American Red Cross Lifeguard Test Questions and Answers
(2022/2023) (Verified Answers)
1. How can you best protect yourself from possible bloodborne
pathogen transmission when providing care?
a. Ask the victim first if they have any communicable diseases.
b. Thoroughly wash your hands before providing care.
c. Use first aid supplies, such as dressings and bandages, as a barrier
when in contact with the victim.
d. Use personal protective equipment (PPE), such as disposable gloves
and a breathing barrier, when providing care✔✔ D
2. A 12-year-old child at a swim meet grabs their chest and begins to
make wheezing noises. After you obtain consent to provide care, the
child's parent informs you that the child has a history of asthma, but does
not have an inhaler nearby. What care should you provide?
a. Give 5 back blows.
b. Summon more advanced medical personnel and place the victim into
a position that helps breathing.
c. Tell the victim to use an inhaler borrowed from a bystander.
d. Wait 20 minutes to see if the breathing difficulty goes away✔✔ B
3. Your initial impression of a victim is based on:
a. The victim's initial vital signs.
,b. How the victim appears to you as you size up the scene.
c. The victim's SAMPLE history.
d. What you have been told about the victim✔✔ B
4. You and another lifeguard find an unresponsive adult on the floor in
the locker room.You activate your facility's EAP, size-up the scene, form an
initial impression and perform a primary assessment. You find the victim is
not moving or breathing, but has a pulse. You should summon EMS
personnel, then:
a. Give ventilations at a rate of 1about every 5-6 seconds.
b. Give back blows and chest thrusts.
c. Give quick breaths at the rate of 20 to 40 a minute.
d. Perform CPR✔✔ A
5. You arrive on the scene where a patron appears to be injured. Before
approaching the victim, which of the following will you NOT do as you size-
up the scene?
a. Begin performing the primary assessment.
b. Use all your senses to determine if the scene is safe.
, c. Form an initial impression.
d. Put on appropriate PPE✔✔ A
6. When providing care during an emergency, which of the following
should you do first?
a. Size-up the scene while forming an initial impression.
b. Check for responsiveness.
c. Perform a primary assessment.
d. Summon more advanced medical personnel✔✔ A
7. As the first rescuer on the scene, you are performing CPR on an adult.
When performing chest compressions, how deeply should you compress
the chest?
a. About 2 inches
b. At least 2 inches but no more than 2.4 inches
c. About 1½ inches
d. At least 1 inch but no more than 2 inches: B
8. CPR should be performed on which of the following victims?
a. One who is in cardiac arrest
b. One who is conscious and is choking
c. One who is experiencing difficulty breathing
d. One who responds to painful stimuli: A
9. What is the first step of the Adult Cardiac Chain of Survival?
a. Early CPR to keep oxygen-rich blood flowing and to help delay
brain damage and death.
b. Early defibrillation to help restore an effective heart rhythm and
(2022/2023) (Verified Answers)
1. How can you best protect yourself from possible bloodborne
pathogen transmission when providing care?
a. Ask the victim first if they have any communicable diseases.
b. Thoroughly wash your hands before providing care.
c. Use first aid supplies, such as dressings and bandages, as a barrier
when in contact with the victim.
d. Use personal protective equipment (PPE), such as disposable gloves
and a breathing barrier, when providing care✔✔ D
2. A 12-year-old child at a swim meet grabs their chest and begins to
make wheezing noises. After you obtain consent to provide care, the
child's parent informs you that the child has a history of asthma, but does
not have an inhaler nearby. What care should you provide?
a. Give 5 back blows.
b. Summon more advanced medical personnel and place the victim into
a position that helps breathing.
c. Tell the victim to use an inhaler borrowed from a bystander.
d. Wait 20 minutes to see if the breathing difficulty goes away✔✔ B
3. Your initial impression of a victim is based on:
a. The victim's initial vital signs.
,b. How the victim appears to you as you size up the scene.
c. The victim's SAMPLE history.
d. What you have been told about the victim✔✔ B
4. You and another lifeguard find an unresponsive adult on the floor in
the locker room.You activate your facility's EAP, size-up the scene, form an
initial impression and perform a primary assessment. You find the victim is
not moving or breathing, but has a pulse. You should summon EMS
personnel, then:
a. Give ventilations at a rate of 1about every 5-6 seconds.
b. Give back blows and chest thrusts.
c. Give quick breaths at the rate of 20 to 40 a minute.
d. Perform CPR✔✔ A
5. You arrive on the scene where a patron appears to be injured. Before
approaching the victim, which of the following will you NOT do as you size-
up the scene?
a. Begin performing the primary assessment.
b. Use all your senses to determine if the scene is safe.
, c. Form an initial impression.
d. Put on appropriate PPE✔✔ A
6. When providing care during an emergency, which of the following
should you do first?
a. Size-up the scene while forming an initial impression.
b. Check for responsiveness.
c. Perform a primary assessment.
d. Summon more advanced medical personnel✔✔ A
7. As the first rescuer on the scene, you are performing CPR on an adult.
When performing chest compressions, how deeply should you compress
the chest?
a. About 2 inches
b. At least 2 inches but no more than 2.4 inches
c. About 1½ inches
d. At least 1 inch but no more than 2 inches: B
8. CPR should be performed on which of the following victims?
a. One who is in cardiac arrest
b. One who is conscious and is choking
c. One who is experiencing difficulty breathing
d. One who responds to painful stimuli: A
9. What is the first step of the Adult Cardiac Chain of Survival?
a. Early CPR to keep oxygen-rich blood flowing and to help delay
brain damage and death.
b. Early defibrillation to help restore an effective heart rhythm and
