaths per
minute. This is known as:
A. Tachypnea
B. Hyperventilation
C. Bradypnea
D. Orthopnea
,Rationale: A respiratory rate below 12 in an adult is considered bradypnea,
which may be caused by opioid use, brain injury, or hypothyroidism.
3. Which statement is accurate about auscultating lung sounds?
A. Crackles are heard during expiration only.
B. Bronchial sounds are normally heard over the trachea.
C. Vesicular sounds are heard over the sternum.
D. Wheezes are usually heard over the lower lobes.
Rationale: Bronchial sounds are high-pitched and heard over the trachea, while
vesicular sounds are soft and heard over peripheral lung fields. Wheezes are high-
pitched sounds from narrowed airways, typically heard in asthma.
4. Which of the following is an example of subjective data?
A. The patient reports nausea.
B. The nurse observes pallor.
C. The patient’s heart rate is 88 bpm.
D. The nurse notes a lesion on the skin.
Rationale: Subjective data is what the patient says or feels (e.g., pain, nausea),
whereas objective data is what the nurse sees, hears, touches, or measures.
5. A patient’s pupils constrict when exposed to light. This is a normal:
A. Accommodation reflex
B. Pupillary light reflex
, C. Extraocular movement
D. Consensual response
Rationale: The pupillary light reflex is the direct response of a pupil to light.
Accommodation refers to focusing on a near object, and consensual response
refers to constriction of the opposite pupil.
6. When percussing over the liver, the nurse should expect to hear:
A. Resonance
B. Hyperresonance
C. Dullness
D. Tympany
Rationale: The liver is a solid organ, so percussion should elicit dullness, whereas
tympany is heard over air-filled areas like the stomach.
7. A patient exhibits a bluish discoloration of the lips and fingertips. This finding
is termed:
A. Jaundice
B. Cyanosis
C. Erythema
D. Pallor
Rationale: Cyanosis results from low oxygen levels in the blood and appears as a
bluish discoloration of the skin or mucous membranes.
