1|Page
**NURS 6501N ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
EXAM PREP 2026/2027 | 200+ PRACTICE QUESTIONS
WITH RATIONALES | WALDEN UNIVERSITY |
GRADED A+ | FIRST-TIME PASS**
## SECTION 1: CELLULAR FUNCTION & ADAPTATION (Questions 1–25)
**1. A runner has depleted all available oxygen for muscle energy. Which of the
following will facilitate continued muscle performance?**
A. Aerobic glycolysis
B. Oxidative phosphorylation
**C. Anaerobic glycolysis**
D. Gluconeogenesis
**Rationale:** Without oxygen, cells rely on anaerobic glycolysis to produce ATP.
This process generates lactic acid and is much less efficient than aerobic
metabolism, but it allows short bursts of continued muscle activity .
---
**2. A patient has a genetic defect that causes the sodium-potassium pump to
function at only 20% efficiency. What expected finding does the healthcare
professional relate to this defect?**
A. Cellular dehydration
**B. Cellular swelling**
,2|Page
C. Hyperpolarization of the cell membrane
D. Increased protein synthesis
**Rationale:** The Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase pump maintains osmotic balance. If it fails,
sodium accumulates inside the cell, drawing water in via osmosis, leading to
cellular swelling (hydropic degeneration) .
---
**3. What causes the rapid change in the resting membrane potential that initiates
an action potential?**
A. Potassium gates open and potassium rushes out of the cell
**B. Sodium gates open and sodium rushes into the cell**
C. Calcium gates open and calcium rushes into the cell
D. Chloride gates open and chloride rushes into the cell
**Rationale:** Depolarization occurs when voltage-gated sodium channels open,
allowing sodium to flow down its electrochemical gradient into the cell, shifting
the membrane potential from negative to positive .
---
**4. Under anaerobic conditions, what process provides energy for the cell?**
A. Krebs cycle
B. Electron transport chain
**C. Glycolysis**
,3|Page
D. Oxidative phosphorylation
**Rationale:** Glycolysis is the only metabolic pathway that can function without
oxygen. It breaks down glucose to pyruvate, producing a net gain of 2 ATP per
glucose molecule. The Krebs cycle (A) and electron transport chain (B) require
oxygen .
---
**5. A nurse is reading a chart and sees the term "oncotic pressure." The nurse
recalls that oncotic pressure (colloid osmotic pressure) is determined by:**
A. Sodium concentration
**B. Plasma proteins**
C. Glucose levels
D. Hydrostatic pressure
**Rationale:** Oncotic pressure is the osmotic pressure exerted by plasma
proteins (primarily albumin) that pulls fluid into the capillaries. It opposes
hydrostatic pressure that pushes fluid out .
---
**6. During childhood, the thymus decreases in size. This is referred to as _____
atrophy.**
A. Pathologic
**B. Physiologic**
, 4|Page
C. Ischemic
D. Neurogenic
**Rationale:** Physiologic atrophy is normal, age-related reduction in organ size.
The thymus naturally shrinks after puberty as part of normal development, unlike
pathologic atrophy caused by disease, disuse, or ischemia .
---
**7. The early dilation (swelling) of the cell's endoplasmic reticulum results in:**
A. Increased protein synthesis
**B. Reduced protein synthesis**
C. Enhanced lipid metabolism
D. Rapid cell division
**Rationale:** The rough endoplasmic reticulum is responsible for protein
synthesis. Swelling and degranulation of the ER disrupts this process, leading to
reduced production of essential proteins .
---
**8. What principle should the nurse remember when trying to distinguish aging
from diseases?**
A. Aging is a result of lifestyle choices only
**B. It is difficult to tell the difference because both processes are believed to
result from cell injury**
**NURS 6501N ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
EXAM PREP 2026/2027 | 200+ PRACTICE QUESTIONS
WITH RATIONALES | WALDEN UNIVERSITY |
GRADED A+ | FIRST-TIME PASS**
## SECTION 1: CELLULAR FUNCTION & ADAPTATION (Questions 1–25)
**1. A runner has depleted all available oxygen for muscle energy. Which of the
following will facilitate continued muscle performance?**
A. Aerobic glycolysis
B. Oxidative phosphorylation
**C. Anaerobic glycolysis**
D. Gluconeogenesis
**Rationale:** Without oxygen, cells rely on anaerobic glycolysis to produce ATP.
This process generates lactic acid and is much less efficient than aerobic
metabolism, but it allows short bursts of continued muscle activity .
---
**2. A patient has a genetic defect that causes the sodium-potassium pump to
function at only 20% efficiency. What expected finding does the healthcare
professional relate to this defect?**
A. Cellular dehydration
**B. Cellular swelling**
,2|Page
C. Hyperpolarization of the cell membrane
D. Increased protein synthesis
**Rationale:** The Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase pump maintains osmotic balance. If it fails,
sodium accumulates inside the cell, drawing water in via osmosis, leading to
cellular swelling (hydropic degeneration) .
---
**3. What causes the rapid change in the resting membrane potential that initiates
an action potential?**
A. Potassium gates open and potassium rushes out of the cell
**B. Sodium gates open and sodium rushes into the cell**
C. Calcium gates open and calcium rushes into the cell
D. Chloride gates open and chloride rushes into the cell
**Rationale:** Depolarization occurs when voltage-gated sodium channels open,
allowing sodium to flow down its electrochemical gradient into the cell, shifting
the membrane potential from negative to positive .
---
**4. Under anaerobic conditions, what process provides energy for the cell?**
A. Krebs cycle
B. Electron transport chain
**C. Glycolysis**
,3|Page
D. Oxidative phosphorylation
**Rationale:** Glycolysis is the only metabolic pathway that can function without
oxygen. It breaks down glucose to pyruvate, producing a net gain of 2 ATP per
glucose molecule. The Krebs cycle (A) and electron transport chain (B) require
oxygen .
---
**5. A nurse is reading a chart and sees the term "oncotic pressure." The nurse
recalls that oncotic pressure (colloid osmotic pressure) is determined by:**
A. Sodium concentration
**B. Plasma proteins**
C. Glucose levels
D. Hydrostatic pressure
**Rationale:** Oncotic pressure is the osmotic pressure exerted by plasma
proteins (primarily albumin) that pulls fluid into the capillaries. It opposes
hydrostatic pressure that pushes fluid out .
---
**6. During childhood, the thymus decreases in size. This is referred to as _____
atrophy.**
A. Pathologic
**B. Physiologic**
, 4|Page
C. Ischemic
D. Neurogenic
**Rationale:** Physiologic atrophy is normal, age-related reduction in organ size.
The thymus naturally shrinks after puberty as part of normal development, unlike
pathologic atrophy caused by disease, disuse, or ischemia .
---
**7. The early dilation (swelling) of the cell's endoplasmic reticulum results in:**
A. Increased protein synthesis
**B. Reduced protein synthesis**
C. Enhanced lipid metabolism
D. Rapid cell division
**Rationale:** The rough endoplasmic reticulum is responsible for protein
synthesis. Swelling and degranulation of the ER disrupts this process, leading to
reduced production of essential proteins .
---
**8. What principle should the nurse remember when trying to distinguish aging
from diseases?**
A. Aging is a result of lifestyle choices only
**B. It is difficult to tell the difference because both processes are believed to
result from cell injury**
