Prehospital Emergency Care, Chapter #32 Actual Exam (2025) comprehensive
questions and verified answers ( detailed & elaborated) 2025-2026 TEST
1) You have been called for a patient with severe back pain. When you are
obtaining a medical history, the patient tells you that he has a history of
damaged disks in his vertebrae. As a knowledgeable EMT, you should
recognize that:
A) The ligaments on the side of the spinal column were overstretched
B) The vertebrae making up the spinal column were fractured
C) The nerves making up the spinal cord have been damaged
D) The fluid-filled structures between the vertebrae have been injured
D) The fluid-filled structures between the vertebrae have been injured
2) An Emergency Medical Responder reports that a male patient, who was
injured while playing football, has bruising to the lumbar region of the body.
Based on this statement, the EMT should expect to find bruising in which
area?
A) Upper back
B) Lower neck
C) Lower back
D) Buttocks
C) Lower back
3) A 42-year-old man has called 911 because of severe back pain. He informs
you that his back pain is related to a recent fracture of his coccyx. Based on
this information, where should the EMT expect the patient to be complaining of
pain?
A) Neck
B) Upper back
C) Pelvic area
D) Lower back
C) Pelvic area
4) Which statement is most accurate regarding the processes needed for a
patient to clench the hand into a fist?
A) The central nervous system must send a message through the spinal cord
and then to the peripheral nerves
,B) The central nervous system must send a message through the spinal cord
and then to the autonomic nervous system
C) The peripheral nervous system must send a message to the brain and then
back through the peripheral nervous system
D) The muscles must signal the brain to send a message through the
autonomic nervous system
A) The central nervous system must send a message through the spinal cord and
then to the peripheral nerves
5) Based on the structure of the nervous system, which statement is true?
A) A stroke represents an injury to the peripheral nervous system
B) A gunshot wound to the spinal cord will directly damage the peripheral
nerves
C) A deep laceration to the arm can sever peripheral nerves
D) Numbness in a fractured leg indicates damage to the autonomic nervous
system fibers
C) A deep laceration to the arm can sever peripheral nerves
6) The EMT is caring for a patient who has a problem with the autonomic
component of his nervous system. Which sign or symptom would most likely
be caused by this condition?
A) Inability to swallow
B) Slowing of the heart rate
C) Inability to move facial muscles
D) Trouble remembering his name
B) Slowing of the heart rate
7) In which area of the spinal column do the ribs originate?
A) Cervical spine
B) Thoracic spine
C) Lumbar spine
D) Sacral spine
B) Thoracic spine
8) A patient who was injured in a motor vehicle collision has a separation of
the rib and its associated spinal vertebrae. Based on the anatomy of the spine,
where has this injury occurred?
A) Lumbar spine
, B) Cervical spine
C) Middle spine
D) Thoracic spine
D) Thoracic spine
9) Which injury is possible based on the anatomy of the spine?
A) Fracture to the ninth cervical vertebra
B) Dislocation of lumbar vertebra number 6
C) Disk injury between thoracic vertebrae 11 and 12
D) Compression fracture to lumbar vertebra 12
C) Disk injury between thoracic vertebrae 11 and 12
10) You arrive on the scene of a motor vehicle collision. Walking toward you is
the unrestrained driver of the vehicle that sustained moderate front-end
damage. The patient complains of some back pain, but is walking around after
the crash and does not appear to be suffering from any neurologic deficits.
Although he answers your questions appropriately, he keeps asking you,
"What happened?" What is your initial action in caring for this patient?
A) Perform the primary assessment
B) Obtain the patient's vital signs
C) Look for injuries to the patient's head
D) Initiate spine motion restriction precautions
D) Initiate spine motion restriction precautions
11) A young intoxicated male patient cannot move his left arm and leg after
diving into the shallow end of a pool and hitting the bottom head first. The
EMT would recognize which mechanism as most likely responsible for this
injury?
A) Compression
B) Rotation
C) Distraction
D) Penetration
A) Compression
12) A young female driver, who was involved in a motor vehicle collision,
complains of cervical pain resulting from a lateral-type mechanism of neck
injury. Based on this information, which type of collision most likely took
place?
questions and verified answers ( detailed & elaborated) 2025-2026 TEST
1) You have been called for a patient with severe back pain. When you are
obtaining a medical history, the patient tells you that he has a history of
damaged disks in his vertebrae. As a knowledgeable EMT, you should
recognize that:
A) The ligaments on the side of the spinal column were overstretched
B) The vertebrae making up the spinal column were fractured
C) The nerves making up the spinal cord have been damaged
D) The fluid-filled structures between the vertebrae have been injured
D) The fluid-filled structures between the vertebrae have been injured
2) An Emergency Medical Responder reports that a male patient, who was
injured while playing football, has bruising to the lumbar region of the body.
Based on this statement, the EMT should expect to find bruising in which
area?
A) Upper back
B) Lower neck
C) Lower back
D) Buttocks
C) Lower back
3) A 42-year-old man has called 911 because of severe back pain. He informs
you that his back pain is related to a recent fracture of his coccyx. Based on
this information, where should the EMT expect the patient to be complaining of
pain?
A) Neck
B) Upper back
C) Pelvic area
D) Lower back
C) Pelvic area
4) Which statement is most accurate regarding the processes needed for a
patient to clench the hand into a fist?
A) The central nervous system must send a message through the spinal cord
and then to the peripheral nerves
,B) The central nervous system must send a message through the spinal cord
and then to the autonomic nervous system
C) The peripheral nervous system must send a message to the brain and then
back through the peripheral nervous system
D) The muscles must signal the brain to send a message through the
autonomic nervous system
A) The central nervous system must send a message through the spinal cord and
then to the peripheral nerves
5) Based on the structure of the nervous system, which statement is true?
A) A stroke represents an injury to the peripheral nervous system
B) A gunshot wound to the spinal cord will directly damage the peripheral
nerves
C) A deep laceration to the arm can sever peripheral nerves
D) Numbness in a fractured leg indicates damage to the autonomic nervous
system fibers
C) A deep laceration to the arm can sever peripheral nerves
6) The EMT is caring for a patient who has a problem with the autonomic
component of his nervous system. Which sign or symptom would most likely
be caused by this condition?
A) Inability to swallow
B) Slowing of the heart rate
C) Inability to move facial muscles
D) Trouble remembering his name
B) Slowing of the heart rate
7) In which area of the spinal column do the ribs originate?
A) Cervical spine
B) Thoracic spine
C) Lumbar spine
D) Sacral spine
B) Thoracic spine
8) A patient who was injured in a motor vehicle collision has a separation of
the rib and its associated spinal vertebrae. Based on the anatomy of the spine,
where has this injury occurred?
A) Lumbar spine
, B) Cervical spine
C) Middle spine
D) Thoracic spine
D) Thoracic spine
9) Which injury is possible based on the anatomy of the spine?
A) Fracture to the ninth cervical vertebra
B) Dislocation of lumbar vertebra number 6
C) Disk injury between thoracic vertebrae 11 and 12
D) Compression fracture to lumbar vertebra 12
C) Disk injury between thoracic vertebrae 11 and 12
10) You arrive on the scene of a motor vehicle collision. Walking toward you is
the unrestrained driver of the vehicle that sustained moderate front-end
damage. The patient complains of some back pain, but is walking around after
the crash and does not appear to be suffering from any neurologic deficits.
Although he answers your questions appropriately, he keeps asking you,
"What happened?" What is your initial action in caring for this patient?
A) Perform the primary assessment
B) Obtain the patient's vital signs
C) Look for injuries to the patient's head
D) Initiate spine motion restriction precautions
D) Initiate spine motion restriction precautions
11) A young intoxicated male patient cannot move his left arm and leg after
diving into the shallow end of a pool and hitting the bottom head first. The
EMT would recognize which mechanism as most likely responsible for this
injury?
A) Compression
B) Rotation
C) Distraction
D) Penetration
A) Compression
12) A young female driver, who was involved in a motor vehicle collision,
complains of cervical pain resulting from a lateral-type mechanism of neck
injury. Based on this information, which type of collision most likely took
place?
