Week 4 Quiz

• Question 1 The nurse is percussing the seventh right intercostal space at the midclavicular line over the liver. Which sound should the nurse expect to hear?

Answers: a. Dullness

b. Tympany

c. Resonance

d. Hyperresonance

• Question 2 Which structure is located in the left lower quadrant of the abdomen?

Answers: a. Liver

b. Duodenum

c. Gallbladder

d. Sigmoid colon

• Question 3 A patient is having difficulty swallowing medications and food. The nurse would document that this patient has:

Answers: a. Aphasia.

b. Dysphasia.

c. Dysphagia.

d. Anorexia.

• Question 4 The nurse suspects that a patient has a distended bladder. How should the nurse assess for this condition?

Answers: a. Percuss and palpate in the lumbar region.

b. Inspect and palpate in the epigastric region.

c. Auscultate and percuss in the inguinal region.

d. Percuss and palpate the midline area above the suprapubic bone.

• Question 5 The nurse is aware that one change that may occur in the gastrointestinal system of an aging adult is:

Answers: a. Increased salivation.

b. Increased liver size.

c. Increased esophageal emptying.

d. Decreased gastric acid secretion.

• Question 6 A 22-year-old man comes to the clinic for an examination after falling off his motorcycle and landing on his left side on the handle bars. The nurse suspects that he may have injured his spleen. Which of these statements is true regarding assessment of the spleen in this situation?

Answers: a. The spleen can be enlarged as a result of trauma.

b. The spleen is normally felt on routine palpation.

c. If an enlarged spleen is noted, then the nurse should thoroughly palpate to determine its size.

d. An enlarged spleen should not be palpated because it can easily rupture.

• Question 7 A patient’s abdomen is bulging and stretched in appearance. The nurse should describe this finding as:

Answers: a. Obese.

b. Herniated.

c. Scaphoid.

d. Protuberant.

• Question 8 The nurse is describing a scaphoid abdomen. To the horizontal plane, a scaphoid contour of the abdomen depicts a ______ profile.

Answers: a. Flat

b. Convex

c. Bulging

d. Concave

• Question 9 While examining a patient, the nurse observes abdominal pulsations between the xiphoid process and umbilicus. The nurse would suspect that these are:

Answers: a. Pulsations of the renal arteries.

b. Pulsations of the inferior vena cava.

c. Normal abdominal aortic pulsations.

d. Increased peristalsis from a bowel obstruction.

• Question 10 A patient has hypoactive bowel sounds. The nurse knows that a potential cause of hypoactive bowel sounds is:

Answers: a. Diarrhea.

b. Peritonitis.

c. Laxative use.

d. Gastroenteritis.

• Question 11 The nurse is watching a new graduate nurse perform auscultation of a patient’s abdomen. Which statement by the new graduate shows a correct understanding of the reason auscultation precedes percussion and palpation of the abdomen?

Answers: a. “We need to determine the areas of tenderness before using percussion and palpation.”

b. “Auscultation prevents distortion of bowel sounds that might occur after percussion and palpation.”

c. “Auscultation allows the patient more time to relax and therefore be more comfortable with the physical examination.”

d. “Auscultation prevents distortion of vascular sounds, such as bruits and hums, that might occur after percussion and palpation.”

• Question 12 The nurse is listening to bowel sounds. Which of these statements is true of bowel sounds? Bowel sounds:

Answers: a. Are usually loud, high-pitched, rushing, and tinkling sounds.

b. Are usually high-pitched, gurgling, and irregular sounds.

c. Sound like two pieces of leather being rubbed together.

d. Originate from the movement of air and fluid through the large intestine.

Question 13 The physician comments that a patient has abdominal borborygmi. The nurse knows that this term refers to:

Answers: a. Loud continual hum.

b. Peritoneal friction rub.

c. Hypoactive bowel sounds.

d. Hyperactive bowel sounds.

