NSG 3113 PATHOPHYSIOLOGY EXAM 1 (2026)
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS GRADED A+
SOUTH COLLEGE
Parents of a 4-year-old child discovered the child has been chewing and
swallowing imported toy figurines that have tested positive for lead. Which blood
test should the care team prioritize?
Red blood cell (RBC) levels
The nurse is conducting a physical assessment of a homeless man during a night
when the wind chill factor is -10°F (-23°C). When assessing the man's fingers and
toes for frostbite, the nurse looks for which type of cellular injury?
Hypoxic
A nurse is teaching a class on health promotion and includes information about the
risk from ultraviolet radiation. Which concepts should be included in this class?
Ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of skin cancer and damages DNA.
The provider removes a cast from a teenager's arm. The client asks why the muscle
in the arm is smaller than it was. The provider explains that this reduction is caused
by which of the following?
Disuse
,The nurse explains to the hypertensive client that the increased workload required
to pump blood against an elevated arterial pressure results in a progressive increase
in left ventricular muscle mass. This is an example of:
hypertrophy
A mother rushes her 4-year-old child to the emergency department after she found
an empty Tylenol (acetaminophen) bottle beside her child. The nurse is trying to
explain why it is so important to give the child ipecac to induce vomiting in order
to prevent:
liver failure
Mercury is a toxic substance, and the hazards of mercury-associated occupational
and accidental exposures are well known. What is the primary source of mercury
poisoning today?
Fish such as tuna and swordfish
Hypertrophy may occur as the result of normal physiologic or abnormal pathologic
conditions. The increase in muscle mass associated with exercise is an example of
physiologic hypertrophy. Pathologic hypertrophy occurs as the result of disease
conditions and may be adaptive or compensatory. Examples of adaptive
hypertrophy are the thickening of the urinary bladder from long-continued
obstruction of urinary outflow and the myocardial hypertrophy that results from
valvular heart disease or hypertension. What is compensatory hypertrophy?
When one kidney is removed, the remaining kidney enlarges to compensate for the
loss
,The nurse is treating a client who has been immobilized for several months. As a
result, he is experiencing bone thinning and weakening. The nurse is aware of the
risk of lung, blood vessel, and renal tubule calcification due to:
metastatic calcification
A 70-year-old client is being treated for a recent ischemic stroke that has left the
client with deficits. These deficits likely result from which mechanism of cell
injury?
hypoxia and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion
A client has experienced significant decreases in mobility and stamina during a 3-
week hospital stay for the treatment of a femoral head fracture. Which phenomena
most likely accounts for the client's decrease in muscle function?
Disuse atrophy of muscle cells during a prolonged period of immobility
A client has developed cell atrophy. The most likely cause would be:
ischemia.
A client is admitted with an alteration in arterial blood gases. Cellular injury is
most likely to result from which aspect of this abnormality?
Hypoxia
, Which statement would a nurse tell a client that best describes a lab finding of
metaplasia?
"This is a change in cell form as it adapts to increased work demands or threats to
survival."
A client is admitted with frostbite. What will the nurse tell the client about the
changes that have occurred due to cold exposure?
Cold increases blood viscosity and thrombosis
Which situations causes atrophy?
Decreased blood flow
Denervation
Disuse
The provider explains to the client, who smokes, that cells in the trachea are
substituted with cells that are better able to survive. This process is known as:
metaplasia
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS GRADED A+
SOUTH COLLEGE
Parents of a 4-year-old child discovered the child has been chewing and
swallowing imported toy figurines that have tested positive for lead. Which blood
test should the care team prioritize?
Red blood cell (RBC) levels
The nurse is conducting a physical assessment of a homeless man during a night
when the wind chill factor is -10°F (-23°C). When assessing the man's fingers and
toes for frostbite, the nurse looks for which type of cellular injury?
Hypoxic
A nurse is teaching a class on health promotion and includes information about the
risk from ultraviolet radiation. Which concepts should be included in this class?
Ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of skin cancer and damages DNA.
The provider removes a cast from a teenager's arm. The client asks why the muscle
in the arm is smaller than it was. The provider explains that this reduction is caused
by which of the following?
Disuse
,The nurse explains to the hypertensive client that the increased workload required
to pump blood against an elevated arterial pressure results in a progressive increase
in left ventricular muscle mass. This is an example of:
hypertrophy
A mother rushes her 4-year-old child to the emergency department after she found
an empty Tylenol (acetaminophen) bottle beside her child. The nurse is trying to
explain why it is so important to give the child ipecac to induce vomiting in order
to prevent:
liver failure
Mercury is a toxic substance, and the hazards of mercury-associated occupational
and accidental exposures are well known. What is the primary source of mercury
poisoning today?
Fish such as tuna and swordfish
Hypertrophy may occur as the result of normal physiologic or abnormal pathologic
conditions. The increase in muscle mass associated with exercise is an example of
physiologic hypertrophy. Pathologic hypertrophy occurs as the result of disease
conditions and may be adaptive or compensatory. Examples of adaptive
hypertrophy are the thickening of the urinary bladder from long-continued
obstruction of urinary outflow and the myocardial hypertrophy that results from
valvular heart disease or hypertension. What is compensatory hypertrophy?
When one kidney is removed, the remaining kidney enlarges to compensate for the
loss
,The nurse is treating a client who has been immobilized for several months. As a
result, he is experiencing bone thinning and weakening. The nurse is aware of the
risk of lung, blood vessel, and renal tubule calcification due to:
metastatic calcification
A 70-year-old client is being treated for a recent ischemic stroke that has left the
client with deficits. These deficits likely result from which mechanism of cell
injury?
hypoxia and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion
A client has experienced significant decreases in mobility and stamina during a 3-
week hospital stay for the treatment of a femoral head fracture. Which phenomena
most likely accounts for the client's decrease in muscle function?
Disuse atrophy of muscle cells during a prolonged period of immobility
A client has developed cell atrophy. The most likely cause would be:
ischemia.
A client is admitted with an alteration in arterial blood gases. Cellular injury is
most likely to result from which aspect of this abnormality?
Hypoxia
, Which statement would a nurse tell a client that best describes a lab finding of
metaplasia?
"This is a change in cell form as it adapts to increased work demands or threats to
survival."
A client is admitted with frostbite. What will the nurse tell the client about the
changes that have occurred due to cold exposure?
Cold increases blood viscosity and thrombosis
Which situations causes atrophy?
Decreased blood flow
Denervation
Disuse
The provider explains to the client, who smokes, that cells in the trachea are
substituted with cells that are better able to survive. This process is known as:
metaplasia
