1 | Page
Airway Practice Exam Questions and
Answers
Occasional, irregular breaths that may be observed in a cardiac
arrest patient are called:
Ans: agonal gasps.
A 22-year-old man crashed his motorcycle into a tree. He is found
approximately 20 feet away from his bike and is responsive to
pain only. He is not wearing a helmet. You are unable to effectively
open his airway with the jaw-thrust maneuver. What should you
do?
Ans: Carefully tilt his head back and lift up on his chin.
Which of the following yields the lowest minute volume?
Ans: Respiratory rate of 14 breaths/min; tidal volume of 300 mL
Which of the following would MOST likely occur if an adult
patient is breathing at a rate of 45 breaths/min with shallow
depth?
Ans: Most of his or her inhaled air will not go beyond the anatomic dead
space.
A 40-year-old man is conscious, but has an increased rate of
breathing. You should:
Ans: assess the regularity and quality of breathing.
The respiratory system functions by:
Ans: bringing oxygen into the lungs and eliminating carbon dioxide.
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
If an adult patient presents with a respiratory rate of 26
breaths/min, your initial action should be to:
Ans: evaluate his mental status and the depth of his respirations.
Which of the following is the MOST correct technique for
ventilating an apneic adult who has a pulse
Ans: Deliver each breath over 1 second at a rate of 10 to 12
breaths/min.
A 22-year-old male has a shard of glass impaled in his cheek. You
look inside his mouth and see minor bleeding. The patient is
conscious and alert with adequate breathing. You should:
Ans: carefully stabilize the shard of glass and allow him to suction his
own mouth.
Which of the following signs or symptoms is indicative of cerebral
hypoxia?
Ans: Decreased level of consciousness
A 60-year-old female is found unresponsive. She is cyanotic, is
making a snoring sound while she breathes, and has a slow
respiratory rate. You should
Ans: manually open her airway.
You are ventilating an apneic adult with a bag-mask device and
high-flow oxygen. Her pulse rate is 130 beats/min and she has
cyanosis to her face and chest. The MOST reliable indicator of
adequately performed ventilations in this patient is:
Ans: a decrease in her heart rate to 90 beats/min.
During the inhalation phase of breathing:
Ans: pressure within the thorax decreases and air is drawn into the
lungs.
© 2025 All rights reserved
Airway Practice Exam Questions and
Answers
Occasional, irregular breaths that may be observed in a cardiac
arrest patient are called:
Ans: agonal gasps.
A 22-year-old man crashed his motorcycle into a tree. He is found
approximately 20 feet away from his bike and is responsive to
pain only. He is not wearing a helmet. You are unable to effectively
open his airway with the jaw-thrust maneuver. What should you
do?
Ans: Carefully tilt his head back and lift up on his chin.
Which of the following yields the lowest minute volume?
Ans: Respiratory rate of 14 breaths/min; tidal volume of 300 mL
Which of the following would MOST likely occur if an adult
patient is breathing at a rate of 45 breaths/min with shallow
depth?
Ans: Most of his or her inhaled air will not go beyond the anatomic dead
space.
A 40-year-old man is conscious, but has an increased rate of
breathing. You should:
Ans: assess the regularity and quality of breathing.
The respiratory system functions by:
Ans: bringing oxygen into the lungs and eliminating carbon dioxide.
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
If an adult patient presents with a respiratory rate of 26
breaths/min, your initial action should be to:
Ans: evaluate his mental status and the depth of his respirations.
Which of the following is the MOST correct technique for
ventilating an apneic adult who has a pulse
Ans: Deliver each breath over 1 second at a rate of 10 to 12
breaths/min.
A 22-year-old male has a shard of glass impaled in his cheek. You
look inside his mouth and see minor bleeding. The patient is
conscious and alert with adequate breathing. You should:
Ans: carefully stabilize the shard of glass and allow him to suction his
own mouth.
Which of the following signs or symptoms is indicative of cerebral
hypoxia?
Ans: Decreased level of consciousness
A 60-year-old female is found unresponsive. She is cyanotic, is
making a snoring sound while she breathes, and has a slow
respiratory rate. You should
Ans: manually open her airway.
You are ventilating an apneic adult with a bag-mask device and
high-flow oxygen. Her pulse rate is 130 beats/min and she has
cyanosis to her face and chest. The MOST reliable indicator of
adequately performed ventilations in this patient is:
Ans: a decrease in her heart rate to 90 beats/min.
During the inhalation phase of breathing:
Ans: pressure within the thorax decreases and air is drawn into the
lungs.
© 2025 All rights reserved
