EXAM REVIEW
1
Eversion of the foot means:
A. Turning the sole inward toward the midline
B. Turning the sole outward away from the midline ✅
C. Raising the toes upward
D. Pointing the toes downward
Rationale: Eversion rotates the sole of the foot so it faces away (laterally) from the other foot; inversion
turns it inward.
2
Protraction of a body part is best defined as:
A. Moving a body part upward
B. Moving a body part forward and parallel to the ground ✅
C. Pulling a body part backward toward the spine
D. Rotating a limb around its axis
Rationale: Protraction moves a structure anteriorly (e.g., protracting the jaw or shoulder forward).
3
The lithotomy position is most commonly used for which procedure?
A. Knee arthroscopy
B. Pelvic exam/Pap smear ✅
C. Lumbar puncture
D. Eye surgery
Rationale: Lithotomy places patient on back with hips and knees flexed and feet in stirrups — standard
for pelvic examinations.
,4
Ankylosis refers to:
A. Inflammation of a tendon
B. Excessive joint mobility
C. Stiffness or fixation of a joint ✅
D. Bone fracture through the joint
Rationale: Ankylosis is fusion/stiffness of a joint often from chronic disease or immobility.
5
Which abdominal mass should you generally NOT palpate deeply at bedside because it may represent
a pulsatile aneurysm?
A. Palpable fecal mass
B. A large, pulsatile central abdominal mass (possible AAA) ✅
C. A movable benign lipoma
D. An easily reducible umbilical hernia
Rationale: A pulsatile central abdominal mass may be an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA); avoid deep
palpation and obtain imaging — palpation could risk rupture.
6
Referred pain is best described as:
A. Pain that spreads from the site of injury into adjacent tissue
B. Constant pain at the site of pathology
C. Pain perceived at a location distant from the organ or tissue causing it ✅
D. Pain that is psychosomatic in origin
Rationale: Referred pain occurs when visceral pathology is felt in somatic areas supplied by the same
spinal segments (e.g., MI -> jaw/arm pain).
7
The medical suffix that indicates organ enlargement is:
A. -itis
B. -osis
C. -megaly ✅
D. -pathy
, Rationale: “-megaly” denotes enlargement (hepatomegaly = enlarged liver; splenomegaly = enlarged
spleen).
8
Which of the following is NOT a common type of abdominal hernia?
A. Umbilical
B. Incisional
C. Epigastric
D. Cerebral ✅
Rationale: Umbilical, incisional, epigastric, and diastasis recti are abdominal wall hernias; cerebral is not.
9
Hypoactive bowel sounds are typically heard:
A. After eating a high-fiber meal
B. After abdominal surgery and with NPO/anesthesia ✅
C. With diarrhea or gastroenteritis
D. With lactose intolerance
Rationale: Bowel sounds decrease after surgery, with anesthesia, or in ileus (hypoactive/absent).
10
Hyperactive bowel sounds are commonly heard:
A. With paralytic ileus
B. In peritonitis with absent bowel sounds
C. After eating, with diarrhea, or in lactose intolerance ✅
D. Only with bowel obstruction
Rationale: Hyperactive, “borborygmi” sounds occur with increased intestinal activity: postprandial,
gastroenteritis, intolerance.
11
Which factors increase colorectal cancer risk (select the best set)?
A. Vegan diet, female sex, young age
B. Family history, African American race, some Native populations ✅