Health Assessment Test 2 – Updated Exam
Questions & Answers (2025–2026) |
Verified & Graded A+ | Chamberlain
University
During an examination, the nurse can assess mental status by which
activity?
a. Examining the patient (client)’s electroencephalogram
b. Observing the patient (client) as he or she performs an intelligence
quotient (IQ) test
c. Observing the patient (client) and inferring mental functioning
d. Examining the patient (client)’s response to a specific set of questions
The nurse is assessing the mental status of a child. Which statement about
children and mental status is true?
a. All aspects of mental status in children are interdependent.
b. Children are highly labile and unstable until the age of 2 years.
c. A child’s mental status is impossible to assess until the child
develops the ability to concentrate.
d. Children’s mental status is largely a function of their parents’ level
of functioning until the age of 7 years.
The nurse is assessing a 75-year-old man. What should the nurse expect
when performing the mental status portion of the assessment?
a. Will have no decrease in any of his abilities, including response time.
b. Will have difficulty on tests of remote memory because this ability
typically decreases with age.
c. May take a little longer to respond, but his general
knowledge and abilities should not have declined.
d. Will exhibit a decrease in his response time because of the loss of
language and decrease in general knowledge.
When assessing aging adults, what is one of the first things the nurse should
assess before making judgments about the aging person’s mental status?
a. Presence of phobias
b. General intelligence
c. Sensory-perceptive abilities
d. Presence of irrational thinking patterns
The nurse is preparing to conduct a mental status examination. Which
statement is true regarding the mental status examination?
a. A patient (client)’s family is the best resource for information
about the patient (client)’s coping skills
b. Gathering mental status information during the health
history interview is usually sufficient.
, c. Integrating the mental status examination into the health history
interview takes an enormous amount of extra time.
d. To get a good idea of the patient (client)’s level of functioning,
performing a complete mental status examination is usually necessary.
A woman brings her husband to the clinic for an examination. She is
particularly worried because after a recent fall, he seems to have lost a great
deal of his memory of recent events. Which statement reflects the nurse’s
best course of action?
a. Perform a complete mental status examination.
b. Refer him to a psychometrician.
c. Plan to integrate the mental status examination into the history and
physical examination.
d. Reassure his wife that memory loss after a physical shock is normal
and will soon subside.
The nurse is conducting a patient (client) interview. Which statement made
by the patient (client) should the nurse more fully explore to assess the
mental status during the interview?
a. “I sleep like a baby.”
b. “I have no health problems.”
c. “I never did too good in school.”
d. “I am not currently taking any medications.”
A patient (client) is admitted to the unit after an automobile accident. The
nurse begins the mental status examination and finds that the patient
(client) has dysarthric speech and is lethargic. How should the nurse
proceed?
a. Defer the rest of the mental status examination.
b. Skip the language portion of the examination and proceed onto
assessing mood and affect.
c. Conduct an in-depth speech evaluation and defer the mental status
examination to another time.
d. Proceed with the examination and assess the patient (client) for
suicidal thoughts because
A 19-year-old woman comes to the clinic at the insistence of her brother. She
is wearing black combat boots and a black lace nightgown over the top of
her other clothes. Her hair is dyed pink with black streaks throughout. She
has several pierced holes in her nares and ears and is wearing an earring
through her eyebrow and heavy black makeup. Which is an appropriate
conclusion for the nurse draw?
a. She probably does not have any problems.
b. She is only trying to shock people and that her dress should be
ignored.
c. She has a manic syndrome because of her abnormal dress and
grooming.
, d. More information should be gathered to decide whether her
dress is appropriate.
A patient (client) has been in the intensive care unit for 10 days. He has
just been moved to the medical-surgical unit, and the admitting nurse is
planning to perform a mental status examination. What should the nurse
expect during this patient (client)’s tests of cognitive function?
a. May display some disruption in thought content.
b. Will state, “I am so relieved to be out of intensive care.”
c. Will be oriented to place and person, but the patient
(client) may not be certain of the date.
d. May show evidence of some clouding of his level of consciousness.
During a mental status examination, the nurse wants to assess a patient
(client)’s affect. Which question would the nurse ask?
a. “How do you feel today?”
b. “Would you please repeat the following words?”
c. “Have these medications had any effect on your pain?”
d. “Has this pain affected your ability to get dressed by yourself?”
The nurse is planning to assess new memory with a patient (client). Which
is the best way for the nurse to do this?
a. Administer the FACT test.
b. Ask him to describe his first job.
c. Give him the Four Unrelated Words Test.
d. Ask him to describe what television show he was watching before
coming to the clinic.
A patient (client) is at the clinic for a mental status assessment. Which
describes the expecting findings on the Four Unrelated Words Test?
a. Invents four unrelated words within 5 minutes.
b. Invents four unrelated words within 30 seconds.
c. Recalls four unrelated words after a 30-minute delay.
d. Recalls four unrelated words after a 60-minute delay.
