NURS 611 Advanced Pathophysiology Midterm Exam 1 2026
|Maryville
1. A patient with chronic hypertension exhibits thickening of the left ventricular
wall. Which cellular adaptation is occurring?
A. Hypertrophy
B. Hyperplasia
C. Metaplasia
D. Dysplasia
Answer: A
Rationale: Hypertrophy is an increase in the size of cells in response to mechanical load or
stress, common in the cardiac muscle of hypertensive patients.
2. Which mechanism is primarily responsible for the tissue damage seen in
reperfusion injury?
A. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)
B. Calcium deficiency
C. Lactic acid accumulation
D. Lysosomal membrane stabilization
Answer: A
Rationale: Reperfusion injury occurs when oxygen is restored to ischemic tissue, leading
to the massive generation of reactive oxygen species that damage cell membranes.
,3. What is the hallmark characteristic of liquefactive necrosis, particularly in the
brain?
A. Transformation of tissue into a soft, semi-solid mass
B. Protein denaturation and coagulation
C. Ischemic injury to the heart and kidneys
D. Formation of a cheese-like substance
Answer: A
Rationale: Liquefactive necrosis occurs in the brain because cells are rich in hydrolytic
enzymes and lipids, resulting in the tissue turning into a liquid mass.
4. A 50-year-old male with a long history of smoking shows a change in his
bronchial lining from ciliated columnar cells to stratified squamous cells. This is
an example of:
A. Dysplasia
B. Anaplasia
C. Metaplasia
D. Atrophy
Answer: C
Rationale: Metaplasia is the reversible replacement of one mature cell type by another,
often as an adaptation to chronic irritation like smoking.
5. Which statement regarding apoptosis is correct?
A. It always triggers a significant inflammatory response.
B. It is characterized by cell swelling and rupture.
C. It is a programmed process involving caspase activation.
D. It is always a pathological process.
Answer: C
Rationale: Apoptosis is programmed cell death that involves the activation of caspases; it
is tidy and does not typically trigger inflammation.
, 6. Which chromosomal abnormality is characterized by the genotype 45,X?
A. Klinefelter Syndrome
B. Down Syndrome
C. Turner Syndrome
D. Edwards Syndrome
Answer: C
Rationale: Turner syndrome is a condition in females where one X chromosome is missing
(monosomy X).
7. In an autosomal dominant disorder, what is the probability that a child will
inherit the disease if one parent is heterozygous and the other is unaffected?
A. 25%
B. 100%
C. 75%
D. 50%
Answer: D
Rationale: Autosomal dominant inheritance means only one copy of the mutated gene is
needed for the disease to manifest; there is a 50% chance of passing it to offspring.
8. A patient presents with severe edema due to liver failure. Which Starling
force is primarily responsible?
A. Increased capillary hydrostatic pressure
B. Increased interstitial oncotic pressure
C. Decreased capillary oncotic pressure
D. Decreased interstitial hydrostatic pressure
Answer: C
Rationale: Liver failure leads to decreased albumin production, which lowers capillary
oncotic pressure, allowing fluid to remain in the interstitial space.
|Maryville
1. A patient with chronic hypertension exhibits thickening of the left ventricular
wall. Which cellular adaptation is occurring?
A. Hypertrophy
B. Hyperplasia
C. Metaplasia
D. Dysplasia
Answer: A
Rationale: Hypertrophy is an increase in the size of cells in response to mechanical load or
stress, common in the cardiac muscle of hypertensive patients.
2. Which mechanism is primarily responsible for the tissue damage seen in
reperfusion injury?
A. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)
B. Calcium deficiency
C. Lactic acid accumulation
D. Lysosomal membrane stabilization
Answer: A
Rationale: Reperfusion injury occurs when oxygen is restored to ischemic tissue, leading
to the massive generation of reactive oxygen species that damage cell membranes.
,3. What is the hallmark characteristic of liquefactive necrosis, particularly in the
brain?
A. Transformation of tissue into a soft, semi-solid mass
B. Protein denaturation and coagulation
C. Ischemic injury to the heart and kidneys
D. Formation of a cheese-like substance
Answer: A
Rationale: Liquefactive necrosis occurs in the brain because cells are rich in hydrolytic
enzymes and lipids, resulting in the tissue turning into a liquid mass.
4. A 50-year-old male with a long history of smoking shows a change in his
bronchial lining from ciliated columnar cells to stratified squamous cells. This is
an example of:
A. Dysplasia
B. Anaplasia
C. Metaplasia
D. Atrophy
Answer: C
Rationale: Metaplasia is the reversible replacement of one mature cell type by another,
often as an adaptation to chronic irritation like smoking.
5. Which statement regarding apoptosis is correct?
A. It always triggers a significant inflammatory response.
B. It is characterized by cell swelling and rupture.
C. It is a programmed process involving caspase activation.
D. It is always a pathological process.
Answer: C
Rationale: Apoptosis is programmed cell death that involves the activation of caspases; it
is tidy and does not typically trigger inflammation.
, 6. Which chromosomal abnormality is characterized by the genotype 45,X?
A. Klinefelter Syndrome
B. Down Syndrome
C. Turner Syndrome
D. Edwards Syndrome
Answer: C
Rationale: Turner syndrome is a condition in females where one X chromosome is missing
(monosomy X).
7. In an autosomal dominant disorder, what is the probability that a child will
inherit the disease if one parent is heterozygous and the other is unaffected?
A. 25%
B. 100%
C. 75%
D. 50%
Answer: D
Rationale: Autosomal dominant inheritance means only one copy of the mutated gene is
needed for the disease to manifest; there is a 50% chance of passing it to offspring.
8. A patient presents with severe edema due to liver failure. Which Starling
force is primarily responsible?
A. Increased capillary hydrostatic pressure
B. Increased interstitial oncotic pressure
C. Decreased capillary oncotic pressure
D. Decreased interstitial hydrostatic pressure
Answer: C
Rationale: Liver failure leads to decreased albumin production, which lowers capillary
oncotic pressure, allowing fluid to remain in the interstitial space.
