STUDY GUIDE 2025 ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED
VERIFIED ANSWERS AND RATIONALE /ALREADY GRADED A+
fontanel - correct answer membrane covered "soft spots" that separate the neonatal skull and
allow for growth during the 1st year.
nuchal rigidity - correct answer resistance to flexion
presyncope - correct answer feeling faint
disequilibrium - correct answer shakiness or instability when walking
normocephalic - correct answer round, symmetric skull that is appropriately related to body
size
tic - correct answer involuntary movement in facial muscles
lymphadenopathy - correct answer enlarged lymph nodes
How can you locate the C7 vertebra? - correct answer C7 has a long spinous process that is
palpable when the head is flexed
what is the other name for C7? - correct answer vertebra prominens
The border shared by the anterior and posterior triangles of the neck is formed by which
muscle? - correct answer sternomastoid muscle
Name lymph nodes (also know where they are) - correct answer preauricular
posterior auricular
occipital
submental
submandibular
jugulodigastric
superficial cervical
deep cervical
posterior cervical
supraclavicular
If a lymph node is enlarged do you look upstream or downstream for the source of the
problem? - correct answer upstream
,what are the 4 areas that lymph nodes are accessible to examination? - correct answer head &
neck
arms
axillae
inguinal region
why do older adult's facial bones and orbits appear increased in prominence? - correct answer
they have decreased elasticity, decreased subcutaneous fat, decreased moisture in skin
how do you palpate deep chain lymph nodes? supraclavicular lymph nodes? - correct answer
deep chain lymph nodes: tip the person's head toward the side being examined to relax the
ipsilateral muscle
supraclavicular: have patient hunch shoulders and elbows forward
characteristics of cancerous lymph nodes - correct answer hard
larger than 3cm
unilateral
fixed
if a patient has a pneumothorax on their left lung which way would the trachea shift? - correct
answer Right -- away from the side of the pneumothorax due to air in the pleural space creating
pressure and pushing the trachea and mediastinum away from it
If a patient had an atelectasis on their left lung which side would the trachea shift? - correct
answer left
primary vs. secondary headache - correct answer primary: due to headache condition itself &
not to another cause
secondary: headache presents because of another condition
Define tension, migraine and cluster headaches - correct answer -Tension: musculoskeletal
origin with mild to moderate pain
-migraine: genetically transmitted vascular & trigeminal nerve origin; very painful & involves
prodrome & aura
-cluster: rare headache that is intermittent, excruciating, unilateral and has autonomic signs
location: tension, migraine, cluster HA - correct answer -tension: both sides of head
-migraine: commonly one-sided but may occur on both
, -cluster: always one-sided
character: tension, migraine, cluster HA - correct answer -tension: bandlike tightness, non-
throbbing
-migraine: throbbing, pulsating
-cluster: continuous, burning, piercing, excruciating
duration: tension, migraine, cluster HA - correct answer -tension: gradual onset, lasts 30 mins
to days
-migraine: rapid onset, peaks at 1-2hrs, lasts 4-72 hours
-cluster: abrupt onset, peaks in minutes, lasts 45-90 mins
quantity/severity: tension, migraine, cluster HA - correct answer -tension: diffuse, dull, aching,
mild to moderate
-migraine: moderate to severe
-cluster: can occur multiple times a day in "clusters" and is a severe, stabbing pain
timing: tension, migraine, cluster HA - correct answer -tension: situational in response to
overwork or posture
-migraine: 2ish per month
-cluster: happen for 1 to 2 months hen go in remission for months/years
aggravating factors: tension, migraine, cluster HA - correct answer -tension: stress, anxiety,
depression, poor posture
-migraine: hormonal fluctuations, foods, hunger, letdown after stress, sleep deprivation,
sensory stimuli, weather changes, physical activity
-cluster: exacerbated by alcohol, stress, daytime napping, wind or heat
associated symptoms: tension, migraine, cluster HA - correct answer -tension: fatigue, anxiety,
stress
-migraine: aura (visual changes such as blind spots or flashes of light, tingling in an arm or leg) &
prodrome (changes in mood), nausea, vomiting
-cluster: ipsilateral autonomic signs - nasal congestion, runny nose, watery or reddened eye
relieving factors: tension, migraine, cluster HA - correct answer -tension: rest, managing
muscles in area
-migraine: lie down, darker room, NSAID, sleep