NR 302 Health Assessment I - Exam 9 Practice Set 2026 |Chamberlain
College
1. When a patient is asked to move their arm away from the midline of the
body, the nurse is assessing which movement?
A. Flexion
B. Abduction
C. Adduction
D. Extension
Answer: B
Rationale: Abduction is the movement of a limb away from the midline of the body.
Adduction is moving toward the midline.
2. A patient complains of numbness and tingling in the hand. The nurse
performs Tinel’s sign by percussing over the median nerve. A positive result
indicates:
A. Carpal tunnel syndrome
B. Osteoarthritis
C. Rheumatoid arthritis
D. Radial nerve palsy
Answer: A
Rationale: Direct percussion of the location of the median nerve at the wrist produces
burning and tingling in the person with carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a positive Tinel
sign.
,3. The nurse is assessing a 75-year-old patient and notes an exaggerated
posterior curvature of the thoracic spine. This condition is known as:
A. Kyphosis
B. Scoliosis
C. Lordosis
D. Spondylitis
Answer: A
Rationale: Kyphosis is an outward or exaggerated curvature of the thoracic spine, often
seen in older adults due to osteoporosis.
4. Which cranial nerve is responsible for the sense of smell?
A. Cranial Nerve V
B. Cranial Nerve II
C. Cranial Nerve III
C. Cranial Nerve I
Answer: C
Rationale: Cranial Nerve I, the olfactory nerve, is responsible for the sense of smell.
5. To assess for a knee effusion, the nurse performs the bulge sign. This test is
used to detect:
A. Tears in the meniscus
B. Small amounts of fluid in the suprapatellar bursa
C. Fractures of the patella
D. Ligamentous laxity
Answer: B
Rationale: The bulge sign is used to detect small amounts of fluid (effusion) in the knee
joint by displacing fluid from one side to the other.
, 6. During a neurological exam, the nurse asks the patient to close their eyes and
identifies a familiar object placed in their hand. This tests:
A. Graphesthesia
B. Proprioception
C. Extinction
D. Stereognosis
Answer: D
Rationale: Stereognosis is the ability to recognize objects by feeling their form, size, and
weight while the eyes are closed.
7. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) measures which three categories of
responses?
A. Pupillary response, motor response, and speech
B. Blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate
C. Eye opening, motor response, and verbal response
D. Orientation, memory, and judgment
Answer: C
Rationale: The GCS is a standardized scale used to assess consciousness based on eye
opening, motor response, and verbal response.
8. A patient shows difficulty in producing speech, though they understand what
is being said. This is characteristic of damage to:
A. Wernicke’s area
B. Broca’s area
C. The Occipital lobe
D. The Cerebellum
Answer: B
Rationale: Broca’s area in the frontal lobe mediates motor speech. Damage results in
expressive aphasia.
College
1. When a patient is asked to move their arm away from the midline of the
body, the nurse is assessing which movement?
A. Flexion
B. Abduction
C. Adduction
D. Extension
Answer: B
Rationale: Abduction is the movement of a limb away from the midline of the body.
Adduction is moving toward the midline.
2. A patient complains of numbness and tingling in the hand. The nurse
performs Tinel’s sign by percussing over the median nerve. A positive result
indicates:
A. Carpal tunnel syndrome
B. Osteoarthritis
C. Rheumatoid arthritis
D. Radial nerve palsy
Answer: A
Rationale: Direct percussion of the location of the median nerve at the wrist produces
burning and tingling in the person with carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a positive Tinel
sign.
,3. The nurse is assessing a 75-year-old patient and notes an exaggerated
posterior curvature of the thoracic spine. This condition is known as:
A. Kyphosis
B. Scoliosis
C. Lordosis
D. Spondylitis
Answer: A
Rationale: Kyphosis is an outward or exaggerated curvature of the thoracic spine, often
seen in older adults due to osteoporosis.
4. Which cranial nerve is responsible for the sense of smell?
A. Cranial Nerve V
B. Cranial Nerve II
C. Cranial Nerve III
C. Cranial Nerve I
Answer: C
Rationale: Cranial Nerve I, the olfactory nerve, is responsible for the sense of smell.
5. To assess for a knee effusion, the nurse performs the bulge sign. This test is
used to detect:
A. Tears in the meniscus
B. Small amounts of fluid in the suprapatellar bursa
C. Fractures of the patella
D. Ligamentous laxity
Answer: B
Rationale: The bulge sign is used to detect small amounts of fluid (effusion) in the knee
joint by displacing fluid from one side to the other.
, 6. During a neurological exam, the nurse asks the patient to close their eyes and
identifies a familiar object placed in their hand. This tests:
A. Graphesthesia
B. Proprioception
C. Extinction
D. Stereognosis
Answer: D
Rationale: Stereognosis is the ability to recognize objects by feeling their form, size, and
weight while the eyes are closed.
7. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) measures which three categories of
responses?
A. Pupillary response, motor response, and speech
B. Blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate
C. Eye opening, motor response, and verbal response
D. Orientation, memory, and judgment
Answer: C
Rationale: The GCS is a standardized scale used to assess consciousness based on eye
opening, motor response, and verbal response.
8. A patient shows difficulty in producing speech, though they understand what
is being said. This is characteristic of damage to:
A. Wernicke’s area
B. Broca’s area
C. The Occipital lobe
D. The Cerebellum
Answer: B
Rationale: Broca’s area in the frontal lobe mediates motor speech. Damage results in
expressive aphasia.
