NURSING

NCM 116- LECTURE

PRACTICE TEST WITH RATIONALE

1) Which of the following is not a function of the digestive system?

A) Ingestion of food
B) Digestion of food
C) Absorption of nutrients
D) Transport of nutrients to the tissues of the body

Answer: A
Section: 16.01 Functions of the Digestive System
Topic: General functions of the digestive system
Bloom's: 1. Remember

2) During digestion,
A) food is broken down from complex particles into smaller molecules.
B) food moves from the digestive tract into the blood.
C) food enters the digestive tract through the mouth.
D) products are removed from the body.

Answer: A
Section: 16.01 Functions of the Digestive System
Topic: General functions of the digestive system
Bloom's: 1. Remember

3)The digestive enzyme ________ is secreted in the saliva and begins carbohydrate digestion.
A) salivary amylase
B) mucin
C) lysozyme
D) buffers

Answer: A
Section: 16.03 Oral Cavity, Pharynx, and Esophagus
Topic: Gross anatomy of the accessory digestive glands and organs
Bloom's: 1. Remember

4) ________, also called chewing, breaks down large food particles into smaller ones.
A) Mastication
B) Digestion
C) Segmentation
D) Deglutition
Answer: A
Section: 16.03 Oral Cavity, Pharynx, and Esophagus
Topic: Gross anatomy of the accessory digestive glands and organs
Bloom's: 1. Remember

5) ________ waves force chyme toward and through the pyloric sphincter.
A) Mixing
B) Peristaltic
C) Deglutition
D) Both "mixing" and "peristaltic" are correct.

Answer: B
Section: 16.04 Stomach
Topic: Hormonal and neural regulation of digestive processes
Bloom's: 1. Remember

6) ________ waves thoroughly mix ingested food with stomach secretions.

A) Mixing
B) Peristaltic
C) Deglutition
D) Both "mixing" and "peristaltic" are correct.

Answer: A
Section: 16.04 Stomach
Topic: Hormonal and neural regulation of digestive processes
Bloom's: 1. Remember

7) Which features of the small intestine increase its absorptive ability?

A) The overall length of the small intestine
B) Presence of circular folds in the mucosa and submucosa
C) Presence of villi in the mucosa
D) Presence of microvilli on the epithelial cells lining the small intestine
E) All of the choices are correct.

Answer: E
Section: 16.05 Small Intestine
Topic: Gross anatomy of the digestive tract
Bloom's: 2. Understand

7) The ________ produces bile, an important substance for fat digestion.

A) gallbladder
B) liver
C) pancreas
D) stomach
Answer: B
Section: 16.06 Liver and Pancreas
Topic: Gross anatomy of the accessory digestive glands and organs
Bloom's: 1. Remember

8) The functions of the large intestine include(s)

A) converting chyme to feces.
B) absorptions of major nutrients, such as carbohydrates.
C) absorption of water from intestinal contents.
D) Both "converting chyme to feces." and "absorptions of major nutrients, such as
carbohydrates." are correct.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Answer: D
Section: 16.07 Large Intestine
Topic: Gross anatomy of the accessory digestive glands and organs
Bloom's: 2. Understand

9) Most of the lipids absorbed at the small intestine move into the ________ before moving into
the blood.
A) lymph
B) gallbladder
C) pancreas
D) large intestine

Answer: A
Section: 16.08 Digestion, Absorption, and Transport
Topic: Process of absorption
Bloom's: 2. Understand

10) Which statement below best explains why rapid movement of chyme through the small
intestine often leads to diarrhea?
A) The large intestine is unable to absorb the extra water that the small intestine failed to
absorb.
B) All water absorption occurs in the small intestine, so rapid movement through the small
intestine prevents any water absorption from the chyme.
C) The rapid movement of chyme through the small intestine leads to more solutes in the chyme
and more water being released into the digestive tract at the large intestine.
D) Rapid movement of chyme through the digestive tract is necessary for absorption of nutrients
to occur at the large intestine.

Answer: A
Section: 16.08 Digestion, Absorption, and Transport
Topic: Process of absorption
Bloom's: 3. Apply
11) Nutrition includes the study of
A) the nutrients in foods.
B) the body's utilization of nutrients.
C) how nutrients play a role in your body's health.
D) digestion, absorption, and transportation of nutrients.
E) All of these choices are correct.

Answer: E
Section: 17.01 Nutrition
Topic: Introduction to nutrition
Bloom's: 1. Remember

12) Water-soluble vitamins include

A) vitamin A.
B) vitamin C.
C) vitamin D.
D) vitamin K.
E) vitamin E.

