NR 302 PRACTICE QUESTIONS BANK/ NR302 TEST BANK
A physician tells the nurse that a patient’s vertebra prominens is tender and asks the nurse to
reevaluate the area in 1 hour. The area of the body the nurse will assess is:
A. Just above the diaphragm.
B. Just lateral to the knee cap.
C. At the level of the C7 vertebra.
D. At the level of the T11 vertebra.
2. A mother brings her 2-month-old daughter in for an examination and says, “My daughter rolled
over against the wall, and now I have noticed that she has this spot that is soft on the top of her
head. Is something terribly wrong?” The nurse’s best response would be:
A. “Perhaps that could be a result of your dietary intake during pregnancy.”
B. “Your baby may have craniosynostosis, a disease of the sutures of the brain.”
C. “That ‘soft spot’ may be an indication of cretinism or congenital hypothyroidism.”
D. “That ‘soft spot’ is normal, and actually allows for growth of the brain during the
first year of your baby’s life.”
3. The nurse notices that a patient’s palpebral fissures are not symmetric. On examination, the nurse
may find that damage has occurred to which cranial nerve (CN)?
A. III
B. V
C. VII
D. VIII
4. A patient is unable to differentiate between sharp and dull stimulation to both sides of her face.
The nurse suspects:
A. Bell palsy.
B. Damage to the trigeminal nerve.
C. Frostbite with resultant paresthesia to the cheeks.
D. Scleroderma.
,5. When examining the face of a patient, the nurse is aware that the two pairs of salivary glands that
are accessible to examination are the ___________ and ___________ glands.
A. Occipital; submental
B. Parotid; jugulodigastric
C. Parotid; submandibular
D. Submandibular; occipital
6. A patient comes to the clinic complaining of neck and shoulder pain and is unable to turn her
head. The nurse suspects damage to CN ______ and proceeds with the examination by
_____________.
A. XI; palpating the anterior and posterior triangles
B. XI; asking the patient to shrug her shoulders against resistance
C. XII; percussing the sternomastoid and submandibular neck muscles
D. XII; assessing for a positive Romberg sign
7. When examining a patient’s CN function, the nurse remembers that the muscles in the neck that
are innervated by CN XI are the:
A. Sternomastoid and trapezius.
B. Spinal accessory and omohyoid.
C. Trapezius and sternomandibular.
D. Sternomandibular and spinal accessory.
8. A patient’s laboratory data reveal an elevated thyroxine (T4) level. The nurse would proceed with
an examination of the _____ gland.
A. Thyroid
B. Parotid
C. Adrenal
D. Parathyroid
9. A patient says that she has recently noticed a lump in the front of her neck below her “Adam’s
apple” that seems to be getting bigger. During the assessment, the finding that leads the nurse to
suspect that this may not be a cancerous thyroid nodule is that the lump (nodule):
A. Is tender.
, B. Is mobile and not hard.
C. Disappears when the patient smiles.
D. Is hard and fixed to the surrounding structures.
10. The nurse notices that a patient’s submental lymph nodes are enlarged. In an effort to identify the
cause of the node enlargement, the nurse would assess the patient’s:
A. Infraclavicular area.
B. Supraclavicular area.
C. Area distal to the enlarged node.
D. Area proximal to the enlarged node.
11. The nurse is aware that the four areas in the body where lymph nodes are accessible are the:
A. Head, breasts, groin, and abdomen.
B. Arms, breasts, inguinal area, and legs.
C. Head and neck, arms, breasts, and axillae.
D. Head and neck, arms, inguinal area, and axillae.
12. A mother brings her newborn in for an assessment and asks, “Is there something wrong with my
baby? His head seems so big.” Which statement is true regarding the relative proportions of the
head and trunk of the newborn?
A. At birth, the head is one fifth the total length.
B. Head circumference should be greater than chest circumference at birth.
C. The head size reaches 90% of its final size when the child is 3 years old.
D. When the anterior fontanel closes at 2 months, the head will be more proportioned
to the body.
13. A patient, an 85-year-old woman, is complaining about the fact that the bones in her face have
become more noticeable. What explanation should the nurse give her?
A. Diets low in protein and high in carbohydrates may cause enhanced facial bones.
B. Bones can become more noticeable if the person does not use a dermatologically
approved moisturizer.
C. More noticeable facial bones are probably due to a combination of factors related
to aging, such as decreased elasticity, subcutaneous fat, and moisture in her skin.
, D. Facial skin becomes more elastic with age. This increased elasticity causes the
skin to be more taught, drawing attention to the facial bones.
14. A patient reports excruciating headache pain on one side of his head, especially around his eye,
forehead, and cheek that has lasted approximately ½ to 2 hours, occurring once or twice each
day. The nurse should suspect:
A. Hypertension.
B. Cluster headaches.
C. Tension headaches.
D. Migraine headaches.
15. A patient complains that while studying for an examination he began to notice a severe headache
in the frontotemporal area of his head that is throbbing and is somewhat relieved when he lies
down. He tells the nurse that his mother also had these headaches. The nurse suspects that he
may be suffering from:
A. Hypertension.
B. Cluster headaches.
C. Tension headaches.
D. Migraine headaches.
16. A 19-year-old college student is brought to the emergency department with a severe headache he
describes as, “Like nothing I’ve ever had before.” His temperature is 40° C, and he has a stiff
neck. The nurse looks for other signs and symptoms of which problem?
A. Head injury
B. Cluster headache
C. Migraine headache
D. Meningeal inflammation
17. During a well-baby checkup, the nurse notices that a 1-week-old infant’s face looks small
compared with his cranium, which seems enlarged. On further examination, the nurse also
notices dilated scalp veins and downcast or “setting sun” eyes. The nurse suspects which
condition?
