NR 509 BATES TEST BANK - MIDTERM ACTUAL
UPDATED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALE 2025/2026 SOLVED 100% OVER 250 Q&A
A young woman comes in with brief, rapid, jerky, irregular movements. They can occur
at rest or during other intentional movements and involve mostly her face, head, lower
arms, and
hands. How would you describe these movements?
A) Tics
B) Dystonia
C) Athetosis
D) Chorea - ANSWERS-D) Chorea
These represent chorea because they are brief, rapid, unpredictable, and irregular. Tics
are irregular but tend to be stereotyped and can be vocal (throat-clearing), facial
expressions, or shoulder shrugging. Athetosis is a slow, squirming motion usually
affecting the
face and distal extremities. Dystonia is similar to athetosis but the movements are more
coarse
and can involve twisted postural changes.
Which of the following changes are expected in vision as part of the normal aging
process?
A) Cataracts
B) Glaucoma
C) Macular degeneration
D) Blurring of near vision - ANSWERS-D) Blurring of near vision
The lens loses its elasticity over time as part of the normal aging process, and the eye is
less able to accommodate and focus on near objects; therefore, the patient will be
expected to have blurring of near vision.
A 72-year-old retired truck driver comes to the clinic with his wife for evaluation of
hearing loss. He has noticed some decreased ability to hear what his wife and
grandchildren are saying to him. He admits to lip-reading more. He has a history of
noise exposure in his young adult years: He worked as a sound engineer at a local
arena and had to attend a lot of concerts. Based on this
information, what is the most likely finding regarding his hearing acuity?
A) Loss of acuity for middle-range sounds
,B) Increase of acuity for low-range sounds
C) Loss of acuity for high-range sounds
D) Increase of acuity for high-range sounds - ANSWERS-A) Loss of acuity for middle-
range sounds
A 79-year-old retired banker comes to your office for evaluation of difficulty with
urination; he gets up five to six times per night to urinate and has to go at least that
often in the daytime. He does not feel as if his bladder empties completely; the strength
of the urinary stream is
diminished. He denies dysuria or hematuria. This problem has been present for several
years but
has worsened over the last 8 months. You palpate his prostate. What is your expected
physical
examination finding, based on this description?
A) Normal size, smooth
B) Normal size, boggy
C) Enlarged size, smooth
D) Enlarged size, boggy - ANSWERS-C) Enlarged size, smooth
A patient presents for evaluation of a sharp, aching chest pain which increases with
breathing. Which anatomic area would you localize the symptom to?
A) Musculoskeletal
B) Reproductive
C) Urinary
D) Endocrine - ANSWERS-A) Musculoskeletal
Chest pain may be due to a musculoskeletal condition, such as costochondritis or
intercostal muscle cramp. This would be worsened by motion of the chest wall. Pleuritic
chest pain is also a sharp chest pain which increases with a deep breath. This type of
pain can
occur with inflammation of the pleura from pneumonia or other conditions and
pulmonary
embolus.
A patient comes to the emergency room for evaluation of shortness of breath. To which
anatomic region would you assign the symptom?
A) Reproductive
B) Urinary
C) Cardiac
D) Hematologic - ANSWERS-C) Cardiac
,Cardiac disorders such as congestive heart failure are the most likely on this list to
result in shortness of breath. There are cases within the other categories which may
also result
in shortness of breath, such as anemia in the hematologic category, pregnancy in the
reproductive
category, or sepsis with UTI in the urinary category.
A patient presents for evaluation of a cough. Which of the following anatomic regions
can be responsible for a cough?
A) Ophthalmologic
B) Auditory
C) Cardiac
D) Endocrine - ANSWERS-C) Cardiac
The cardiac system can cause a cough if the patient has congestive heart failure. This
results in fluid buildup in the lungs, which in turn can cause a cough that produces pink,
frothy sputum. A foreign body in the ear may also cause a cough by stimulating Arnold's
branch of the vagus nerve, but this is less likely to be seen clinically than heart failure.
A 22-year-old advertising copywriter presents for evaluation of joint pain. The pain is
new,
located in the wrists and fingers bilaterally, with some subjective fever. The patient
denies a
rash; she also denies recent travel or camping activities. She has a family history
significant for
rheumatoid arthritis. Based on this information, which of the following pathologic
processes
would be the most correct?