Answer: B
Section: 17.01 Nutrition
Topic: Introduction to nutrition
Bloom's: 1. Remember

13) The client who is being treated with radiation for cervical cancer asks if she should bother
having a mammogram, especially because she is currently being exposed to radiation. What is
the nurse’s best response?
A) “Although you should delay the mammogram until your therapy is finished, perform a breast
self-exam monthly.”
B) “Being treated for one kind of cancer does not prevent the development of another type of
cancer. Have the mammogram.”
C) “Absolutely do not have the mammogram this year, because you are already over the limit for
safe exposure levels to radiation.”
D) “The radiation therapy you are receiving will protect you against other cancer development,
so it is okay to skip the mammogram this year.”

ANS: B
Clients are encouraged to participate in their normal regular screening for other cancer types while
they are receiving some treatments for a different cancer type. The mammogram radiation exposure
is very low and will not interfere with the cervical cancer therapy. Also, the cervical cancer therapy
will not interfere with the mammogram.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Application or higher

TOP: Nursing Process Step: Implementation/Intervention
MSC: Client Needs Category: Health Promotion and Maintenance
14) The client who has just had a mastectomy for breast cancer is crying as the nurse enters the
room. When asked why she is crying, the client responds “I know I shouldn't cry because this
surgery may well save my life, but I was so pleased with my figure before and I know that things
will not be the same.” What is the nurse’s best response?

A) “It is all right to cry. Mourning this loss is important in getting past this point.”
B) “You're right. It is silly to carry on like this when a prosthesis is available.”
C) “Would you like to talk to someone who also has had a mastectomy?”
D) “How have you coped with difficult situations in the past?

ANS: A
Often, cancer surgery involves the loss of a body part or a decrease in function. Mourning or
grieving for a body image alteration is a healthy part of adapting or adjusting to a new image.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Application or higher

15) For which types of cancer is radiation therapy most effective?

A) Cancers of the blood, such as leukemia
B) Superficial cancers on the outside of the body
C) Cancers that are localized to one tissue or body area
D) Cancers that are large, with evidence of distant metastasis

ANS: C
Radiation therapy is considered local therapy. Only the tissues in the radiation path are affected.
Therefore, this type of therapy is most successful when tumors have not metastasized beyond a
local region.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension TOP: Nursing Process Step: N/A

16) What is the most important precaution or advice the nurse should teach the client receiving
radiation therapy for thyroid cancer with an injection of iodine-131 as an unsealed source?
A) “Do not share a toilet with other people for about three days.”
B) “You are only radioactive when the radiation machine is turned on.”
C) “No special precautions are needed because this type of radiation is weak.”
D) “Avoid all contact with other people until the radiation device is removed.”

ANS: A
The radiation source is an unsealed isotope that is eliminated from the body in waste products,
especially urine and feces. This material is radioactive for about 48 hours after instillation of the
isotope. Having the client not share a toilet with other people for 3 days (72 hours) ensures that the
isotope has been completely eliminated and the client’s wastes are not longer radioactive.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Application or higher

17) The bedridden client has cancer metastasis to the bone. Which intervention is most important
for the nurse to implement to prevent injury for this client?
A) Using a lift sheet when repositioning the client
B) Ensuring that the client's heels are not touching the mattress
C) Providing small, frequent meals that are rich in calcium and phosphorus
D) Applying pressure for a full 5 minutes after any intramuscular injections

ANS: A
Bone metastasis of cancer can cause such bone destruction that grasping or pulling a client can
result in a pathologic fracture. Using a lift sheet spreads the client’s weight more evenly, preventing
excessive force on any one body area.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Application or higher

18) Which characteristic of a tumor indicates that it is benign rather than malignant?
A) It does not cause pain.
B) It is less than 2 cm in size.
C) It is surrounded by a capsule.
D) It causes the sensation of itching.

NS: C
Benign tumors are made up of normal cells growing in the wrong place or growing at a time when
they are not needed. They grow by expansion rather than invasion and often are encapsulated. The
size and the fact that it is painless does not mean that the tumor is benign. Additionally, the
presence of any sensation (such as itching) does not rule out malignancy.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension TOP: Nursing Process Step: N/A

19) Which biologic characteristic is specific to normal differentiated adult cells but not to cancer
cells?
A) Anaplasia
B) Hypertrophy
C) Aneuploidy
D) Loose adherence

ANS: B
Some normal tissues increase in size by having individual cells get larger, a process called
hypertrophy. Cancer cells are usually small and always grow by hyperplasia, not hypertrophy. The
other characteristics are associated with either malignant cells or with early embryonic cells.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension

19) Which statement regarding general cancer development is true?