A. Craniotabes
B. Microcephaly
A physician tells the nurse that a patient’s vertebra prominens is tender and asks the nurse to
reevaluate the area in 1 hour. The area of the body the nurse will assess is:
A. Just above the diaphragm.
B. Just lateral to the knee cap.
C. At the level of the C7 vertebra.
D. At the level of the T11 vertebra.
2. A mother brings her 2-month-old daughter in for an examination and says, “My daughter rolled
over against the wall, and now I have noticed that she has this spot that is soft on the top of her
head. Is something terribly wrong?” The nurse’s best response would be:
A. “Perhaps that could be a result of your dietary intake during pregnancy.”
B. “Your baby may have craniosynostosis, a disease of the sutures of the brain.”
C. “That ‘soft spot’ may be an indication of cretinism or congenital hypothyroidism.”
D. “That ‘soft spot’ is normal, and actually allows for growth of the brain during the
first year of your baby’s life.”
3. The nurse notices that a patient’s palpebral fissures are not symmetric. On examination, the nurse
may find that damage has occurred to which cranial nerve (CN)?
A. III
B. V
C. VII
D. VIII
4. A patient is unable to differentiate between sharp and dull stimulation to both sides of her face.
The nurse suspects:
A. Bell palsy.
B. Damage to the trigeminal nerve.
C. Frostbite with resultant paresthesia to the cheeks.
D. Scleroderma.
,5. When examining the face of a patient, the nurse is aware that the two pairs of salivary glands that
are accessible to examination are the ___________ and ___________ glands.
A. Occipital; submental
B. Parotid; jugulodigastric
C. Parotid; submandibular
D. Submandibular; occipital
6. A patient comes to the clinic complaining of neck and shoulder pain and is unable to turn her
head. The nurse suspects damage to CN ______ and proceeds with the examination by
_____________.
A. XI; palpating the anterior and posterior triangles
B. XI; asking the patient to shrug her shoulders against resistance
C. XII; percussing the sternomastoid and submandibular neck muscles
D. XII; assessing for a positive Romberg sign
7. When examining a patient’s CN function, the nurse remembers that the muscles in the neck that
are innervated by CN XI are the:
A. Sternomastoid and trapezius.
B. Spinal accessory and omohyoid.
C. Trapezius and sternomandibular.
D. Sternomandibular and spinal accessory.
8. A patient’s laboratory data reveal an elevated thyroxine (T4) level. The nurse would proceed with
an examination of the _____ gland.
A. Thyroid
B. Parotid
C. Adrenal
D. Parathyroid
9. A patient says that she has recently noticed a lump in the front of her neck below her “Adam’s
apple” that seems to be getting bigger. During the assessment, the finding that leads the nurse to
suspect that this may not be a cancerous thyroid nodule is that the lump (nodule):
A. Is tender.
, B. Is mobile and not hard.
C. Disappears when the patient smiles.
D. Is hard and fixed to the surrounding structures.
10. The nurse notices that a patient’s submental lymph nodes are enlarged. In an effort to identify the
cause of the node enlargement, the nurse would assess the patient’s:
A. Infraclavicular area.
B. Supraclavicular area.
C. Area distal to the enlarged node.
D. Area proximal to the enlarged node.
11. The nurse is aware that the four areas in the body where lymph nodes are accessible are the:
A. Head, breasts, groin, and abdomen.
B. Arms, breasts, inguinal area, and legs.
C. Head and neck, arms, breasts, and axillae.
D. Head and neck, arms, inguinal area, and axillae.
12. A mother brings her newborn in for an assessment and asks, “Is there something wrong with my
baby? His head seems so big.” Which statement is true regarding the relative proportions of the
head and trunk of the newborn?
A. At birth, the head is one fifth the total length.
B. Head circumference should be greater than chest circumference at birth.
C. The head size reaches 90% of its final size when the child is 3 years old.
D. When the anterior fontanel closes at 2 months, the head will be more proportioned
to the body.
13. A patient, an 85-year-old woman, is complaining about the fact that the bones in her face have
become more noticeable. What explanation should the nurse give her?
A. Diets low in protein and high in carbohydrates may cause enhanced facial bones.
B. Bones can become more noticeable if the person does not use a dermatologically
approved moisturizer.
C. More noticeable facial bones are probably due to a combination of factors related
to aging, such as decreased elasticity, subcutaneous fat, and moisture in her skin.
, D. Facial skin becomes more elastic with age. This increased elasticity causes the
skin to be more taught, drawing attention to the facial bones.
14. A patient reports excruciating headache pain on one side of his head, especially around his eye,
forehead, and cheek that has lasted approximately ½ to 2 hours, occurring once or twice each
day. The nurse should suspect:
A. Hypertension.
B. Cluster headaches.
C. Tension headaches.
D. Migraine headaches.
15. A patient complains that while studying for an examination he began to notice a severe headache
in the frontotemporal area of his head that is throbbing and is somewhat relieved when he lies
down. He tells the nurse that his mother also had these headaches. The nurse suspects that he
may be suffering from:
A. Hypertension.
B. Cluster headaches.
C. Tension headaches.
D. Migraine headaches.
16. A 19-year-old college student is brought to the emergency department with a severe headache he
describes as, “Like nothing I’ve ever had before.” His temperature is 40° C, and he has a stiff
neck. The nurse looks for other signs and symptoms of which problem?
A. Head injury
B. Cluster headache
C. Migraine headache
D. Meningeal inflammation
17. During a well-baby checkup, the nurse notices that a 1-week-old infant’s face looks small
compared with his cranium, which seems enlarged. On further examination, the nurse also
notices dilated scalp veins and downcast or “setting sun” eyes. The nurse suspects which
condition?
A. Craniotabes
B. Microcephaly