During a mental status assessment, which question by the nurse would best
assess a person’s judgment?
a. “Do you feel that you are being watched, followed, or controlled?”
b. “Tell me what you plan to do once you are discharged from
the hospital.”
c. “What does the statement, ‘People in glass houses shouldn’t throw
stones,’ mean to you?”
d. “What would you do if you found a stamped, addressed envelope
lying on the sidewalk?”
, Which of these individuals would the nurse consider at highest risk for a
suicide attempt? a. Man who jokes about death
b. Woman who, during a past episode of major depression, attempted
suicide
c. Adolescent who just broke up with her boyfriend and states that she
would like to kill herself
d. Older adult man who tells the nurse that he is going to “join
his wife in heaven” tomorrow and plans to use a gun
The nurse is assessing orientation in a 79-year-old patient (client). Which of
these responses would lead the nurse to conclude that this patient (client) is
oriented?
a. “I know my name is John. I couldn’t tell you where I am. I think it is
2010, though.”
b. “I know my name is John, but to tell you the truth, I get kind of
confused about the date.”
c. “I know my name is John; I guess I’m at the hospital in Spokane. No,
I don’t know the date.”
d. “I know my name is John. I am at the hospital in Spokane. I
couldn’t tell you what date it is, but I know that it is
February of a new year—2010.”
The nurse is performing the Denver II screening test on a 12-month-old
infant during a routine well-child visit. What should the nurse tell the infant’s
parents about the Denver II screening test?
a. Tests three areas of development: cognitive, physical, and
psychological
b. Will indicate whether the child has a speech disorder so that
treatment can begin c. Is a screening instrument designed to detect
children who are slow in development
d. Is a test to determine intellectual ability and may indicate whether
problems will develop later in school
A patient (client) drifts off to sleep when she is not being stimulated. The
nurse can easily arouse her by calling her name, but the patient (client)
remains drowsy during the conversation. What is the best description of this
patient (client)’s level of consciousness?
a. Lethargic
b. Obtunded
c. Stuporous
d. Semi-coma
A patient (client) has had a cerebrovascular accident (stroke). He is trying
very hard to communicate. He seems driven to speak and says, “I buy obie
get spirding and take my train.” What is the best description of this patient
(client)’s problem?
a. Echolalia
b. Global aphasia
Questions & Answers (2025–2026) |
Verified & Graded A+ | Chamberlain
University
During an examination, the nurse can assess mental status by which
activity?
a. Examining the patient (client)’s electroencephalogram
b. Observing the patient (client) as he or she performs an intelligence
quotient (IQ) test
c. Observing the patient (client) and inferring mental functioning
d. Examining the patient (client)’s response to a specific set of questions
The nurse is assessing the mental status of a child. Which statement about
children and mental status is true?
a. All aspects of mental status in children are interdependent.
b. Children are highly labile and unstable until the age of 2 years.
c. A child’s mental status is impossible to assess until the child
develops the ability to concentrate.
d. Children’s mental status is largely a function of their parents’ level
of functioning until the age of 7 years.
The nurse is assessing a 75-year-old man. What should the nurse expect
when performing the mental status portion of the assessment?
a. Will have no decrease in any of his abilities, including response time.
b. Will have difficulty on tests of remote memory because this ability
typically decreases with age.
c. May take a little longer to respond, but his general
knowledge and abilities should not have declined.
d. Will exhibit a decrease in his response time because of the loss of
language and decrease in general knowledge.
When assessing aging adults, what is one of the first things the nurse should
assess before making judgments about the aging person’s mental status?
a. Presence of phobias
b. General intelligence
c. Sensory-perceptive abilities
d. Presence of irrational thinking patterns
The nurse is preparing to conduct a mental status examination. Which
statement is true regarding the mental status examination?
a. A patient (client)’s family is the best resource for information
about the patient (client)’s coping skills
b. Gathering mental status information during the health
history interview is usually sufficient.
, c. Integrating the mental status examination into the health history
interview takes an enormous amount of extra time.
d. To get a good idea of the patient (client)’s level of functioning,
performing a complete mental status examination is usually necessary.
A woman brings her husband to the clinic for an examination. She is
particularly worried because after a recent fall, he seems to have lost a great
deal of his memory of recent events. Which statement reflects the nurse’s
best course of action?
a. Perform a complete mental status examination.
b. Refer him to a psychometrician.
c. Plan to integrate the mental status examination into the history and
physical examination.
d. Reassure his wife that memory loss after a physical shock is normal
and will soon subside.
The nurse is conducting a patient (client) interview. Which statement made
by the patient (client) should the nurse more fully explore to assess the
mental status during the interview?
a. “I sleep like a baby.”
b. “I have no health problems.”
c. “I never did too good in school.”
d. “I am not currently taking any medications.”
