Physical Assessment

1. The internal structures of the eye can be visualized using which of the following instruments: A. Otoscope B. Ophthalmoscope C. Stethoscope D. Tuning fork Answer: The correct answer is B. None of the other instruments can be used to visualize the eye. 2. To make accurate assessments during inspection, the nurse must: A. Compare bilateral parts B. Have 20/20 vision C. Focus on selected body systems D. Use touch judiciously Answer: The correct answer is A. A comparison of bilateral body parts is necessary for recognizing abnormal findings. 3. Palpation is a physical assessment technique that uses the sense of: A. Intuition B. Vision C. Hearing D. Touch Answer: The correct answer is D. Palpation is the technique that uses the sense of touch 4. When percussing over the stomach, the nurse notes a loud, drumlike sound. The word to document this percussion tone is: A. Dullness B. Flatness C. Tympany D. Resonance Answer: The correct answer is C. Tympany is a loud, drumlike sound, heard over an air-filled organ. 5. The bell of the stethoscope is used to hear: A. Tympanic sounds B. Bowel sounds C. Lung sounds D. Heart sounds Answer:

The correct answer is D. The bell of the stethoscope is used to hear low pitched sounds such as those produced by the heart and the vascular system. 6. Skin turgor may be assessed by which of the following techniques? A. Indenting with the fingertips B. Using special lighting C. Touching to detect moisture D. Lightly pinching a skin fold. Answer: The correct answer is D. Skin turgor is assessed by lightly pinching a fold of skin and allowing it to return to its shape when shaped. 7. Visual acuity may be assessed by using a Snellen chart. If a patient has acuity of 20/40 in both eyes, this means: A. The patient can see twice as well as normal B. The patient has double vision C. The patient has less than normal vision D. The patient has normal vision Answer: The correct answer is C. Normal vision is 20/20. A finding of 20/40 would mean that a patient has less than normal vision. 8. When using an otoscope to assess the tympanic membrane of an adult, the ear canal is straightened by gently pulling the pinna. A. Up and back B. Down and forward C. Away from the examiner D. In any direction Answer: The correct answer is A. The ear canal of an adult is straightened by gently pulling the pinna of the ear up and back. In children younger than 3 years of age, the ear canal is straightened by pulling the pinna down and back. 9. When percussing the thorax and lungs, a dull sound indicates: A. An air-filled structure B. A bony structure C. Emphysematous tissue D. Fluid or a solid mass Answer: The correct answer is D. A dull sound is heard when percussing over fluid or a solid mass. 10. When auscultating the thorax and lungs, coarse gurgling sounds are heard on expiration. These sounds can be broadly labeled as: A. Adventitous breath sounds B. Bronchovesicular breath sounds

C. Vesicular breath sounds D. Bronchial Sounds Answer: The correct answer is A. Adventitious breath sound are sounds not normally heard in the lungs. The other answers are normal breath sounds.