Emory Wound Exam 1 Questions And Answers Practice Questions with Solutions
Newest 2026 2027.
Part 1: Skin Structure & Function (Qs 1-30)
1. Which structure of the skin provides the body with photoprotective properties
by absorbing harmful UV light?
A) Langerhans cells
B) Melanin
C) Odland bodies
D) Stratum lucidum
Answer: B
Rationale: Melanin, produced by melanocytes in the stratum basale, absorbs UV
radiation to protect deeper skin layers from DNA damage. While Langerhans cells
are immune cells, they do not provide photoprotection .
2. What is the unique function of the layer of the epidermis known as the stratum
basale?
A) Providing immunity via Langerhans Cells
,B) Producing new epithelial cells
C) Releasing lipids to maintain normal brick and mortar skin configuration
D) Protecting the palms of the hands and soles of the feet
Answer: B
Rationale: The stratum basale is the reproductive layer of the epidermis,
characterized by proliferating keratinocytes that continuously divide to produce
new epithelial cells, which then migrate upward to replace cells lost from the skin
surface .
3. Which cells located in the dermis produce collagen and elastin critical to
immune function and healing?
A) Leukotrienes
B) Prostaglandins
C) Macrophages
D) Fibroblasts
Answer: D
Rationale: Fibroblasts are the primary cells in the dermis responsible for
producing collagen, elastin, and extracellular matrix components essential for
wound healing and maintaining skin structure and integrity .
,4. Which of the following statements accurately describes how the skin functions
as a barrier between the internal and external environments?
A) The skin lipids bind water, normally maintaining skin water content at 20% or
higher
B) When the barrier function of the skin is compromised, transepidermal water
loss (TEWL) decreases
C) Protection against pathogenic invasion is supported by an acidic pH of the skin
D) Merkel receptors embedded in the eECM contribute to mechanical rigidity
Answer: C
Rationale: The skin's "acid mantle" (pH 4.5-5.5) inhibits bacterial growth. Barrier
compromise leads to increased TEWL, not decreased .
5. The WCN assessing the skin of patients in a nursing home keeps in mind the
structural changes that occur in aging skin. What is one of these changes?
A) Increase in melanocytes
B) Rounding of dermal-epidermal junction
C) Increase in Mast Cells
D) Decrease in collagen
, Answer: D
Rationale: Aging skin shows decreased collagen production, flattening (not
rounding) of the dermal-epidermal junction, and reduced melanocytes, making it
more fragile and prone to tearing .
6. On which body site would the transepidermal application of a medication
obtain the greatest percutaneous absorption?
A) Plantar surface of the foot
B) Forearm
C) Forehead
D) Hand
Answer: C
Rationale: The forehead has thinner stratum corneum and higher vascularity,
resulting in greater absorption compared to palms, soles, or forearms .
7. Which principle of skin care product use would the WCN include in a teaching
plan for a patient with a leg wound?
A) Use alkaline soaps and cleaners to neutralize acidic skin
Newest 2026 2027.
Part 1: Skin Structure & Function (Qs 1-30)
1. Which structure of the skin provides the body with photoprotective properties
by absorbing harmful UV light?
A) Langerhans cells
B) Melanin
C) Odland bodies
D) Stratum lucidum
Answer: B
Rationale: Melanin, produced by melanocytes in the stratum basale, absorbs UV
radiation to protect deeper skin layers from DNA damage. While Langerhans cells
are immune cells, they do not provide photoprotection .
2. What is the unique function of the layer of the epidermis known as the stratum
basale?
A) Providing immunity via Langerhans Cells
,B) Producing new epithelial cells
C) Releasing lipids to maintain normal brick and mortar skin configuration
D) Protecting the palms of the hands and soles of the feet
Answer: B
Rationale: The stratum basale is the reproductive layer of the epidermis,
characterized by proliferating keratinocytes that continuously divide to produce
new epithelial cells, which then migrate upward to replace cells lost from the skin
surface .
3. Which cells located in the dermis produce collagen and elastin critical to
immune function and healing?
A) Leukotrienes
B) Prostaglandins
C) Macrophages
D) Fibroblasts
Answer: D
Rationale: Fibroblasts are the primary cells in the dermis responsible for
producing collagen, elastin, and extracellular matrix components essential for
wound healing and maintaining skin structure and integrity .
,4. Which of the following statements accurately describes how the skin functions
as a barrier between the internal and external environments?
A) The skin lipids bind water, normally maintaining skin water content at 20% or
higher
B) When the barrier function of the skin is compromised, transepidermal water
loss (TEWL) decreases
C) Protection against pathogenic invasion is supported by an acidic pH of the skin
D) Merkel receptors embedded in the eECM contribute to mechanical rigidity
Answer: C
Rationale: The skin's "acid mantle" (pH 4.5-5.5) inhibits bacterial growth. Barrier
compromise leads to increased TEWL, not decreased .
5. The WCN assessing the skin of patients in a nursing home keeps in mind the
structural changes that occur in aging skin. What is one of these changes?
A) Increase in melanocytes
B) Rounding of dermal-epidermal junction
C) Increase in Mast Cells
D) Decrease in collagen
, Answer: D
Rationale: Aging skin shows decreased collagen production, flattening (not
rounding) of the dermal-epidermal junction, and reduced melanocytes, making it
more fragile and prone to tearing .
6. On which body site would the transepidermal application of a medication
obtain the greatest percutaneous absorption?
A) Plantar surface of the foot
B) Forearm
C) Forehead
D) Hand
Answer: C
Rationale: The forehead has thinner stratum corneum and higher vascularity,
resulting in greater absorption compared to palms, soles, or forearms .
7. Which principle of skin care product use would the WCN include in a teaching
plan for a patient with a leg wound?
A) Use alkaline soaps and cleaners to neutralize acidic skin
