EMT Basic Practice Exam 3
1. If a preschool child suffers an injury, you should keep in mind that she:
A. is not frightened of you as a rescuer.
B. does not mind being undressed for a physical exam.
C. does not mind being separated from her parents.
D. thinks that she is being punished for being bad. Answer: D. Preschool children often imagine
that their injury is a result of a "bad" behavior of some sort. It is important forthe rescuer to make efforts
to calm the child and reassure her that what happenedwas not her fault.
2. Adolescent patients have all of the following characteristics EXCEPT:
A. they want their parents to be present during examination.
B. they are modest and embarrassed about having clothing removed.
C. they prize their dignity and want to be talked to as if they are adults.
D. they are especially fearful of permanent injury and disfigurement.
Answer: A. Al-though adolescent patients are physiologically more alike to adults than children,
when under stress, they may revert to a younger emotional age. Teenagers in particular can be
focused on their outward appearance, and any injury may be perceived as a significant issue.
3. Which patient is breathing adequately?
A. male, age 3 months: respiratory rate, 62/min, using diaphragm and musclesin chest and neck
B. female, age 7: respiratory rate, 12/min, irregular rhythm, using diaphragmprimarily
C. male, age 18: respiratory rate, 28/min, shallow chest motions
D. female, age 43: respiratory rate, 15/min, regular chest motions Answer: D.The normalrespiratory
,rate for an adult is 12-20 breaths per minute, and chest wall motion should be regular and neither
shallow nor very deep.
4. One anatomical difference between infants and adults is that:
A. infants have a slower respiratory rate.
B. infants have a smaller surface area relative to body mass.
C. infants' brain tissues are thinner and softer.
D. infants' spleen and liver are more protected. Answer: C. Infants breathe at a faster ratethan adults
in order to supply more oxygen to a higher metabolic rate. Their surfacearea is relatively larger,
especially at the head, making infants more susceptible toheat loss. An infant's rib cage and abdominal
muscles are much less developed than
,adults, which places internal organs such as the spleen and liver at greater risk forinjury.
5. A patient should receive oxygen via a non-rebreather mask if he or she ishaving difficulty
breathing or is:
A. frightened.
B. in pain.
C. cyanotic.
D. mentally unstable. Answer: C. Any patient who is having difficulty breathing or who iscyanotic
should receive oxygen through a non-rebreather mask.
6. When should you use the jaw thrust to open the airway of your patient?
A. if he or she is under on year of age
B. if you suspect spinal trauma
C. if he or she is unconscious
D. if he or she has a curvature of the spine Answer: B. Use the jaw thrust rather than thehead-
tilt/chin-lift to open the airway in any patient who has suspected spinal trauma.
7. A danger of using a rigid suction catheter with infants and young childrenis that stimulating
the back of the throat can:
A. cause changes in the heart rhythm.
B. be ineffective in suctioning.
C. lead to immediate vomiting.
D. cause the tongue to fall into the airway. Answer: A. When using a rigid catheter to suction
infants and small children, take care not to touch the back of the throat, since stimulation here an
cause bradycardia due to stimulation of the vagus nerve.Touching the back of the throat or around the
base of the tongue in any patient cantrigger a gag, which could lead to vomiting, but the chance of this
, is not any greaterin pediatric patients.
8. When an EMT-B suctions a patient, he or she should only insert the catheterto what point?
A. only to the front of the mouth
B. never past the last molar
C. only to the top of the epiglottis
D. never past the base of the tongue Answer: D. Suctioning by the EMT-B is limited to theoro- and
nasopharyngeal airways. You should never insert the catheter farther thanthe base of the tongue. Make
sure you measure the catheter like you would measure
1. If a preschool child suffers an injury, you should keep in mind that she:
A. is not frightened of you as a rescuer.
B. does not mind being undressed for a physical exam.
C. does not mind being separated from her parents.
D. thinks that she is being punished for being bad. Answer: D. Preschool children often imagine
that their injury is a result of a "bad" behavior of some sort. It is important forthe rescuer to make efforts
to calm the child and reassure her that what happenedwas not her fault.
2. Adolescent patients have all of the following characteristics EXCEPT:
A. they want their parents to be present during examination.
B. they are modest and embarrassed about having clothing removed.
C. they prize their dignity and want to be talked to as if they are adults.
D. they are especially fearful of permanent injury and disfigurement.
Answer: A. Al-though adolescent patients are physiologically more alike to adults than children,
when under stress, they may revert to a younger emotional age. Teenagers in particular can be
focused on their outward appearance, and any injury may be perceived as a significant issue.
3. Which patient is breathing adequately?
A. male, age 3 months: respiratory rate, 62/min, using diaphragm and musclesin chest and neck
B. female, age 7: respiratory rate, 12/min, irregular rhythm, using diaphragmprimarily
C. male, age 18: respiratory rate, 28/min, shallow chest motions
D. female, age 43: respiratory rate, 15/min, regular chest motions Answer: D.The normalrespiratory
,rate for an adult is 12-20 breaths per minute, and chest wall motion should be regular and neither
shallow nor very deep.
4. One anatomical difference between infants and adults is that:
A. infants have a slower respiratory rate.
B. infants have a smaller surface area relative to body mass.
C. infants' brain tissues are thinner and softer.
D. infants' spleen and liver are more protected. Answer: C. Infants breathe at a faster ratethan adults
in order to supply more oxygen to a higher metabolic rate. Their surfacearea is relatively larger,
especially at the head, making infants more susceptible toheat loss. An infant's rib cage and abdominal
muscles are much less developed than
,adults, which places internal organs such as the spleen and liver at greater risk forinjury.
5. A patient should receive oxygen via a non-rebreather mask if he or she ishaving difficulty
breathing or is:
A. frightened.
B. in pain.
C. cyanotic.
D. mentally unstable. Answer: C. Any patient who is having difficulty breathing or who iscyanotic
should receive oxygen through a non-rebreather mask.
6. When should you use the jaw thrust to open the airway of your patient?
A. if he or she is under on year of age
B. if you suspect spinal trauma
C. if he or she is unconscious
D. if he or she has a curvature of the spine Answer: B. Use the jaw thrust rather than thehead-
tilt/chin-lift to open the airway in any patient who has suspected spinal trauma.
7. A danger of using a rigid suction catheter with infants and young childrenis that stimulating
the back of the throat can:
A. cause changes in the heart rhythm.
B. be ineffective in suctioning.
C. lead to immediate vomiting.
D. cause the tongue to fall into the airway. Answer: A. When using a rigid catheter to suction
infants and small children, take care not to touch the back of the throat, since stimulation here an
cause bradycardia due to stimulation of the vagus nerve.Touching the back of the throat or around the
base of the tongue in any patient cantrigger a gag, which could lead to vomiting, but the chance of this
, is not any greaterin pediatric patients.
8. When an EMT-B suctions a patient, he or she should only insert the catheterto what point?
A. only to the front of the mouth
B. never past the last molar
C. only to the top of the epiglottis
D. never past the base of the tongue Answer: D. Suctioning by the EMT-B is limited to theoro- and
nasopharyngeal airways. You should never insert the catheter farther thanthe base of the tongue. Make
sure you measure the catheter like you would measure
