PERRY’S MATERNAL CHILD
NURSING CARE EXAM QUESTIONS
AND THEIR 100% CORRECT ANSWERS
1. In girls, what is the initial indication of puberty?
a. Menarche
b. Growth spurt
c. Growth of pubic hair
d. Breast development
ANS: D
In most girls, the initial indication of puberty is the
appearance of breast buds, an event known as the larche.
The usual sequence of secondary sexual characteristic
development in girls is breast changes, rapid increase in
height and weight, growth of pubic hair, appearance of
axillary hair, menstruation, and abrupt deceleration of
linear growth.
2. The mean age of menarche in the United States is:
a. 11.5 years.
b. 12.5 years.
c. 13.5 years.
d. 14 years.
ANS: B
The average age of menarche is 12 years and 4 months in
North American girls, with a normal range of 10.5 to 15
years.
,3. By what age should concerns about pubertal delay
be considered in boys?
a. 12 to 12.5 years
b. 12.5 to 13 years
c. 13 to 13.5 years
d. 13.5 to 14 years
ANS: D
Concerns about pubertal delay should be considered for
boys who exhibit no enlargement of the testes or scrotal
changes by 13.5 to 14 years of age. Ages younger than
13.5 years are too young for initial concern.
4. A 14 years old, mentions that he now has to use
deodorant but never had to before. The nurse's
response should be based on what knowledge?
a. Eccrine sweat glands in the axillae become fully
functional during puberty.
b. Sebaceous glands become extremely active during
puberty.
c. New deposits of fatty tissue insulate the body and
cause increased sweat production.
d. Apocrine sweat glands reach secretory capacity
during puberty.
ANS: D
The apocrine sweat glands, nonfunctional in children,
reach secretory capacity during puberty. They secrete a
thick substance as a result of emotional stimulation that,
when acted on by surface bacteria, becomes highly
odoriferous. They are limited in distribution and grow in
conjunction with hair follicles in the axillae, genital and
anal areas, and other areas. Eccrine sweat glands are
present almost everywhere on the skin and become fully
, functional and respond to emotional and thermal
stimulation. Sebaceous glands become extremely active
at this time, especially those on the genitals and the "flush"
areas of the body, such as face, neck, shoulders, upper
back, and chest. This increased activity is important in the
development of acne. New deposits of fatty tissue insulate
the body and cause increased sweat production, but this is
not the etiology of apocrine sweat gland activity.
5. According to Erikson, what is the psychosocial task
of adolescence?
a. Intimacy
b. Identity
c. Initiative
d. Independence
ANS: B
Traditional psychosocial theory holds that the
developmental crises of adolescence lead to the formation
of a sense of identity. Intimacy is the developmental stage
for early adulthood. Initiative is the developmental stage
for early childhood. Independence is not one of Erikson's
developmental stages.
6. According to Piaget, the adolescent is in the fourth
stage of cognitive development with a focus on what
area?
a. Formal operations
b. Concrete operations
c. Conventional thought
d. Postconventional thought
ANS: A
Cognitive thinking culminates with capacity for abstract
thinking. This stage, the period of formal operations, is
NURSING CARE EXAM QUESTIONS
AND THEIR 100% CORRECT ANSWERS
1. In girls, what is the initial indication of puberty?
a. Menarche
b. Growth spurt
c. Growth of pubic hair
d. Breast development
ANS: D
In most girls, the initial indication of puberty is the
appearance of breast buds, an event known as the larche.
The usual sequence of secondary sexual characteristic
development in girls is breast changes, rapid increase in
height and weight, growth of pubic hair, appearance of
axillary hair, menstruation, and abrupt deceleration of
linear growth.
2. The mean age of menarche in the United States is:
a. 11.5 years.
b. 12.5 years.
c. 13.5 years.
d. 14 years.
ANS: B
The average age of menarche is 12 years and 4 months in
North American girls, with a normal range of 10.5 to 15
years.
,3. By what age should concerns about pubertal delay
be considered in boys?
a. 12 to 12.5 years
b. 12.5 to 13 years
c. 13 to 13.5 years
d. 13.5 to 14 years
ANS: D
Concerns about pubertal delay should be considered for
boys who exhibit no enlargement of the testes or scrotal
changes by 13.5 to 14 years of age. Ages younger than
13.5 years are too young for initial concern.
4. A 14 years old, mentions that he now has to use
deodorant but never had to before. The nurse's
response should be based on what knowledge?
a. Eccrine sweat glands in the axillae become fully
functional during puberty.
b. Sebaceous glands become extremely active during
puberty.
c. New deposits of fatty tissue insulate the body and
cause increased sweat production.
d. Apocrine sweat glands reach secretory capacity
during puberty.
ANS: D
The apocrine sweat glands, nonfunctional in children,
reach secretory capacity during puberty. They secrete a
thick substance as a result of emotional stimulation that,
when acted on by surface bacteria, becomes highly
odoriferous. They are limited in distribution and grow in
conjunction with hair follicles in the axillae, genital and
anal areas, and other areas. Eccrine sweat glands are
present almost everywhere on the skin and become fully
, functional and respond to emotional and thermal
stimulation. Sebaceous glands become extremely active
at this time, especially those on the genitals and the "flush"
areas of the body, such as face, neck, shoulders, upper
back, and chest. This increased activity is important in the
development of acne. New deposits of fatty tissue insulate
the body and cause increased sweat production, but this is
not the etiology of apocrine sweat gland activity.
5. According to Erikson, what is the psychosocial task
of adolescence?
a. Intimacy
b. Identity
c. Initiative
d. Independence
ANS: B
Traditional psychosocial theory holds that the
developmental crises of adolescence lead to the formation
of a sense of identity. Intimacy is the developmental stage
for early adulthood. Initiative is the developmental stage
for early childhood. Independence is not one of Erikson's
developmental stages.
6. According to Piaget, the adolescent is in the fourth
stage of cognitive development with a focus on what
area?
a. Formal operations
b. Concrete operations
c. Conventional thought
d. Postconventional thought
ANS: A
Cognitive thinking culminates with capacity for abstract
thinking. This stage, the period of formal operations, is