A) Infectious
B) Inflammatory
C) Hematologic
D) Traumatic - ANSWERS-B) Inflammatory
The description is most consistent with an inflammatory process, although all the other
etiologies should be considered. Lyme disease is an infection which commonly causes
arthritis, hemophilia is a hematologic condition which can cause bleeding in the joints,
and trauma can obviously cause joint pain.
A 47-year-old contractor presents for evaluation of neck pain, which has been
intermittent for several years. He normally takes over-the-counter medications to ease
the pain, but this time they haven't worked as well and he still has discomfort. He
recently wallpapered the entire second floor in his house, which caused him great
discomfort. The pain resolved with rest. He denies fever, chills, rash, upper respiratory
, symptoms, trauma, or injury to the neck. Based on this description, what is the most
likely pathologic process?
A) Infectious
B) Neoplastic
C) Degenerative
D) Traumatic - ANSWERS-C) Degenerative
The description is most consistent with degenerative arthritis in the neck. The
patient has had intermittent symptoms and the questions asked to elicit pertinent
negative and
positive findings are negative for infectious, traumatic, or neoplastic disease.
A 15-year-old high school sophomore comes to the clinic for evaluation of a 3-week
history
of sneezing; itchy, watery eyes; clear nasal discharge; ear pain; and nonproductive
cough. Which
is the most likely pathologic process?
A) Infection
B) Inflammation
C) Allergic
D) Vascular - ANSWERS-C) Allergic
This description is most consistent with allergic rhinitis.
A 19-year old-college student presents to the emergency room with fever, headache,
and
neck pain/stiffness. She is concerned about the possibility of meningococcal meningitis.
Several of her dorm mates have been vaccinated, but she hasn't been. Which of the
following
physical examination descriptions is most consistent with meningitis?
A) Head is normocephalic and atraumatic, fundi with sharp discs, neck supple with full
range
of motion
B) Head is normocephalic and atraumatic, fundi with sharp discs, neck with paraspinous
muscle spasm and limited range of motion to the right
C) Head is normocephalic and atraumatic, fundi with blurred disc margins, neck tender
to
palpation, unable to perform range of motion
D) Head is normocephalic and atraumatic, fundi with blurred disc margins, neck supple
with
full range of motion - ANSWERS-C) Head is normocephalic and atraumatic, fundi with
blurred disc margins, neck tender to
palpation, unable to perform range of motion
UPDATED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALE 2025/2026 SOLVED 100% OVER 250 Q&A
A young woman comes in with brief, rapid, jerky, irregular movements. They can occur
at rest or during other intentional movements and involve mostly her face, head, lower
arms, and
hands. How would you describe these movements?
A) Tics
B) Dystonia
C) Athetosis
D) Chorea - ANSWERS-D) Chorea
These represent chorea because they are brief, rapid, unpredictable, and irregular. Tics
are irregular but tend to be stereotyped and can be vocal (throat-clearing), facial
expressions, or shoulder shrugging. Athetosis is a slow, squirming motion usually
affecting the
face and distal extremities. Dystonia is similar to athetosis but the movements are more
coarse
and can involve twisted postural changes.
Which of the following changes are expected in vision as part of the normal aging
process?
A) Cataracts
B) Glaucoma
C) Macular degeneration
D) Blurring of near vision - ANSWERS-D) Blurring of near vision
The lens loses its elasticity over time as part of the normal aging process, and the eye is
less able to accommodate and focus on near objects; therefore, the patient will be
expected to have blurring of near vision.
A 72-year-old retired truck driver comes to the clinic with his wife for evaluation of
hearing loss. He has noticed some decreased ability to hear what his wife and
grandchildren are saying to him. He admits to lip-reading more. He has a history of
noise exposure in his young adult years: He worked as a sound engineer at a local
arena and had to attend a lot of concerts. Based on this
information, what is the most likely finding regarding his hearing acuity?
A) Loss of acuity for middle-range sounds
,B) Increase of acuity for low-range sounds
C) Loss of acuity for high-range sounds
D) Increase of acuity for high-range sounds - ANSWERS-A) Loss of acuity for middle-
range sounds
A 79-year-old retired banker comes to your office for evaluation of difficulty with
urination; he gets up five to six times per night to urinate and has to go at least that
often in the daytime. He does not feel as if his bladder empties completely; the strength
of the urinary stream is
diminished. He denies dysuria or hematuria. This problem has been present for several
years but
has worsened over the last 8 months. You palpate his prostate. What is your expected
physical
examination finding, based on this description?
