THE OLDER ADULT FINAL FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS | THE OLDER ADULT FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE &
PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027
1. A nurse manager who provides leadership in a long-term care facility prioritizes the need for residents
to have current and relevant immunizations, stating, "it's inconvenient and costly, but it provides
protection not only to the person getting the vaccine but to all those that they're in contact with." Which
of the following ethical philosophies most likely underlies the nurse's statement?
A) Nonmaleficence
B) Absolutism
C) Utilitarianism
D) Relativism - correct answer ✔✔Ans: C
Feedback:
The nurse's emphasis on providing a perceived good to a maximum number of individuals is typical of a
utilitarian outlook.
2. Due to a bed shortage in the area, the head nurse on a busy geriatric medicine unit is under significant
pressure to minimize client lengths of stay and speed up discharge planning. An older adult client who is
convalescing after recent falls is adamant that he is not ready for discharge, and tells the nurse, "It
doesn't matter who or how many people are waiting in the emergency department for this bed; I'm
simply not healthy enough to go home yet." Of which philosophy of ethics is the patient's statement
most indicative?
A) Absolutism
B) Relativism
C) Egoism
D) Beneficence - correct answer ✔✔Ans: C
Feedback:
An emphasis on one's personal interests is characteristic of egoism.
3. Despite the wishes of her family and the recommendations of the care team, a 70-year-old client with
a diagnosis of congestive heart failure, but who is otherwise healthy, wants to have a no-code order in
place. Which of the following statements by the care team most clearly prioritizes the patient's
autonomy?
A) "If this is what is best for everyone then we need to go ahead with the order."
B) "Provided it can be demonstrated that she has a potentially poor prognosis, we should certainly
consider doing this."
C) "It's best that social work get involved at this point to reconcile the family's and the patient's wishes."
D) "If that's what she wants, then ultimately we're obliged to respect her wishes." - correct answer
✔✔Ans: D
Feedback:
Answer D most clearly prioritizes the patient's individual freedom, preference, and rights in this case,
and these considerations would override the family's or the care team's conflicting interests.
,4. Nurse H is providing care in the hospital for a 71-year-old male patient who is in the late stages of
cancer and who has painful bone metastases. The client is non-responsive but groans and grimaces
intermittently. Nurse H is drawing up a breakthrough dose of morphine for the patient, but Nurse R
cautions that, "sure, that will address his pain, but it could depress his respiratory drive and actually kill
him at this stage." Which of the following ethical principles is Nurse R prioritizing?
A) Nonmaleficence
B) Justice
C) Beneficence
D) Fidelity - correct answer ✔✔Ans: A
Feedback:
Nurse R's emphasis on preventing harm to the patient, even during an act that may be motivated by
altruism, is characteristic of the principle of nonmaleficence.
5. Nurse T promised an 81-year-old female client that he would liaise with the physiotherapy team and
ensure that her rehabilitation would commence soon, since it was apparent that she was being
overlooked. Due to a busy shift during which another patient declined rapidly, the nurse did not follow
up. Which ethical principle has Nurse T most clearly violated?
A) Beneficence
B) Fidelity
C) Veracity
D) Justice - correct answer ✔✔Ans: B
Feedback:
Central to the principle of fidelity is respecting words and duties to patients, such as following up when
promised. The nurse's actions are less indicative of deficits in beneficence, veracity (since he did not
overtly lie to the patient), or justice.
6. Mr. L's health insurance has just expired though he is still in the recovery stages of a serious
exacerbation of his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Backdating the paperwork by only 2 days will
spare Mr. L the out-of-pocket expense of home oxygen therapy. The nurse who is organizing Mr. L's care
on discharge has chosen a course of action that prioritizes the principle of veracity. Which of the
following courses of action best exemplifies this principle?
A) Backdating the paperwork to ensure that Mr. L does not sustain harm from having to pay or having to
go without oxygen therapy.
B) Backdating the paperwork because it will clearly maximize Mr. L's well-being at a nominal cost to the
insurer.
C) Refusing to backdate the paperwork because to do so would be untruthful.
D) Refusing to backdate the paperwork because to do so would be an unjust act toward the insurance
company. - correct answer ✔✔Ans: C
Feedback:
The principle of veracity emphasizes truthfulness, and the nurse's refusal to lie on the insurance
documentation is indicative of this principle. Consideration for the consequences to either the patient or
the insurance company would be secondary.
10. The ethics committee of a hospital has decided that it is unethical to prioritize patients who possess
more comprehensive insurance plans than those with minimal or no insurance. Which of the following
principles most clearly underlies this decision?