A patient (client) is admitted to the unit after an automobile accident. The
nurse begins the mental status examination and finds that the patient
(client) has dysarthric speech and is lethargic. How should the nurse
proceed?
a. Defer the rest of the mental status examination.
b. Skip the language portion of the examination and proceed onto
assessing mood and affect.
c. Conduct an in-depth speech evaluation and defer the mental status
examination to another time.
d. Proceed with the examination and assess the patient (client) for
suicidal thoughts because
A 19-year-old woman comes to the clinic at the insistence of her brother. She
is wearing black combat boots and a black lace nightgown over the top of
her other clothes. Her hair is dyed pink with black streaks throughout. She
has several pierced holes in her nares and ears and is wearing an earring
through her eyebrow and heavy black makeup. Which is an appropriate
conclusion for the nurse draw?
a. She probably does not have any problems.
b. She is only trying to shock people and that her dress should be
ignored.
c. She has a manic syndrome because of her abnormal dress and
grooming.
, d. More information should be gathered to decide whether her
dress is appropriate.
A patient (client) has been in the intensive care unit for 10 days. He has
just been moved to the medical-surgical unit, and the admitting nurse is
planning to perform a mental status examination. What should the nurse
expect during this patient (client)’s tests of cognitive function?
a. May display some disruption in thought content.
b. Will state, “I am so relieved to be out of intensive care.”
c. Will be oriented to place and person, but the patient
(client) may not be certain of the date.
d. May show evidence of some clouding of his level of consciousness.
During a mental status examination, the nurse wants to assess a patient
(client)’s affect. Which question would the nurse ask?
a. “How do you feel today?”
b. “Would you please repeat the following words?”
c. “Have these medications had any effect on your pain?”
d. “Has this pain affected your ability to get dressed by yourself?”
The nurse is planning to assess new memory with a patient (client). Which
is the best way for the nurse to do this?
a. Administer the FACT test.
b. Ask him to describe his first job.
c. Give him the Four Unrelated Words Test.
d. Ask him to describe what television show he was watching before
coming to the clinic.
A patient (client) is at the clinic for a mental status assessment. Which
describes the expecting findings on the Four Unrelated Words Test?
a. Invents four unrelated words within 5 minutes.
b. Invents four unrelated words within 30 seconds.
c. Recalls four unrelated words after a 30-minute delay.
d. Recalls four unrelated words after a 60-minute delay.
During a mental status assessment, which question by the nurse would best
assess a person’s judgment?
a. “Do you feel that you are being watched, followed, or controlled?”
b. “Tell me what you plan to do once you are discharged from
the hospital.”
c. “What does the statement, ‘People in glass houses shouldn’t throw
stones,’ mean to you?”
d. “What would you do if you found a stamped, addressed envelope
lying on the sidewalk?”
, Which of these individuals would the nurse consider at highest risk for a
suicide attempt? a. Man who jokes about death
b. Woman who, during a past episode of major depression, attempted
suicide
c. Adolescent who just broke up with her boyfriend and states that she
would like to kill herself
d. Older adult man who tells the nurse that he is going to “join
his wife in heaven” tomorrow and plans to use a gun
The nurse is assessing orientation in a 79-year-old patient (client). Which of
these responses would lead the nurse to conclude that this patient (client) is
oriented?
a. “I know my name is John. I couldn’t tell you where I am. I think it is
2010, though.”
b. “I know my name is John, but to tell you the truth, I get kind of
confused about the date.”
c. “I know my name is John; I guess I’m at the hospital in Spokane. No,
I don’t know the date.”
d. “I know my name is John. I am at the hospital in Spokane. I
couldn’t tell you what date it is, but I know that it is
February of a new year—2010.”
The nurse is performing the Denver II screening test on a 12-month-old
infant during a routine well-child visit. What should the nurse tell the infant’s
parents about the Denver II screening test?
a. Tests three areas of development: cognitive, physical, and
psychological
b. Will indicate whether the child has a speech disorder so that
treatment can begin c. Is a screening instrument designed to detect
children who are slow in development
d. Is a test to determine intellectual ability and may indicate whether
problems will develop later in school
A patient (client) drifts off to sleep when she is not being stimulated. The
nurse can easily arouse her by calling her name, but the patient (client)
remains drowsy during the conversation. What is the best description of this
patient (client)’s level of consciousness?
a. Lethargic
b. Obtunded
c. Stuporous
d. Semi-coma
A patient (client) has had a cerebrovascular accident (stroke). He is trying
very hard to communicate. He seems driven to speak and says, “I buy obie
get spirding and take my train.” What is the best description of this patient
(client)’s problem?
a. Echolalia
b. Global aphasia