A) The risk for cancer development decreases with age.
B) Cancers usually develop in those tissues that retain their ability to divide.
C) Children born to older mothers have a greater risk for cancer development.
D) Most mutations leading to cancer development occur in structural genes.
ANS: B
Cells that are unable to divide, even if they underwent DNA mutation as a result of exposure to a
carcinogen, are rarely able to form a tumor (malignant or nonmalignant). The most common
cancers (lung, colorectal, prostate, and breast) occur in tissues that retain the ability to divide. The
risk for cancer development increases with age. Maternal age is not a risk for cancer development.
Mutations leading to cancer development usually occur in regulatory rather than structural genes.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension

20) Which comment made by the client with breast cancer indicates a need for clarification
regarding cancer causes and prevention?
A) “I will eat a low-fat diet from now on.”
B) “I know that nothing I did or didn't do caused this cancer.”
C) “I hope my daughter doesn't have this problem when she grows up.”
D) “I will have regular mammograms on my other breast to prevent cancer.”

ANS: D
Regular mammography can help detect breast cancer at an early stage, but it does not prevent breast
cancer. High-fat diets have a slight connection to breast cancer development, as does obesity. For
the most part, the cause of breast cancer is unknown. Breast cancer has familial and hereditary
forms. Having a mother with breast cancer does increase a woman’s overall risk.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Application or higher

21) Why is malignant cell growth considered “uncontrolled?”

A) Cancer cells always divide more rapidly than do normal cells.
B) The mitosis of malignant cells usually produces more than two daughter cells.
C) Malignant cells are able to bypass one or more phases of the cell cycle during cell division.
D) Malignant cells re-enter the cell cycle more frequently, making cell division a continuous
process.

ANS: D
Although some malignant cells divide very rapidly, this is not true for all malignant cells.
Malignant cells have bypassed the normal control mechanisms that restrict entering the cell cycle.
Thus, malignant cells re-enter the cell cycle as soon as they finish a round of cell division. Thus,
cancer cell division is relentless.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension

22) Which cancer type should the nurse teach a hairdresser that he or she is at increased risk for
developing as the result of exposure to occupational carcinogens?
A) Breast cancer
B) Bladder cancer
C) Colorectal cancer
D) Oropharyngeal cancer
ANS: B
Bladder cancer is associated with chronic exposure to hair dyes commonly used by hairdressers.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension

23) The worker who removes asbestos for a living says that he worries about getting cancer through
occupational exposure. What specific risk should the nurse warn him is associated with his
occupation?
A) kin cancer
B) Bladder cancer
C) Lung cancer
D) Colorectal cancer

ANS: C
Asbestos is a powerful carcinogen. Chronic exposure, even to small amounts of loose asbestos
fibers, increases the risk for development of a specific type of lung cancer known as a
mesothelioma.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension

24) The 60-year-old client with small cell lung cancer is concerned that his grown children also
might develop the disease. What is the nurse’s best response?
A) “This disease is a random event and there is no way to prevent it.”
B) “Because this disease is inherited as a dominant trait, your children have a 50% risk for
developing it.”
C) “Cigarette smoking is the main cause of this disease, and helping your children not to
smoke will decrease their risk.”
D) “Lung cancer can be avoided by decreasing dietary intake of fats and increasing the amount of
regular, aerobic exercise.”
ANS: C
Long-standing cigarette smoking is the major risk factor for small cell lung cancer. Although some
pulmonary problems are associated with a genetic predisposition, none have been linked to lung
cancer development.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Application or higher

25) The 36-year-old client who has a suspicious mammogram says that her mother died of bone
cancer when she was 40 years old. Which is the most important question for the nurse to ask this
client next?
A) “Have any other members of your family had bone cancer?”
B) “Did your mother ever have any other type of cancer?”
C) “How old were you when you started your periods?”
D) “Did your mother have regular mammograms?”

ANS: B
Primary bone cancer is extremely uncommon among adults. Breast cancer often spreads to the
bone. Many laypersons do not understand that breast cancer in the bone is still breast cancer. The
client would be very young to have breast cancer; however, hereditary breast cancer occurs at
young ages. It would be very important to know whether this client’s mother had breast cancer.

DIF: Cognitive Level: Application or higher