NR-304 Health Assessment II Midterm 1
Exam Questions And Correct Answers
{Verified Answers} Plus Rationales
2025/2026 Q&A / Instant Download Pdf
1. A nurse is assessing the lungs of a patient with pneumonia. Which finding is most
consistent?
a. Vesicular breath sounds over the affected area
b. Crackles in the lower lobes
c. Bronchovesicular sounds in peripheral lung fields
d. Wheezing throughout
Rationale: Crackles are caused by fluid in the alveoli, common in pneumonia.
2. When percussing the thorax, a dull sound over lung fields suggests:
a. Normal lung tissue
b. Consolidation or fluid
c. Hyperinflation
d. Air trapping
Rationale: Dullness indicates increased density, such as with pneumonia or pleural
effusion.
3. Which cranial nerve is tested by asking a patient to smile, frown, and show teeth?
a. Trigeminal (CN V)
b. Facial (CN VII)
c. Glossopharyngeal (CN IX)
d. Hypoglossal (CN XII)
Rationale: The facial nerve controls facial expressions.
4. During an abdominal exam, the nurse should auscultate:
a. After palpation
b. After percussion
c. Before percussion and palpation
d. Last
Rationale: Auscultation should be done first to avoid altering bowel sounds.
5. A nurse notes clubbing of a patient’s fingernails. This finding is associated with:
a. Acute infection
b. Chronic hypoxia
, c. Dehydration
d. Iron-deficiency anemia
Rationale: Clubbing results from prolonged oxygen deficiency, common in chronic
lung disease.
6. Which finding is a normal age-related change in the older adult lung?
a. Increased chest expansion
b. Decreased elasticity of lung tissue
c. Increased vital capacity
d. Hyperresonance on percussion
Rationale: Aging decreases lung elasticity, reducing lung compliance.
7. To test cranial nerve XI, the nurse should:
a. Ask the patient to shrug shoulders against resistance
b. Ask the patient to turn head against resistance
c. Ask the patient to stick out the tongue
d. Shine a light into the eyes
Rationale: The spinal accessory nerve controls head rotation and shoulder
movement.
8. The S1 heart sound corresponds to:
a. Closure of semilunar valves
b. Closure of atrioventricular valves
c. Opening of atrioventricular valves
d. Opening of semilunar valves
Rationale: S1 marks closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves at the start of systole.
9. Which abdominal quadrant contains the spleen?
a. Right upper
b. Right lower
c. Left upper
d. Left lower
Rationale: The spleen lies in the LUQ, protected by the rib cage.
10. A nurse hears a bruit over the carotid artery. This suggests:
a. Normal blood flow
b. Turbulent blood flow due to narrowing
c. Venous insufficiency
d. Normal age-related change
Rationale: Bruits are caused by turbulence from atherosclerosis or stenosis.
11. A patient reports black, tarry stools. The nurse recognizes this may indicate:
a. Hemorrhoids
b. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding
, c. Lower GI bleeding
d. Constipation
Rationale: Melena is caused by digested blood from upper GI sources.
12. The nurse identifies the point of maximal impulse (PMI) normally at:
a. 2nd intercostal space, right sternal border
b. 5th intercostal space, midclavicular line
c. 4th intercostal space, midaxillary line
d. 6th intercostal space, sternal border
Rationale: The PMI is located at the apex of the heart.
13. When assessing the thyroid, the nurse should:
a. Palpate firmly
b. Palpate gently from behind the patient
c. Palpate with the patient supine
d. Not palpate at all
Rationale: Gentle palpation from behind allows better detection of enlargement.
14. Which breath sound is normal over the trachea?
a. Vesicular
b. Bronchovesicular
c. Bronchial
d. Diminished
Rationale: Bronchial sounds are high-pitched and normally heard over the trachea.
15. The nurse tests for tactile fremitus by:
a. Asking the patient to whisper a phrase
b. Placing hands on the chest and asking patient to say "ninety-nine"
c. Percussing over lung fields
d. Auscultating with the diaphragm
Rationale: Tactile fremitus assesses vibrations transmitted through lung tissue.
16. A patient with right-sided heart failure is most likely to have:
a. Crackles in the lungs
b. Jugular vein distension
c. Pulmonary edema
d. Frothy sputum
Rationale: Right heart failure causes systemic venous congestion, leading to JVD.