A) Beneficence
B) Justice
, C) Fidelity
D) Veracity - correct answer ✔✔Ans: B
Feedback:
The principle of justice includes treating individuals fairly and giving patients the service they need,
emphasizing service based on need rather than the ability to pay. This perspective is not central to the
principles of beneficence, fidelity, or veracity.
14. Which of the following is the best example of the ethical principle of beneficence?
A) The nurses at City Hospital answer patients' call buttons "with all deliberate speed"
B) The nursing supervisor fires an incompetent part-time nursing assistant, leaving a less than full
complement of staff
C) At a nursing home, the staff closes residents' doors before the body of a deceased resident is wheeled
out
D) The charge nurse documents all reported incidents at the end of the shift - correct answer ✔✔Ans: A
Feedback:
Beneficence means to do good for patients. Of the examples given, A is the best demonstration of this
principle.
15. Which of the following actions is viewed as ethically acceptable under the philosophy of relativism?
A) An older adult's children propose that she split her life savings between them before she needs care.
B) A lottery winner donates money to a hospital only if the hospital's new wing is named after him.
C) A millionaire finds a wallet in her physician's waiting room and keeps the money inside.
D) A poor man steals medicine and diabetic supplies from a pharmacy to help his ill child. - correct
answer ✔✔Ans: D
Feedback:
The act of stealing is ethically wrong in some philosophies, but condoned under the philosophy of
relativism, or situational ethics, because of the circumstances—in this case, need. Choice A exemplifies
utilitarianism; B and C, egoism.
16. When advocating the rights of patients to receive health care regardless of ability to pay, a nurse is
applying which of the following ethical principles?
A) Holistics
B) Justice
C) Fidelity
D) Autonomy - correct answer ✔✔Ans: B
Feedback:
Justice argues that people should be treated equally regardless of their circumstances. Thus, medical
treatments available to the rich should also be available to the poor. The other choices are not directly
related to the situation.
17. Patient P refuses a blood test that Nurse N believes P desperately needs. Nurse N ignores the
patient's wishes and sends a blood sample to the lab without P's knowledge. The ethical conflict
between Patient P and Nurse N involves:
A) P: nonmaleficence; N: veracity
B) P: beneficence; N: relativism
C) P: egoism; N: utilitarianism
D) P: autonomy; N: paternalism - correct answer ✔✔Ans: D
Feedback:
ANSWERS | THE OLDER ADULT FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE &
PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027
1. A nurse manager who provides leadership in a long-term care facility prioritizes the need for residents
to have current and relevant immunizations, stating, "it's inconvenient and costly, but it provides
protection not only to the person getting the vaccine but to all those that they're in contact with." Which
of the following ethical philosophies most likely underlies the nurse's statement?
A) Nonmaleficence
B) Absolutism
C) Utilitarianism
D) Relativism - correct answer ✔✔Ans: C
Feedback:
The nurse's emphasis on providing a perceived good to a maximum number of individuals is typical of a
utilitarian outlook.
2. Due to a bed shortage in the area, the head nurse on a busy geriatric medicine unit is under significant
pressure to minimize client lengths of stay and speed up discharge planning. An older adult client who is
convalescing after recent falls is adamant that he is not ready for discharge, and tells the nurse, "It
doesn't matter who or how many people are waiting in the emergency department for this bed; I'm
simply not healthy enough to go home yet." Of which philosophy of ethics is the patient's statement
most indicative?
A) Absolutism
B) Relativism
C) Egoism
D) Beneficence - correct answer ✔✔Ans: C
Feedback:
An emphasis on one's personal interests is characteristic of egoism.
3. Despite the wishes of her family and the recommendations of the care team, a 70-year-old client with
a diagnosis of congestive heart failure, but who is otherwise healthy, wants to have a no-code order in
place. Which of the following statements by the care team most clearly prioritizes the patient's
autonomy?
A) "If this is what is best for everyone then we need to go ahead with the order."
B) "Provided it can be demonstrated that she has a potentially poor prognosis, we should certainly
consider doing this."
C) "It's best that social work get involved at this point to reconcile the family's and the patient's wishes."
D) "If that's what she wants, then ultimately we're obliged to respect her wishes." - correct answer
✔✔Ans: D
Feedback:
Answer D most clearly prioritizes the patient's individual freedom, preference, and rights in this case,
and these considerations would override the family's or the care team's conflicting interests.
,4. Nurse H is providing care in the hospital for a 71-year-old male patient who is in the late stages of
cancer and who has painful bone metastases. The client is non-responsive but groans and grimaces
intermittently. Nurse H is drawing up a breakthrough dose of morphine for the patient, but Nurse R
cautions that, "sure, that will address his pain, but it could depress his respiratory drive and actually kill
him at this stage." Which of the following ethical principles is Nurse R prioritizing?
