NU 201 FINAL EXAM WITH 70 QUESTIONS &
CORRECT ANSWERS
During an assessment of a 32-year-old patient with a recent head injury, the nurse
notices that the patient responds to pain by extending, adducting, and internally
rotating his arms. His palms pronate and his lower extremities extend with plantar
flexion. Which of these statements about these findings is accurate?
a. This indicates a lesion of the cerebral cortex.
b. This indicates a completely nonfunctional brainstem
c. This is a normal response that will go away in 24 to 48 hours
d. This is a very ominous sign and may indicate brainstem injury - ANSWER-d.
This is a very ominous sign and may indicate brainstem injury
During the history of a 78-year-old man, his wife states that he occasionally has
problems with short-term memory loss and confusion: "He can't even remember
how to button his shirt." In doing the assessment of his sensory system, which
action by the nurse is most appropriate?
a. The nurse would not do this part of the examination because results would not
be valid
b. The nurse would perform the tests, knowing that mental status does not affect
sensory ability
,c. The nurse would proceed with the explanations of each test, making sure the
wife understands
d. Before testing, the nurse would assess the patient's mental status and ability to
follow directions at this time - ANSWER-
When assessing aging adults, the nurse knows that one of the first things that
should be assessed before making judgments about their mental status is:
a. the presence of phobias
b. their general intelligence
c. the presence of irrational thinking patterns
d. their sensory-perceptive abilities - ANSWER-d. their sensory- perceptive
abilities
During the assessment of an 80-year-old patient, the nurse notices that his hands
show tremors when he reaches for something and his head is always nodding.
There is no associated rigidity with movement. Which of these statements is most
accurate?
a. These are normal findings resulting from aging
b. These could be related to hyperthyroidism
,c. there are the result of Parkinson disease
d. This patient should be evaluated for a cerebellar lesion - ANSWER-a. These are
normal findings resulting from aging
During an assessment of an 80-year-old patient, the nurse notices the following:
inability to identify vibrations at the ankle and to identify position of big toe,
slower and more deliberate gait, and slightly impaired tactile sensation. All other
neurologic findings are normal. The nurse should interpret that these findings
indicate:
a. cranial nerve dysfunction
b. lesion in the cerebral cortex
c. normal changes due to aging
d. demyelinization of nerves due to a lesion - ANSWER-c. normal changes due to
aging
A 19-year-old woman comes to the clinic at the insistence of her brother. She is
wearing black combat boots and a black lace nightgown over the top of her other
clothes. Her hair is dyed pink with black streaks throughout. She has several
pierced holes in her nares and ears and is wearing an earring through her eyebrow
and heavy black makeup. The nurse concludes:
a. she probably doesn't have any problems at all
b. she is just trying to shock people and her dress should be ignored
, c. she has manic syndrome because of her abnormal dress and grooming
d. that more information should be gathered to decide whether her dress is
appropriate - ANSWER-d. that more information should be gathered to decide
whether her dress is appropriate
A patient drifts off to sleep when she is not being stimulated. The nurse can arouse
her easily when calling her name, but she remains drowsy during the conversation.
The best description of this patient's level of consciousness would be:
a. lethargic
b. obtunded
c. stuporous
d. semialert - ANSWER-a. lethargic
A patient has been in the intensive care unit for 10 days. He has just been moved to
the medical-surgical unit, and the admitting nurse is planning to perform a mental
status examination on him. During the tests of cognitive function the nurse would
expect that he:
a. may display some disruption in thought content
b. will state, "I am so relieved to be out of intensive care."
CORRECT ANSWERS
During an assessment of a 32-year-old patient with a recent head injury, the nurse
notices that the patient responds to pain by extending, adducting, and internally
rotating his arms. His palms pronate and his lower extremities extend with plantar
flexion. Which of these statements about these findings is accurate?
a. This indicates a lesion of the cerebral cortex.
b. This indicates a completely nonfunctional brainstem
c. This is a normal response that will go away in 24 to 48 hours
d. This is a very ominous sign and may indicate brainstem injury - ANSWER-d.
This is a very ominous sign and may indicate brainstem injury
During the history of a 78-year-old man, his wife states that he occasionally has
problems with short-term memory loss and confusion: "He can't even remember
how to button his shirt." In doing the assessment of his sensory system, which
action by the nurse is most appropriate?
a. The nurse would not do this part of the examination because results would not
be valid
b. The nurse would perform the tests, knowing that mental status does not affect
sensory ability
,c. The nurse would proceed with the explanations of each test, making sure the
wife understands
d. Before testing, the nurse would assess the patient's mental status and ability to
follow directions at this time - ANSWER-
When assessing aging adults, the nurse knows that one of the first things that
should be assessed before making judgments about their mental status is:
a. the presence of phobias
b. their general intelligence
c. the presence of irrational thinking patterns
d. their sensory-perceptive abilities - ANSWER-d. their sensory- perceptive
abilities
During the assessment of an 80-year-old patient, the nurse notices that his hands
show tremors when he reaches for something and his head is always nodding.
There is no associated rigidity with movement. Which of these statements is most
accurate?
a. These are normal findings resulting from aging
b. These could be related to hyperthyroidism
,c. there are the result of Parkinson disease
d. This patient should be evaluated for a cerebellar lesion - ANSWER-a. These are
normal findings resulting from aging
During an assessment of an 80-year-old patient, the nurse notices the following:
inability to identify vibrations at the ankle and to identify position of big toe,
slower and more deliberate gait, and slightly impaired tactile sensation. All other
neurologic findings are normal. The nurse should interpret that these findings
indicate:
a. cranial nerve dysfunction
b. lesion in the cerebral cortex
c. normal changes due to aging
d. demyelinization of nerves due to a lesion - ANSWER-c. normal changes due to
aging
A 19-year-old woman comes to the clinic at the insistence of her brother. She is
wearing black combat boots and a black lace nightgown over the top of her other
clothes. Her hair is dyed pink with black streaks throughout. She has several
pierced holes in her nares and ears and is wearing an earring through her eyebrow
and heavy black makeup. The nurse concludes:
a. she probably doesn't have any problems at all
b. she is just trying to shock people and her dress should be ignored
, c. she has manic syndrome because of her abnormal dress and grooming
d. that more information should be gathered to decide whether her dress is
appropriate - ANSWER-d. that more information should be gathered to decide
whether her dress is appropriate
A patient drifts off to sleep when she is not being stimulated. The nurse can arouse
her easily when calling her name, but she remains drowsy during the conversation.
The best description of this patient's level of consciousness would be:
a. lethargic
b. obtunded
c. stuporous
d. semialert - ANSWER-a. lethargic
A patient has been in the intensive care unit for 10 days. He has just been moved to
the medical-surgical unit, and the admitting nurse is planning to perform a mental
status examination on him. During the tests of cognitive function the nurse would
expect that he:
a. may display some disruption in thought content
b. will state, "I am so relieved to be out of intensive care."
