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NSG 3280 Exam 1 2026-2027 BANK QUESTIONS WITH
DETAILED VERIFIED ANSWERS EXAM QUESTIONS WILL
COME FROM HERE (100% CORRECT ANSWERS A+ GRADED
1. A nurse is reviewing the pathophysiology of cellular injury. Which of
the following is the most common cause of cellular hypoxia?
A) Reduced oxygen in the air
B) Loss of hemoglobin function
C) Ischemia
D) Mitochondrial damage
Answer: C) Ischemia
Explanation: Ischemia, defined as reduced blood supply to tissues, is
the most common cause of cellular hypoxia. It limits the delivery of
oxygen and substrates for metabolism and impairs waste removal,
leading to cell injury more frequently than the other listed mechanisms.
2. A patient has developed hypertrophy of the left ventricle due to
chronic hypertension. This adaptation is best described as an increase
in:
A) Cell number
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B) Cell size
C) Cell type
D) Cell death
Answer: B) Cell size
Explanation: Hypertrophy is an adaptive response in which cells
increase in size. In the heart, chronic pressure overload from
hypertension stimulates enlargement of existing cardiac muscle cells,
allowing them to generate greater contractile force.
3. Metaplasia refers to a cellular adaptation where one adult cell type is
replaced by another. Which clinical scenario is the best example of
metaplasia?
A) Breast tissue enlargement during pregnancy
B) Replacement of columnar epithelium with squamous epithelium in
the bronchi of a smoker
C) Cell death in the myocardium after a heart attack
D) Decrease in muscle mass following immobilization
Answer: B) Replacement of columnar epithelium with squamous
epithelium in the bronchi of a smoker
Explanation: Metaplasia is the reversible change from one
differentiated cell type to another, typically as an adaptation to chronic
irritation. In smokers, the normal ciliated columnar epithelium of the
bronchi is replaced by stratified squamous epithelium, which is more
resistant to smoke but impairs mucociliary clearance.
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4. Which form of necrosis is characteristically associated with
tuberculosis and appears as a cheese-like gross lesion?
A) Coagulative necrosis
B) Liquefactive necrosis
C) Caseous necrosis
D) Fat necrosis
Answer: C) Caseous necrosis
Explanation: Caseous necrosis, derived from "caseus" meaning cheese,
is a distinctive form of necrosis seen most frequently in tuberculous
granulomas. The necrotic tissue has a soft, friable, and pale yellow
appearance resembling clumpy cheese, resulting from a combination of
coagulative and liquefactive necrosis.
5. Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death. Which molecular
event is central to the execution phase of apoptosis?
A) Cell swelling and membrane rupture
B) Activation of caspases
C) Depletion of intracellular ATP
D) Release of histamine from mast cells
Answer: B) Activation of caspases
Explanation: Caspases are a family of cysteine proteases that are
synthesized as inactive proenzymes and become activated during
apoptosis. Executioner caspases, such as caspase-3, cleave numerous
cellular substrates, including structural proteins and DNA repair
enzymes, orchestrating the systematic dismantling of the cell.
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6. A patient suffers a fractured humerus and develops a swollen, painful
limb. After fasciotomy, the affected muscle appears grossly dry, pale,
and non-contractile. This pattern of cell death is most consistent with:
A) Gangrenous necrosis
B) Coagulative necrosis
C) Caseous necrosis
D) Liquefactive necrosis
Answer: B) Coagulative necrosis
Explanation: Coagulative necrosis, typically resulting from ischemia or
infarction in solid organs (except the brain), is characterized by the
preservation of the basic tissue architecture for several days. The tissue
becomes firm and pale as proteins coagulate and metabolic activity
stops, matching the described operative findings.
7. Cellular atrophy results from a decrease in cell size. Which organelle
is primarily responsible for the degradation of cellular components
during this process?