A) Normal size, smooth
B) Normal size, boggy
C) Enlarged size, smooth
D) Enlarged size, boggy - ANSWERS-C) Enlarged size, smooth
A patient presents for evaluation of a sharp, aching chest pain which increases with
breathing. Which anatomic area would you localize the symptom to?
A) Musculoskeletal
B) Reproductive
C) Urinary
D) Endocrine - ANSWERS-A) Musculoskeletal
Chest pain may be due to a musculoskeletal condition, such as costochondritis or
intercostal muscle cramp. This would be worsened by motion of the chest wall. Pleuritic
chest pain is also a sharp chest pain which increases with a deep breath. This type of
pain can
occur with inflammation of the pleura from pneumonia or other conditions and
pulmonary
embolus.
A patient comes to the emergency room for evaluation of shortness of breath. To which
anatomic region would you assign the symptom?
A) Reproductive
B) Urinary
C) Cardiac
D) Hematologic - ANSWERS-C) Cardiac
,Cardiac disorders such as congestive heart failure are the most likely on this list to
result in shortness of breath. There are cases within the other categories which may
also result
in shortness of breath, such as anemia in the hematologic category, pregnancy in the
reproductive
category, or sepsis with UTI in the urinary category.
A patient presents for evaluation of a cough. Which of the following anatomic regions
can be responsible for a cough?
A) Ophthalmologic
B) Auditory
C) Cardiac
D) Endocrine - ANSWERS-C) Cardiac
The cardiac system can cause a cough if the patient has congestive heart failure. This
results in fluid buildup in the lungs, which in turn can cause a cough that produces pink,
frothy sputum. A foreign body in the ear may also cause a cough by stimulating Arnold's
branch of the vagus nerve, but this is less likely to be seen clinically than heart failure.
A 22-year-old advertising copywriter presents for evaluation of joint pain. The pain is
new,
located in the wrists and fingers bilaterally, with some subjective fever. The patient
denies a
rash; she also denies recent travel or camping activities. She has a family history
significant for
rheumatoid arthritis. Based on this information, which of the following pathologic
processes
would be the most correct?
A) Infectious
B) Inflammatory
C) Hematologic
D) Traumatic - ANSWERS-B) Inflammatory
The description is most consistent with an inflammatory process, although all the other
etiologies should be considered. Lyme disease is an infection which commonly causes
arthritis, hemophilia is a hematologic condition which can cause bleeding in the joints,
and trauma can obviously cause joint pain.
A 47-year-old contractor presents for evaluation of neck pain, which has been
intermittent for several years. He normally takes over-the-counter medications to ease
the pain, but this time they haven't worked as well and he still has discomfort. He
recently wallpapered the entire second floor in his house, which caused him great
discomfort. The pain resolved with rest. He denies fever, chills, rash, upper respiratory
, symptoms, trauma, or injury to the neck. Based on this description, what is the most
likely pathologic process?
A) Infectious
B) Neoplastic
C) Degenerative
D) Traumatic - ANSWERS-C) Degenerative
The description is most consistent with degenerative arthritis in the neck. The
patient has had intermittent symptoms and the questions asked to elicit pertinent
negative and
positive findings are negative for infectious, traumatic, or neoplastic disease.
A 15-year-old high school sophomore comes to the clinic for evaluation of a 3-week
history
of sneezing; itchy, watery eyes; clear nasal discharge; ear pain; and nonproductive
cough. Which
is the most likely pathologic process?
A) Infection
B) Inflammation
C) Allergic
D) Vascular - ANSWERS-C) Allergic
This description is most consistent with allergic rhinitis.
A 19-year old-college student presents to the emergency room with fever, headache,
and
neck pain/stiffness. She is concerned about the possibility of meningococcal meningitis.
Several of her dorm mates have been vaccinated, but she hasn't been. Which of the
following
physical examination descriptions is most consistent with meningitis?
A) Head is normocephalic and atraumatic, fundi with sharp discs, neck supple with full
range
of motion
B) Head is normocephalic and atraumatic, fundi with sharp discs, neck with paraspinous
muscle spasm and limited range of motion to the right
C) Head is normocephalic and atraumatic, fundi with blurred disc margins, neck tender
to
palpation, unable to perform range of motion
D) Head is normocephalic and atraumatic, fundi with blurred disc margins, neck supple
with
full range of motion - ANSWERS-C) Head is normocephalic and atraumatic, fundi with
blurred disc margins, neck tender to
palpation, unable to perform range of motion
