NU 650 Exam 3 UPDATED Questions and
CORRECT Answers
When percussing the abdomen in a patient with constipation, which of the following sounds
would you expect to find in the LLQ?
A. Tympanic
B. Dull
C. Resonant
D. Hyperresonant - CORRECT ANSWER -B
The nurse is percussing the seventh right intercostal space at the midclavicular line over the liver.
Which sound should the nurse expect to hear?
A. Dullness
B. Tympany
C. Resonance
D. Hyperresonance - CORRECT ANSWER -A
The liver is located in the RUQ and would elicit a dull percussion note.
Which structure is located in the LLQ of the abdomen?
A. Liver
B. Duodenum
C. Gallbladder
D. Sigmoid Colon - CORRECT ANSWER -D
A patient is having difficulty swallowing medications and food. The nurse would document that
this patient has:
A. Aphasia
B. Dysphasia
C. Dysphagia
,D. Anorexia - CORRECT ANSWER -C
Aphasia and dysphasia are speech disorders. Anorexia is a loss of appetite.
The nurse suspects that a patient has a distended bladder. How should the nurse assess for this
condition?
A. Percuss and palpate in the lumbar region.
B. Inspect and palpate in the epigastric region.
C. Auscultate and percuss in the inguinal region.
D. Percuss and palpate the midline area above the suprapubic bone. - CORRECT
ANSWER -D
Dull percussion sounds would be elicited over a distended bladder, and the
hypogastric area would seem firm to palpation.
The nurse is aware that one change that may occur in the gastrointestinal system
of an aging adult is:
A. Increased salivation.
B. Increased liver size.
C. Increased esophageal emptying.
D. Decreased gastric acid secretion. - CORRECT ANSWER -D
Gastric acid secretion decreases with aging. As one ages, salivation decreases,
esophageal emptying is delayed, and liver size decreases.
A 22-year-old man comes to the clinic for an examination after falling off his
motorcycle and landing on his left side on the handle bars. The nurse suspects that he may have
injured his spleen. Which of these statements is true regarding assessment of the spleen in this
situation?
A. The spleen can be enlarged as a result of trauma.
B. The spleen is normally felt on routine
palpation.
, C. If an enlarged spleen is noted, then the nurse should thoroughly palpate to determine its size.
D. An enlarged spleen should not be palpated because it can easily rupture. - CORRECT
ANSWER -D
If an enlarged spleen is felt, then the nurse should refer the person and should not
continue to palpate it. An enlarged spleen is friable and can easily rupture with overpalpation.
A patients abdomen is bulging and stretched in appearance. The nurse should describe this
finding as:
A. Obese.
B. Herniated.
C. Scaphoid.
D. Protuberant. - CORRECT ANSWER -D
A protuberant abdomen is rounded, bulging, and stretched. A scaphoid abdomen caves inward.
The nurse is describing a scaphoid abdomen. To the horizontal plane, a scaphoid contour of the
abdomen depicts a ______ profile.
A. Flat
B. Convex
C. Bulging
D. Concave - CORRECT ANSWER -D
Contour describes the profile of the abdomen from the rib margin to the pubic bone; a scaphoid
contour is one that is concave from a horizontal plane.
While examining a patient, the nurse observes abdominal pulsations between the xiphoid process
and umbilicus. The nurse would suspect that these are:
A. Pulsations of the renal arteries.
B. Pulsations of the inferior vena cava.
C. Normal abdominal aortic pulsations.
D. Increased peristalsis from a bowel
obstruction. - CORRECT ANSWER -C
CORRECT Answers
When percussing the abdomen in a patient with constipation, which of the following sounds
would you expect to find in the LLQ?
A. Tympanic
B. Dull
C. Resonant
D. Hyperresonant - CORRECT ANSWER -B
The nurse is percussing the seventh right intercostal space at the midclavicular line over the liver.
Which sound should the nurse expect to hear?
A. Dullness
B. Tympany
C. Resonance
D. Hyperresonance - CORRECT ANSWER -A
The liver is located in the RUQ and would elicit a dull percussion note.
Which structure is located in the LLQ of the abdomen?
A. Liver
B. Duodenum
C. Gallbladder
D. Sigmoid Colon - CORRECT ANSWER -D
A patient is having difficulty swallowing medications and food. The nurse would document that
this patient has:
A. Aphasia
B. Dysphasia
C. Dysphagia
,D. Anorexia - CORRECT ANSWER -C
Aphasia and dysphasia are speech disorders. Anorexia is a loss of appetite.
The nurse suspects that a patient has a distended bladder. How should the nurse assess for this
condition?
A. Percuss and palpate in the lumbar region.
B. Inspect and palpate in the epigastric region.
C. Auscultate and percuss in the inguinal region.
D. Percuss and palpate the midline area above the suprapubic bone. - CORRECT
ANSWER -D
Dull percussion sounds would be elicited over a distended bladder, and the
hypogastric area would seem firm to palpation.
The nurse is aware that one change that may occur in the gastrointestinal system
of an aging adult is:
A. Increased salivation.
B. Increased liver size.
C. Increased esophageal emptying.
D. Decreased gastric acid secretion. - CORRECT ANSWER -D
Gastric acid secretion decreases with aging. As one ages, salivation decreases,
esophageal emptying is delayed, and liver size decreases.
A 22-year-old man comes to the clinic for an examination after falling off his
motorcycle and landing on his left side on the handle bars. The nurse suspects that he may have
injured his spleen. Which of these statements is true regarding assessment of the spleen in this
situation?
A. The spleen can be enlarged as a result of trauma.
B. The spleen is normally felt on routine
palpation.
, C. If an enlarged spleen is noted, then the nurse should thoroughly palpate to determine its size.
D. An enlarged spleen should not be palpated because it can easily rupture. - CORRECT
ANSWER -D
If an enlarged spleen is felt, then the nurse should refer the person and should not
continue to palpate it. An enlarged spleen is friable and can easily rupture with overpalpation.
A patients abdomen is bulging and stretched in appearance. The nurse should describe this
finding as:
A. Obese.
B. Herniated.
C. Scaphoid.
D. Protuberant. - CORRECT ANSWER -D
A protuberant abdomen is rounded, bulging, and stretched. A scaphoid abdomen caves inward.
The nurse is describing a scaphoid abdomen. To the horizontal plane, a scaphoid contour of the
abdomen depicts a ______ profile.
A. Flat
B. Convex
C. Bulging
D. Concave - CORRECT ANSWER -D
Contour describes the profile of the abdomen from the rib margin to the pubic bone; a scaphoid
contour is one that is concave from a horizontal plane.
While examining a patient, the nurse observes abdominal pulsations between the xiphoid process
and umbilicus. The nurse would suspect that these are:
A. Pulsations of the renal arteries.
B. Pulsations of the inferior vena cava.
C. Normal abdominal aortic pulsations.
D. Increased peristalsis from a bowel
obstruction. - CORRECT ANSWER -C