17. A nurse notes a pulsation in the epigastric area during abdominal inspection. This
could indicate:
a. Normal finding in thin patients
b. Aortic aneurysm
c. Hepatic congestion
Exam Questions And Correct Answers
{Verified Answers} Plus Rationales
2025/2026 Q&A / Instant Download Pdf
1. A nurse is assessing the lungs of a patient with pneumonia. Which finding is most
consistent?
a. Vesicular breath sounds over the affected area
b. Crackles in the lower lobes
c. Bronchovesicular sounds in peripheral lung fields
d. Wheezing throughout
Rationale: Crackles are caused by fluid in the alveoli, common in pneumonia.
2. When percussing the thorax, a dull sound over lung fields suggests:
a. Normal lung tissue
b. Consolidation or fluid
c. Hyperinflation
d. Air trapping
Rationale: Dullness indicates increased density, such as with pneumonia or pleural
effusion.
3. Which cranial nerve is tested by asking a patient to smile, frown, and show teeth?
a. Trigeminal (CN V)
b. Facial (CN VII)
c. Glossopharyngeal (CN IX)
d. Hypoglossal (CN XII)
Rationale: The facial nerve controls facial expressions.
4. During an abdominal exam, the nurse should auscultate:
a. After palpation
b. After percussion
c. Before percussion and palpation
d. Last
Rationale: Auscultation should be done first to avoid altering bowel sounds.
5. A nurse notes clubbing of a patient’s fingernails. This finding is associated with:
a. Acute infection
b. Chronic hypoxia
, c. Dehydration
d. Iron-deficiency anemia
Rationale: Clubbing results from prolonged oxygen deficiency, common in chronic
lung disease.
6. Which finding is a normal age-related change in the older adult lung?
a. Increased chest expansion
b. Decreased elasticity of lung tissue
c. Increased vital capacity
d. Hyperresonance on percussion
Rationale: Aging decreases lung elasticity, reducing lung compliance.
7. To test cranial nerve XI, the nurse should:
a. Ask the patient to shrug shoulders against resistance
b. Ask the patient to turn head against resistance
c. Ask the patient to stick out the tongue
d. Shine a light into the eyes
Rationale: The spinal accessory nerve controls head rotation and shoulder
movement.
8. The S1 heart sound corresponds to:
a. Closure of semilunar valves
b. Closure of atrioventricular valves
c. Opening of atrioventricular valves
d. Opening of semilunar valves
Rationale: S1 marks closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves at the start of systole.
9. Which abdominal quadrant contains the spleen?
a. Right upper
b. Right lower
c. Left upper
d. Left lower
Rationale: The spleen lies in the LUQ, protected by the rib cage.
10. A nurse hears a bruit over the carotid artery. This suggests:
a. Normal blood flow
b. Turbulent blood flow due to narrowing
c. Venous insufficiency
d. Normal age-related change
Rationale: Bruits are caused by turbulence from atherosclerosis or stenosis.
11. A patient reports black, tarry stools. The nurse recognizes this may indicate:
a. Hemorrhoids
b. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding
, c. Lower GI bleeding
d. Constipation
Rationale: Melena is caused by digested blood from upper GI sources.
12. The nurse identifies the point of maximal impulse (PMI) normally at:
a. 2nd intercostal space, right sternal border
b. 5th intercostal space, midclavicular line
c. 4th intercostal space, midaxillary line
d. 6th intercostal space, sternal border
Rationale: The PMI is located at the apex of the heart.
13. When assessing the thyroid, the nurse should:
a. Palpate firmly
b. Palpate gently from behind the patient
c. Palpate with the patient supine
d. Not palpate at all
Rationale: Gentle palpation from behind allows better detection of enlargement.
14. Which breath sound is normal over the trachea?
a. Vesicular
b. Bronchovesicular
c. Bronchial
d. Diminished
Rationale: Bronchial sounds are high-pitched and normally heard over the trachea.
15. The nurse tests for tactile fremitus by:
a. Asking the patient to whisper a phrase
b. Placing hands on the chest and asking patient to say "ninety-nine"
c. Percussing over lung fields
d. Auscultating with the diaphragm
Rationale: Tactile fremitus assesses vibrations transmitted through lung tissue.
16. A patient with right-sided heart failure is most likely to have:
a. Crackles in the lungs
b. Jugular vein distension
c. Pulmonary edema
d. Frothy sputum
Rationale: Right heart failure causes systemic venous congestion, leading to JVD.
17. A nurse notes a pulsation in the epigastric area during abdominal inspection. This
could indicate:
a. Normal finding in thin patients
b. Aortic aneurysm
c. Hepatic congestion
