NUR 612
EXAM 2
Health Assessment & Diagnostic
Reasoning
Questions And Answers Plus Rationales 2026
Instant Pdf Download
CHAMBERLAIN
This exam consists of 100 NCLEX-style multiple-
choice questions, each with one correct Answer
and a detailed rationale.
,1. A nurse is assessing a patient with suspected meningitis. Which
finding is most concerning for increased intracranial pressure?
A. Positive Kernig sign
B. Nuchal rigidity
C. Bradycardia, hypertension, and irregular respirations (Cushing’s triad)
D. Photophobia
Answer: C. Bradycardia, hypertension, and irregular respirations
(Cushing’s triad)
Rationale: Cushing’s triad (hypertension, bradycardia, irregular
breathing) is a late sign of increased ICP, indicating brainstem
compression. Kernig and Brudzinski signs indicate meningeal irritation,
not necessarily elevated ICP.
2. A patient presents with acute onset of right lower quadrant pain,
nausea, and low-grade fever. The nurse performs a psoas sign.
Which maneuver is correct?
A. Patient lies on left side, right leg extended; pain on passive extension
of right hip.
B. Patient supine, nurse raises right leg against resistance.
C. Patient supine, nurse rotates right leg internally.
D. Patient supine, nurse flexes right thigh to 90° and then extends knee.
,Answer: A. Patient lies on left side, right leg extended; pain on passive
extension of right hip.
Rationale: Psoas sign is elicited by having the patient lie on the
non-painful side and extend the painful hip (or by resisting hip flexion).
Pain indicates irritation of the iliopsoas muscle, often from appendicitis.
3. The nurse auscultates a patient’s lungs and hears coarse,
low-pitched, snoring sounds that clear partially after coughing.
These sounds are most consistent with:
A. Fine crackles
B. Wheezes
C. Rhonchi
D. Pleural friction rub
Answer: C. Rhonchi
Rationale: Rhonchi are low-pitched, snoring, continuous sounds from
secretions in larger airways; they often change or clear with coughing.
Wheezes are high-pitched musical sounds. Crackles are discontinuous.
4. During a cardiovascular exam, the nurse palpates the chest and
feels a thrill at the right upper sternal border. This suggests:
A. Aortic stenosis
, B. Mitral regurgitation
C. Pulmonic stenosis
D. Ventricular septal defect
Answer: A. Aortic stenosis
Rationale: A thrill (palpable murmur) at the right 2nd intercostal space
(aortic area) is typical of severe aortic stenosis. Also may be felt at the
suprasternal notch or carotids.
5. A patient with a history of alcohol use disorder presents with
asterixis (liver flap). How is asterixis elicited?
A. Ask patient to hold arms extended with wrists dorsiflexed; observe for
rapid flexion-extension movements.
B. Ask patient to touch nose with index finger.
C. Ask patient to tap thumb to each finger rapidly.
D. Ask patient to stand with feet together and eyes closed.
Answer: A. Ask patient to hold arms extended with wrists dorsiflexed;
observe for rapid flexion-extension movements.
Rationale: Asterixis (metabolic flap) is a sign of hepatic encephalopathy,
uremia, or hypercapnia. The patient cannot maintain sustained posture,
causing irregular flapping.
EXAM 2
Health Assessment & Diagnostic
Reasoning
Questions And Answers Plus Rationales 2026
Instant Pdf Download
CHAMBERLAIN
This exam consists of 100 NCLEX-style multiple-
choice questions, each with one correct Answer
and a detailed rationale.
,1. A nurse is assessing a patient with suspected meningitis. Which
finding is most concerning for increased intracranial pressure?
A. Positive Kernig sign
B. Nuchal rigidity
C. Bradycardia, hypertension, and irregular respirations (Cushing’s triad)
D. Photophobia
Answer: C. Bradycardia, hypertension, and irregular respirations
(Cushing’s triad)
Rationale: Cushing’s triad (hypertension, bradycardia, irregular
breathing) is a late sign of increased ICP, indicating brainstem
compression. Kernig and Brudzinski signs indicate meningeal irritation,
not necessarily elevated ICP.
2. A patient presents with acute onset of right lower quadrant pain,
nausea, and low-grade fever. The nurse performs a psoas sign.
Which maneuver is correct?
A. Patient lies on left side, right leg extended; pain on passive extension
of right hip.
B. Patient supine, nurse raises right leg against resistance.
C. Patient supine, nurse rotates right leg internally.
D. Patient supine, nurse flexes right thigh to 90° and then extends knee.
,Answer: A. Patient lies on left side, right leg extended; pain on passive
extension of right hip.
Rationale: Psoas sign is elicited by having the patient lie on the
non-painful side and extend the painful hip (or by resisting hip flexion).
Pain indicates irritation of the iliopsoas muscle, often from appendicitis.
3. The nurse auscultates a patient’s lungs and hears coarse,
low-pitched, snoring sounds that clear partially after coughing.
These sounds are most consistent with:
A. Fine crackles
B. Wheezes
C. Rhonchi
D. Pleural friction rub
Answer: C. Rhonchi
Rationale: Rhonchi are low-pitched, snoring, continuous sounds from
secretions in larger airways; they often change or clear with coughing.
Wheezes are high-pitched musical sounds. Crackles are discontinuous.
4. During a cardiovascular exam, the nurse palpates the chest and
feels a thrill at the right upper sternal border. This suggests:
A. Aortic stenosis
, B. Mitral regurgitation
C. Pulmonic stenosis
D. Ventricular septal defect
Answer: A. Aortic stenosis
Rationale: A thrill (palpable murmur) at the right 2nd intercostal space
(aortic area) is typical of severe aortic stenosis. Also may be felt at the
suprasternal notch or carotids.
5. A patient with a history of alcohol use disorder presents with
asterixis (liver flap). How is asterixis elicited?
A. Ask patient to hold arms extended with wrists dorsiflexed; observe for
rapid flexion-extension movements.
B. Ask patient to touch nose with index finger.
C. Ask patient to tap thumb to each finger rapidly.
D. Ask patient to stand with feet together and eyes closed.
Answer: A. Ask patient to hold arms extended with wrists dorsiflexed;
observe for rapid flexion-extension movements.
Rationale: Asterixis (metabolic flap) is a sign of hepatic encephalopathy,
uremia, or hypercapnia. The patient cannot maintain sustained posture,
causing irregular flapping.