A) Nonmaleficence
B) Justice
C) Beneficence
D) Fidelity - correct answer ✔✔Ans: A
Feedback:
Nurse R's emphasis on preventing harm to the patient, even during an act that may be motivated by
altruism, is characteristic of the principle of nonmaleficence.
5. Nurse T promised an 81-year-old female client that he would liaise with the physiotherapy team and
ensure that her rehabilitation would commence soon, since it was apparent that she was being
overlooked. Due to a busy shift during which another patient declined rapidly, the nurse did not follow
up. Which ethical principle has Nurse T most clearly violated?
A) Beneficence
B) Fidelity
C) Veracity
D) Justice - correct answer ✔✔Ans: B
Feedback:
Central to the principle of fidelity is respecting words and duties to patients, such as following up when
promised. The nurse's actions are less indicative of deficits in beneficence, veracity (since he did not
overtly lie to the patient), or justice.
6. Mr. L's health insurance has just expired though he is still in the recovery stages of a serious
exacerbation of his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Backdating the paperwork by only 2 days will
spare Mr. L the out-of-pocket expense of home oxygen therapy. The nurse who is organizing Mr. L's care
on discharge has chosen a course of action that prioritizes the principle of veracity. Which of the
following courses of action best exemplifies this principle?
A) Backdating the paperwork to ensure that Mr. L does not sustain harm from having to pay or having to
go without oxygen therapy.
B) Backdating the paperwork because it will clearly maximize Mr. L's well-being at a nominal cost to the
insurer.
C) Refusing to backdate the paperwork because to do so would be untruthful.
D) Refusing to backdate the paperwork because to do so would be an unjust act toward the insurance
company. - correct answer ✔✔Ans: C
Feedback:
The principle of veracity emphasizes truthfulness, and the nurse's refusal to lie on the insurance
documentation is indicative of this principle. Consideration for the consequences to either the patient or
the insurance company would be secondary.
10. The ethics committee of a hospital has decided that it is unethical to prioritize patients who possess
more comprehensive insurance plans than those with minimal or no insurance. Which of the following
principles most clearly underlies this decision?
A) Beneficence
B) Justice
, C) Fidelity
D) Veracity - correct answer ✔✔Ans: B
Feedback:
The principle of justice includes treating individuals fairly and giving patients the service they need,
emphasizing service based on need rather than the ability to pay. This perspective is not central to the
principles of beneficence, fidelity, or veracity.
14. Which of the following is the best example of the ethical principle of beneficence?
A) The nurses at City Hospital answer patients' call buttons "with all deliberate speed"
B) The nursing supervisor fires an incompetent part-time nursing assistant, leaving a less than full
complement of staff
C) At a nursing home, the staff closes residents' doors before the body of a deceased resident is wheeled
out
D) The charge nurse documents all reported incidents at the end of the shift - correct answer ✔✔Ans: A
Feedback:
Beneficence means to do good for patients. Of the examples given, A is the best demonstration of this
principle.
15. Which of the following actions is viewed as ethically acceptable under the philosophy of relativism?
A) An older adult's children propose that she split her life savings between them before she needs care.
B) A lottery winner donates money to a hospital only if the hospital's new wing is named after him.
C) A millionaire finds a wallet in her physician's waiting room and keeps the money inside.
D) A poor man steals medicine and diabetic supplies from a pharmacy to help his ill child. - correct
answer ✔✔Ans: D
Feedback:
The act of stealing is ethically wrong in some philosophies, but condoned under the philosophy of
relativism, or situational ethics, because of the circumstances—in this case, need. Choice A exemplifies
utilitarianism; B and C, egoism.
16. When advocating the rights of patients to receive health care regardless of ability to pay, a nurse is
applying which of the following ethical principles?
A) Holistics
B) Justice
C) Fidelity
D) Autonomy - correct answer ✔✔Ans: B
Feedback:
Justice argues that people should be treated equally regardless of their circumstances. Thus, medical
treatments available to the rich should also be available to the poor. The other choices are not directly
related to the situation.
17. Patient P refuses a blood test that Nurse N believes P desperately needs. Nurse N ignores the
patient's wishes and sends a blood sample to the lab without P's knowledge. The ethical conflict
between Patient P and Nurse N involves:
A) P: nonmaleficence; N: veracity
B) P: beneficence; N: relativism
C) P: egoism; N: utilitarianism
D) P: autonomy; N: paternalism - correct answer ✔✔Ans: D
Feedback:
