NU 518 Nursing Theory Exam 1 Study Guide 2026 |University of South
Alabama
1. Which of the following is defined as the global concepts that identify the
phenomena of central concern to a discipline?
A. Philosophy
B. Middle-Range Theory
C. Conceptual Model
D. Metaparadigm
Answer: D
Rationale: The metaparadigm consists of the most abstract and general concepts that
define the boundaries of a discipline.
2. The four central concepts of nursing’s metaparadigm are:
A. Person, Health, Environment, Nursing
B. Patient, Nurse, Hospital, Cure
C. Caring, Health Promotion, Disease, Intervention
D. Individual, Community, Well-being, Science
Answer: A
Rationale: Person, Health, Environment, and Nursing are the four universally recognized
concepts in nursing’s metaparadigm.
,3. Carper’s patterns of knowing include ‘Empirics’, which refers to:
A. The science of nursing and objective data
B. The creative and expressive part of nursing
C. The moral component of nursing
D. The therapeutic use of self
Answer: A
Rationale: Empirics is the scientific knowledge that is systematic and objective.
4. According to Carper, which pattern of knowing focuses on the ‘therapeutic
use of self’?
A. Personal Knowing
B. Aesthetic Knowing
C. Ethical Knowing
D. Empirical Knowing
Answer: A
Rationale: Personal knowing involves the nurse’s inner experience and awareness of the
self in the nurse-patient relationship.
5. Aesthetic knowing in nursing is best described as:
A. The art of nursing and empathetic understanding
B. The application of evidence-based research
C. A code of conduct for professional practice
D. Quantitative measurement of patient outcomes
Answer: A
Rationale: Aesthetic knowing is the ‘art of nursing,’ focusing on the creative application of
knowledge and empathy.
, 6. Which type of theory is most abstract and covers broad areas of concern
within the discipline?
A. Practice Theory
B. Middle-Range Theory
C. Descriptive Theory
D. Grand Theory
Answer: D
Rationale: Grand theories are global and provide a structural framework for broad
abstract ideas.
7. Which theorist is considered the first nursing theorist and emphasized the
environment’s role in health?
A. Dorothea Orem
B. Jean Watson
C. Martha Rogers
D. Florence Nightingale
Answer: D
Rationale: Nightingale’s Environmental Theory focused on clean air, water, light, and
cleanliness as essential for recovery.
8. Jean Watson’s theory primarily focuses on which concept?
A. Transpersonal caring and Caritas processes
B. Adaptation and coping
C. Self-care deficit
D. Interpersonal relations
Answer: A
Rationale: Watson’s Theory of Human Caring focuses on the transpersonal caring
relationship between nurse and patient.
Alabama
1. Which of the following is defined as the global concepts that identify the
phenomena of central concern to a discipline?
A. Philosophy
B. Middle-Range Theory
C. Conceptual Model
D. Metaparadigm
Answer: D
Rationale: The metaparadigm consists of the most abstract and general concepts that
define the boundaries of a discipline.
2. The four central concepts of nursing’s metaparadigm are:
A. Person, Health, Environment, Nursing
B. Patient, Nurse, Hospital, Cure
C. Caring, Health Promotion, Disease, Intervention
D. Individual, Community, Well-being, Science
Answer: A
Rationale: Person, Health, Environment, and Nursing are the four universally recognized
concepts in nursing’s metaparadigm.
,3. Carper’s patterns of knowing include ‘Empirics’, which refers to:
A. The science of nursing and objective data
B. The creative and expressive part of nursing
C. The moral component of nursing
D. The therapeutic use of self
Answer: A
Rationale: Empirics is the scientific knowledge that is systematic and objective.
4. According to Carper, which pattern of knowing focuses on the ‘therapeutic
use of self’?
A. Personal Knowing
B. Aesthetic Knowing
C. Ethical Knowing
D. Empirical Knowing
Answer: A
Rationale: Personal knowing involves the nurse’s inner experience and awareness of the
self in the nurse-patient relationship.
5. Aesthetic knowing in nursing is best described as:
A. The art of nursing and empathetic understanding
B. The application of evidence-based research
C. A code of conduct for professional practice
D. Quantitative measurement of patient outcomes
Answer: A
Rationale: Aesthetic knowing is the ‘art of nursing,’ focusing on the creative application of
knowledge and empathy.
, 6. Which type of theory is most abstract and covers broad areas of concern
within the discipline?
A. Practice Theory
B. Middle-Range Theory
C. Descriptive Theory
D. Grand Theory
Answer: D
Rationale: Grand theories are global and provide a structural framework for broad
abstract ideas.
7. Which theorist is considered the first nursing theorist and emphasized the
environment’s role in health?
A. Dorothea Orem
B. Jean Watson
C. Martha Rogers
D. Florence Nightingale
Answer: D
Rationale: Nightingale’s Environmental Theory focused on clean air, water, light, and
cleanliness as essential for recovery.
8. Jean Watson’s theory primarily focuses on which concept?
A. Transpersonal caring and Caritas processes
B. Adaptation and coping
C. Self-care deficit
D. Interpersonal relations
Answer: A
Rationale: Watson’s Theory of Human Caring focuses on the transpersonal caring
relationship between nurse and patient.