A) Golgi apparatus
B) Peroxisome
C) Proteasome
D) Rough endoplasmic reticulum
Answer: C) Proteasome
Explanation: Atrophy results from decreased protein synthesis and
increased protein degradation. The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is a
NSG 3280 Exam 1 2026-2027 BANK QUESTIONS WITH
DETAILED VERIFIED ANSWERS EXAM QUESTIONS WILL
COME FROM HERE (100% CORRECT ANSWERS A+ GRADED
1. A nurse is reviewing the pathophysiology of cellular injury. Which of
the following is the most common cause of cellular hypoxia?
A) Reduced oxygen in the air
B) Loss of hemoglobin function
C) Ischemia
D) Mitochondrial damage
Answer: C) Ischemia
Explanation: Ischemia, defined as reduced blood supply to tissues, is
the most common cause of cellular hypoxia. It limits the delivery of
oxygen and substrates for metabolism and impairs waste removal,
leading to cell injury more frequently than the other listed mechanisms.
2. A patient has developed hypertrophy of the left ventricle due to
chronic hypertension. This adaptation is best described as an increase
in:
A) Cell number
,2|Page
B) Cell size
C) Cell type
D) Cell death
Answer: B) Cell size
Explanation: Hypertrophy is an adaptive response in which cells
increase in size. In the heart, chronic pressure overload from
hypertension stimulates enlargement of existing cardiac muscle cells,
allowing them to generate greater contractile force.
3. Metaplasia refers to a cellular adaptation where one adult cell type is
replaced by another. Which clinical scenario is the best example of
metaplasia?
A) Breast tissue enlargement during pregnancy
B) Replacement of columnar epithelium with squamous epithelium in
the bronchi of a smoker
C) Cell death in the myocardium after a heart attack
D) Decrease in muscle mass following immobilization
Answer: B) Replacement of columnar epithelium with squamous
epithelium in the bronchi of a smoker
Explanation: Metaplasia is the reversible change from one
differentiated cell type to another, typically as an adaptation to chronic
irritation. In smokers, the normal ciliated columnar epithelium of the
bronchi is replaced by stratified squamous epithelium, which is more
resistant to smoke but impairs mucociliary clearance.
,3|Page
4. Which form of necrosis is characteristically associated with
tuberculosis and appears as a cheese-like gross lesion?
A) Coagulative necrosis
B) Liquefactive necrosis
C) Caseous necrosis
D) Fat necrosis
Answer: C) Caseous necrosis
Explanation: Caseous necrosis, derived from "caseus" meaning cheese,
is a distinctive form of necrosis seen most frequently in tuberculous
granulomas. The necrotic tissue has a soft, friable, and pale yellow
appearance resembling clumpy cheese, resulting from a combination of
coagulative and liquefactive necrosis.
5. Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death. Which molecular
event is central to the execution phase of apoptosis?
A) Cell swelling and membrane rupture
B) Activation of caspases
C) Depletion of intracellular ATP
D) Release of histamine from mast cells
Answer: B) Activation of caspases
Explanation: Caspases are a family of cysteine proteases that are
synthesized as inactive proenzymes and become activated during
apoptosis. Executioner caspases, such as caspase-3, cleave numerous
cellular substrates, including structural proteins and DNA repair
enzymes, orchestrating the systematic dismantling of the cell.
, 4|Page
6. A patient suffers a fractured humerus and develops a swollen, painful
limb. After fasciotomy, the affected muscle appears grossly dry, pale,
and non-contractile. This pattern of cell death is most consistent with:
A) Gangrenous necrosis
B) Coagulative necrosis
C) Caseous necrosis
D) Liquefactive necrosis
Answer: B) Coagulative necrosis
Explanation: Coagulative necrosis, typically resulting from ischemia or
infarction in solid organs (except the brain), is characterized by the
preservation of the basic tissue architecture for several days. The tissue
becomes firm and pale as proteins coagulate and metabolic activity
stops, matching the described operative findings.
7. Cellular atrophy results from a decrease in cell size. Which organelle
is primarily responsible for the degradation of cellular components
during this process?
A) Golgi apparatus
B) Peroxisome
C) Proteasome
D) Rough endoplasmic reticulum
Answer: C) Proteasome
Explanation: Atrophy results from decreased protein synthesis and
increased protein degradation. The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is a