• Question 14 During an abdominal assessment, the nurse would consider which of these findings as normal?

Answers: a. Presence of a bruit in the femoral area

b. Tympanic percussion note in the umbilical region

c. Palpable spleen between the ninth and eleventh ribs in the left midaxillary line

d. Dull percussion note in the left upper quadrant at the midclavicular line

Question 15 The nurse is assessing the abdomen of a pregnant woman who is complaining of having “acid indigestion” all the time. The nurse knows that esophageal reflux during pregnancy can cause:

Answers: a. Diarrhea.

b. Pyrosis.

c. Dysphagia.

d. Constipation.

• Question 16 The nurse is performing percussion during an abdominal assessment. Percussion notes heard during the abdominal assessment may include:

Answers: a. Flatness, resonance, and dullness.

b. Resonance, dullness, and tympany.

c. Tympany, hyperresonance, and dullness.

d. Resonance, hyperresonance, and flatness.

• Question 17 An older patient has been diagnosed with pernicious anemia. The nurse knows that this condition could be related to:

Answers: a. Increased gastric acid secretion.

b. Decreased gastric acid secretion.

c. Delayed gastrointestinal emptying time.

d. Increased gastrointestinal emptying time.

• Question 18 A patient is complaining of a sharp pain along the costovertebral angles. The nurse is aware that this symptom is most often indicative of:

Answers: a. Ovary infection.

b. Liver enlargement.

c. Kidney inflammation.

d. Spleen enlargement.

• Question 19 When assessing a patient’s nutritional status, the nurse recalls that the best definition of optimal nutritional status is sufficient nutrients that:

Answers: a. Are in excess of daily body requirements.

b. Provide for the minimum body needs.

c. Provide for daily body requirements but do not support increased metabolic demands.

d. Provide for daily body requirements and support increased metabolic demands.

• Question 20 The nurse is providing nutrition information to the mother of a 1-year-old child. Which of these statements represents accurate information for this age group?

Answers: a. Maintaining adequate fat and caloric intake is important for a child in this age group.

b. The recommended dietary allowances for an infant are the same as for an adolescent.

c. The baby’s growth is minimal at this age; therefore, caloric requirements are decreased.

d. The baby should be placed on skim milk to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease when he or she grows older.

• Question 21 A patient tells the nurse that his food simply does not have any taste anymore. The nurse’s best response would be:

Answers: a. “That must be really frustrating.”

b. “When did you first notice this change?”

c. “My food doesn’t always have a lot of taste either.”

d. “Sometimes that happens, but your taste will come back.”

• Question 22 The nurse is performing a nutritional assessment on a 15-year-old girl who tells the nurse that she is “so fat.” Assessment reveals that she is 5 feet 4 inches and weighs 110 pounds. The nurse’s appropriate response would be:

Answers: a. “How much do you think you should weigh?”

b. “Don’t worry about it; you’re not that overweight.”

c. “The best thing for you would be to go on a diet.”

d. “I used to always think I was fat when I was your age.”

• Question 23 The nurse is discussing appropriate foods with the mother of a 3-year-old child. Which of these foods are recommended?

Answers: a. Foods that the child will eat, no matter what they are

b. Foods easy to hold such as hot dogs, nuts, and grapes

c. Any foods, as long as the rest of the family is also eating them

d. Finger foods and nutritious snacks that cannot cause choking

• Question 24 The nurse is reviewing the nutritional assessment of an 82-year-old patient. Which of these factors will most likely affect the nutritional status of an older adult?

Answers: a. Increase in taste and smell

b. Living alone on a fixed income

c. Change in cardiovascular status

d. Increase in gastrointestinal motility and absorption

• Question 25 When considering a nutritional assessment, the nurse is aware that the most common anthropometric measurements include:

Answers: a. Height and weight.

b. Leg circumference.

c. Skinfold thickness of the biceps.

d. Hip and waist measurements.