NSG 6020 APEA EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS STUDY GUIDE

NSG 6020 APEA EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS STUDY GUIDE

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NEUROLOGY

• The level of consciousness that refers to the ability of the patient to respond fully

and appropriately to stimuli is known as: alertness

• When assessing the patient’s sense of position, instruct the patient to first stand

with his feet together and eyes open, then instruct him to close both eye for 30- 60 seconds. If he loses his balance with his eyes closed, this is: suggestive of ataxia related to dorsal column disease

• When comparing two sides of the body for symmetric sensation a symmetrical

distal sensory loss would be suggestive of: polyneuropathy

• A female patient complains of weakness in her arm when combing her hair. This

finding could be suggestive of which type of weakness pattern? Proximal

• Having the patient shrug his shoulders and elicit neck movements would be

testing cranial nerve: XI

• It is imperative to assess for suicidality and bipolar disorder in patients suspected

of experiencing: depression

• Which one of the following procedures should NOT be performed in a comatose

patient? Dilate the pupils

• With the adult patient laying supine, the nurse practitioner flexes that patient’s leg

at both the hip and the knee and the straightens the knee. Pain and increased

resistance to extending the knee is noted. This is a positive: Kernig’s sign

• The part of the brain that controls most functions in the body and is responsible

for breathing, heart rate, and articulate speech is the: brainstem

• The patient has his eyes closed and an area on his right leg is briefly touched by

the nurse practitioner. The patient is instructed to open his eyes and point to the area that was touched. This is an example of the discriminative sensation known

as: point localization

• What geriatric condition is characterized by normal alertness but progressive

global deterioration of cognition in multiple domains? Alzheimer’s disease

• Which one of the following assesses pain, temperature, and sensation using the

distal and proximal areas testing pattern? Test the sensation in the thumbs and little fingers

13. An 8-month-old with a significant head lag would suggest the need for: a

neurological evaluation

• A form of aphasia in which the speech is confluent, slow, with few words and

laborious effort and inflection and articulation are impaired but words are

meaningful, is termed: Broca’s aphasia

• With the patient lying supine, the nurse practitioner places her hands behind the

patient’s head while flexing the neck forward until his chin touches his chest.

Neck stiffness with resistance to flexion is noted. This is a positive: nuchal

rigidity sign

• When assessing coordination of muscles movement, four areas of the nervous

system function in a integrate way. These areas include the motor, cerebellar, 2 / 4

the vestibular, and the sensory systems. Which system coordinates a steady posture? Cerebellar system

• The level of consciousness that refers to the patient that remains unarousable

with eyes closed without evidence of response to inner need or external stimuli is

said to be in: a comatose state

18. Hypesthesia refers to: decreased sensitivity to touch

• A female patient complaint of weakness in both arms when transferring the wet

clothes from the washer and placing them in the dryer. This finding could be suggestive of which type of weakness pattern? Symmetric

• A 80-year-old male visits the nurse practitioner for an annual well exam. History

reveals two falls in the prior 12 months and difficulty with balance. The next step

the nurse practitioner should take is: obtain cognitive and functional

assessment

21. Fasciculations in atrophic muscles suggests: a lower motor neuron disease

22. A tension headache presents with pain in the: frontotemporal region of the

head

23. An example of tandem walking is having the patient: walk heel-to-toe

• By placing the patient in the supine position, the nurse practitioner raises the

patient’s relaxed and straightened leg while flexing the leg at the hip, and the

dorsiflexes the foot. This maneuver is known as: the straight-leg raise

• A discriminative sensation that described that ability to identify an object by

feeling it is: stereognosis

• The best method of detecting cognitive impairment or intellectual disability at an

early age is by: assessment of the achievement of development milestones

27. Symptoms of a subdural hematoma include: noticeable bleeding between the

dura and the cerebrum on x-ray

• The part of the brain tissue that rims the surfaces of the cerebral hemispheres,

forming the cerebral cortex is known as the: gray matter

• The patient experiences a sudden loss of consciousness with falling without

movements and injury may occur. This type of seizure is consistent with: a

myoclonic seizure

• A patient is noted as lying supine with the jaws clenched and the neck extended

with the arms adducted and stiffly extended at the elbows. His forearms are pronated, wrists and fingers flexed. The legs are extended at the knees and the

feet are plantar flexed. This position is consistent with: decerebrate rigidity

• When assessing abdominal cutaneous reflexes, the nurse practitioner strokes

the lower abdomen, the localized twitch is absent. This finding could be suggestive of a pathologic lesion in which segmented level of the spine?Thoracic 10, 11, and 12

• An older adult presenting with signs of undernourishment, slowed motor

performance, and loss of muscle mass or weakness suggests: frailty

33. Symmetric weakness of the proximal muscles of the legs suggests a: myopathy

34. Aphasia refers to: the inability to produce or understand language

• The part of the peripheral nervous system that regulates muscle movement and

response to the sensations of pain and touch is the: somatic nervous system 3 / 4

• Assessment findings in an infant with increased intracranial pressure would

include: drowsiness

• What is an example of a disease or condition that appears in a dermatomal

pattern? Shingles

• Common physical findings in a young child with cerebral palsy include which one

of the following? Presence of crossed or touching knees

• The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary actions is

known as the: autonomic nervous system

• Ptosis of the left eye would be suggestive of damage to which cranial nerve?

Cranial nerve III (CN III)

• A patient who is being evaluated for frequent headaches, mentions that the

headache worsens with coughing, sneezing, or when changing positions.

Increasing pain with these maneuvers may be suggestive of: a brain tumor

• An infant presents with an inappropriately increasing head circumference and

hydrocephalus confirmed by CT scan. In addition to these findings, which one of the following would also be consistent with hydrocephalus? Tense, bulging fontanels

• A 40-year-old male presents with complaints of headaches. History revels

headaches that occurred daily for about 4-6 weeks. He had relief for 6 months

but now they are recurring. These are most likely: cluster headaches

• Assessing the neurological status of a child with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt

should include: use of the Glasgow coma scale

• During this type of seizure activity, the patient appears confused. Automatisms

include automatic motor behaviors such as chewing, smacking the lips, walking about, and unbuttoning clothes. This type of seizure activity is referred to as a: focal seizure with impairment of consciousness

• Which of the following neurological assessment findings indicate the need for

further evaluations? Weak and ineffective sucking movements

• To evaluate a patient’s response to light touch sensation, the nurse practitioner

would as the patient to identify: a touch on the skin in response to touching

the skin with a cotton wisp

• A patient is instructed to stand, close both eyes, and extend both arms forward

with the palms facing upward for 20-30 seconds. If the forearm drifts downward,

this would indicate: corticospinal tract lesion

• A term used to describe an increase in the muscular bulk with diminished

strength is: pseudohypertrophy

• Most peripheral nerves contain afferent and efferent fibers. The term efferent

refers to: motor nerve fibers

51. The Glasgow coma scale assesses: motor response

• When observing the thenar atrophy of hands, a typical observation is: furrowing

in the spaces between the metacarpals

• When evaluating a patient for weakness of the upper extremities, bilateral distal

weakness is noted. This finding could be suggestive of: polyneuropathy

• Disorders of speech fall into three groups that affect all of the following except

the: written language

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