2026 | Practice Questions,
Answers, Rationales &
Comprehensive Nursing
Study Guide
| Complete Ethics Study
Guide
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive
Rationales
Included
,Which method of measurement is the gold standard for A.
obtaining intracranial pressures (ICPs)?
A. Ventriculostomy
B. Fiberoptic catheter
C. Air pouch/pneumatic
D. Transcranial Doppler
Which type of encephalitis would be seen in a patient with C.
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)?
A. La Cross encephalitis
B. West Nile encephalitis
C. Cytomegalovirus encephalitis
D. Herpes simplex virus encephalitis
Which inflammatory condition would the nurse associate D.
with the common cause of acute nonepidemic viral
encephalitis?
A. St. Louis encephalitis
B. Eastern equine encephalitis
C. Western equine encephalitis
D. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis
When the nurse is assessing a patient's neurologic status D.
upon arrival to the emergency room, which indicator would
the nurse utilize as the most reliable?
A. Dim vision
B. Papilledema
C. Body temperature
D. Level of consciousness
Which population has the highest rate of malignant brain A.
tumors?
A. White males
B. Asian males
C. Hispanic males
D. African American males
The nurse reviews the laboratory results of a patient with a B.
cerebral inflammatory condition and notes that glucose
was absent in the patient's cerebrospinal fluid. The nurse
recognizes that the finding is consistent with which
condition?
A. Encephalitis
B. Brain abscess
C. Viral meningitis
D. Bacterial meningitis
When assessing a patient's intracranial pressure (ICP) A.
after sustaining a head trauma, which normative value
would the nurse utilize to compare the assessment data?
A. 5 to 15 mm Hg
B. 25 to 35 mm Hg
C. 45 to 60 mm Hg
D. 80 to 120 mm Hg
, Which component would the nurse assess when using the A., C., and E.
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) to assess a patient who
sustained a head injury and subsequently developed an
increased intracranial pressure (ICP)? Select all that apply.
A. Responding to stimuli
B. Swallowing
C. Speaking
D. Pupillary response
E. Following verbal commands
Which physiological effect is associated with a patient's C.
calculated mean arterial pressure (MAP) below 70 mm
Hg?
A. Normal intracranial pressure (ICP)
B. Increased ICP
C. Decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF)
D. Increased cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP)
Which type of brain injury would the nurse associated with B.
the patient who sustained a subdural hematoma from a
motor vehicle crash?
A. Anoxia
B. Primary
C. Cerebral
D. Secondary
Which response occurs in the brain when a patient's D.
systemic arterial pressure begins to deviate from the
normal range?
A. The intracranial pressures decrease.
B. The intracranial pressures increase.
C. There is an increase in brain compliance.
D. The brain begins autoregulation functions.
After 72 hours of intravenous (IV) fluid therapy for a patient D.
who suffered a diffuse axonal traumatic brain injury (TBI),
which rationale supports the nurse seeking an enteral
feeding prescription?
A. Administration of free water is avoided in the setting of
TBI.
B. Electrolytes and fluids can be managed more efficiently.
C. Enteral feedings assist with avoiding dehydration.
D. Malnutrition promotes continued cerebral edema.
Which type of cerebral edema would the nurse associated B.
with a diagnostic report indicating edema of the white
matter and characterized by leakage of large molecules
from the capillaries into the surrounding space?
A. Interstitial
B. Vasogenic
C. Hypoxic
D. Cytotoxic
When a patient experiences speech disturbances and an B.
inability to write, which part of the patient's cerebral
hemisphere would the nurse associate with the patient's
brain tumor?
A. Frontal lobe
B. Parietal lobe
C. Occipital lobe
D. Temporal lobe