NR 302 PRACTICE QUESTION & ANSWERS(RESPIRATORY)
Respiratory
1. Which of these statements is true regarding the vertebra prominens? The vertebra
prominens is:
A. The spinous process of C7.
B. Usually nonpalpable in most individuals.
C. Opposite the interior border of the scapula.
D. Located next to the manubrium of the sternum
2. When performing a respiratory assessment on a patient, the nurse notices a costal angle
of approximately 90 degrees. This characteristic is:
A. Observed in patients with kyphosis.
B. Indicative of pectus excavatum.
C. A normal finding in a healthy adult.
D. An expected finding in a patient with a barrel chest
3. When assessing a patient’s lungs, the nurse recalls that the left lung:
A. Consists of two lobes.
B. Is divided by the horizontal fissure.
C. Primarily consists of an upper lobe on the posterior chest.
D. Is shorter than the right lung because of the underlying stomach.
4. Which statement about the apices of the lungs is true? The apices of the lungs:
A. Are at the level of the second rib anteriorly.
B. Extend 3 to 4 cm above the inner third of the clavicles.
C. Are located at the sixth rib anteriorly and the eighth rib laterally.
, D. Rest on the diaphragm at the fifth intercostal space in the midclavicular line
(MCL)
5. During an examination of the anterior thorax, the nurse is aware that the trachea
bifurcates anteriorly at the:
A. Costal angle.
B. Sternal angle.
C. Xiphoid process.
D. Suprasternal notch.
6. During an assessment, the nurse knows that expected assessment findings in the normal
adult lung include the presence of:
A. Adventitious sounds and limited chest expansion.
B. Increased tactile fremitus and dull percussion tones.
C. Muffled voice sounds and symmetric tactile fremitus.
D. Absent voice sounds and hyperresonant percussion tones.
7. The primary muscles of respiration include the:
A. Diaphragm and intercostals.
B. Sternomastoids and scaleni.
C. Trapezii and rectus abdominis.
D. External obliques and pectoralis major.
8. A 65-year-old patient with a history of heart failure comes to the clinic with complaints
of “being awakened from sleep with shortness of breath.” Which action by the nurse is
most appropriate?
A. Obtaining a detailed health history of the patient’s allergies and a history of
asthma
B. Telling the patient to sleep on his or her right side to facilitate ease of respirations
C. Assessing for other signs and symptoms of paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
Respiratory
1. Which of these statements is true regarding the vertebra prominens? The vertebra
prominens is:
A. The spinous process of C7.
B. Usually nonpalpable in most individuals.
C. Opposite the interior border of the scapula.
D. Located next to the manubrium of the sternum
2. When performing a respiratory assessment on a patient, the nurse notices a costal angle
of approximately 90 degrees. This characteristic is:
A. Observed in patients with kyphosis.
B. Indicative of pectus excavatum.
C. A normal finding in a healthy adult.
D. An expected finding in a patient with a barrel chest
3. When assessing a patient’s lungs, the nurse recalls that the left lung:
A. Consists of two lobes.
B. Is divided by the horizontal fissure.
C. Primarily consists of an upper lobe on the posterior chest.
D. Is shorter than the right lung because of the underlying stomach.
4. Which statement about the apices of the lungs is true? The apices of the lungs:
A. Are at the level of the second rib anteriorly.
B. Extend 3 to 4 cm above the inner third of the clavicles.
C. Are located at the sixth rib anteriorly and the eighth rib laterally.
, D. Rest on the diaphragm at the fifth intercostal space in the midclavicular line
(MCL)
5. During an examination of the anterior thorax, the nurse is aware that the trachea
bifurcates anteriorly at the:
A. Costal angle.
B. Sternal angle.
C. Xiphoid process.
D. Suprasternal notch.
6. During an assessment, the nurse knows that expected assessment findings in the normal
adult lung include the presence of:
A. Adventitious sounds and limited chest expansion.
B. Increased tactile fremitus and dull percussion tones.
C. Muffled voice sounds and symmetric tactile fremitus.
D. Absent voice sounds and hyperresonant percussion tones.
7. The primary muscles of respiration include the:
A. Diaphragm and intercostals.
B. Sternomastoids and scaleni.
C. Trapezii and rectus abdominis.
D. External obliques and pectoralis major.
8. A 65-year-old patient with a history of heart failure comes to the clinic with complaints
of “being awakened from sleep with shortness of breath.” Which action by the nurse is
most appropriate?
A. Obtaining a detailed health history of the patient’s allergies and a history of
asthma
B. Telling the patient to sleep on his or her right side to facilitate ease of respirations
C. Assessing for other signs and symptoms of paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
