WEST COAST UNIVERSITY NURS 301 BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH CASE MIDTERM EXAM PSYCHIATRIC NURSE
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWER WITH
EXPLANATION LATEST 2025-2026
FOUNDATIONS & COMMUNICATION (1–15)
1. The most appropriate initial action when meeting a psychiatric patient is to:
A. Establish rapport
B. Give medication
C. Perform restraint
D. Diagnose illness
Answer: A
Rationale: Rapport builds trust needed for effective care.
2. Therapeutic communication is primarily used to:
A. Promote patient expression
B. Control patient behavior
C. Judge patient actions
D. Give personal advice
Answer: A
Rationale: It encourages emotional expression and understanding.
3. Which statement is an example of therapeutic communication?
A. “Tell me what you are feeling.”
B. “You shouldn’t feel that way.”
C. “Stop crying.”
D. “That’s wrong.”
Answer: A
Rationale: Open-ended prompts encourage expression.
,4. A barrier to communication is:
A. Judgmental attitude
B. Active listening
C. Clarification
D. Reflection
Answer: A
Rationale: Judgment blocks open communication.
5. Active listening involves:
A. Full attention to patient
B. Interrupting frequently
C. Ignoring emotions
D. Giving commands
Answer: A
Rationale: Focused attention improves understanding.
6. Silence in therapy is used to:
A. Allow patient reflection
B. End conversation
C. Punish patient
D. Ignore patient
Answer: A
Rationale: Gives time for processing thoughts.
7. Transference occurs when:
A. Patient projects feelings onto nurse
B. Nurse projects feelings onto patient
C. Medication works
D. Patient improves
Answer: A
Rationale: Emotional displacement onto caregiver.
8. Countertransference is:
A. Nurse’s emotional reaction to patient
, B. Patient hallucination
C. Medication effect
D. Diagnosis
Answer: A
Rationale: Nurse projects feelings onto patient.
9. Orientation refers to awareness of:
A. Time, place, person
B. Only time
C. Only place
D. Only person
Answer: A
Rationale: Full orientation includes all three.
10. Affect refers to:
A. Observable emotional expression
B. Internal thoughts
C. Heart rate
D. Blood pressure
Answer: A
Rationale: External display of emotion.
11. Mood is:
A. Internal emotional state
B. Reflex
C. Memory
D. Pain level
Answer: A
Rationale: Subjective emotional feeling.
12. Insight means:
A. Awareness of illness
B. Vision ability
C. Hearing ability
HEALTH CASE MIDTERM EXAM PSYCHIATRIC NURSE
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWER WITH
EXPLANATION LATEST 2025-2026
FOUNDATIONS & COMMUNICATION (1–15)
1. The most appropriate initial action when meeting a psychiatric patient is to:
A. Establish rapport
B. Give medication
C. Perform restraint
D. Diagnose illness
Answer: A
Rationale: Rapport builds trust needed for effective care.
2. Therapeutic communication is primarily used to:
A. Promote patient expression
B. Control patient behavior
C. Judge patient actions
D. Give personal advice
Answer: A
Rationale: It encourages emotional expression and understanding.
3. Which statement is an example of therapeutic communication?
A. “Tell me what you are feeling.”
B. “You shouldn’t feel that way.”
C. “Stop crying.”
D. “That’s wrong.”
Answer: A
Rationale: Open-ended prompts encourage expression.
,4. A barrier to communication is:
A. Judgmental attitude
B. Active listening
C. Clarification
D. Reflection
Answer: A
Rationale: Judgment blocks open communication.
5. Active listening involves:
A. Full attention to patient
B. Interrupting frequently
C. Ignoring emotions
D. Giving commands
Answer: A
Rationale: Focused attention improves understanding.
6. Silence in therapy is used to:
A. Allow patient reflection
B. End conversation
C. Punish patient
D. Ignore patient
Answer: A
Rationale: Gives time for processing thoughts.
7. Transference occurs when:
A. Patient projects feelings onto nurse
B. Nurse projects feelings onto patient
C. Medication works
D. Patient improves
Answer: A
Rationale: Emotional displacement onto caregiver.
8. Countertransference is:
A. Nurse’s emotional reaction to patient
, B. Patient hallucination
C. Medication effect
D. Diagnosis
Answer: A
Rationale: Nurse projects feelings onto patient.
9. Orientation refers to awareness of:
A. Time, place, person
B. Only time
C. Only place
D. Only person
Answer: A
Rationale: Full orientation includes all three.
10. Affect refers to:
A. Observable emotional expression
B. Internal thoughts
C. Heart rate
D. Blood pressure
Answer: A
Rationale: External display of emotion.
11. Mood is:
A. Internal emotional state
B. Reflex
C. Memory
D. Pain level
Answer: A
Rationale: Subjective emotional feeling.
12. Insight means:
A. Awareness of illness
B. Vision ability
C. Hearing ability
