Question 1

A nurse is caring for a patient with a nasogastric (NG) tube connected to low intermittent suction following abdominal surgery. Which of the following findings should prompt the nurse to notify the healthcare provider immediately?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Abdominal distention and absent bowel sounds suggest possible intestinal obstruction or paralytic ileus, which can lead to perforation or other serious postoperative complications. This finding requires immediate provider notification for further evaluation and potential intervention.

Question 2

The hormone that stimulates the release of bile from the gallbladder is?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: CCK released from duodenal I cells in response to fats causes gallbladder contraction and sphincter of Oddi relaxation, releasing bile.

Question 3

The nurse explains that pruritus in the patient with hepatitis is related to?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: In hepatitis with cholestasis, bile salts accumulate in the skin and cause itching (pruritus). The other options do not explain the mechanism of pruritus.

Question 4

What is the average length of an adult's stomach?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The adult stomach is about 25 cm in length on average, which is approximately 10 inches.

Question 5

Which of the following best describes the symptom complex known as intestinal angina?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Intestinal angina (chronic mesenteric ischemia) presents with postprandial abdominal pain leading to food fear and weight loss, due to chronic mesenteric arterial occlusive disease.

Question 6

In which one of the following excessive reflux of hydrochloric acid into the esophagus occurs?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: GERD is defined by backward flow of gastric contents, including hydrochloric acid, into the esophagus; esophagitis is a complication and gastritis affects the stomach.

Question 7

What is the most accurate explanation for the swollen abdomen in a client with advanced cirrhosis of the liver?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Ascites in advanced cirrhosis results from portal hypertension impairing hepatic blood flow and decreased hepatic albumin synthesis, which lowers plasma oncotic pressure, allowing fluid to shift into the peritoneal cavity.

Question 8

The most common fatal complication of chronic peptic ulcer disease is?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Ulcer perforation spills gastric contents into the peritoneum causing peritonitis and sepsis, making it the most lethal complication of PUD.

Question 9

What is the PRIMARY role of the small intestine in digestion?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The small intestine’s primary function is nutrient absorption via villi and microvilli. Bile is secreted by the liver/gallbladder, stool formation occurs mainly in the large intestine, and most digestive enzymes come from the pancreas and intestinal mucosa.

Question 10

The first stool of neonate is called?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Meconium is the thick, greenish-black, tarry first stool of a newborn. Sebum is skin oil, lanugo (misspelled as lenugo) is fine fetal hair, and vernix caseosa is the waxy skin coating.

Question 11

Which organ is mostly affected by chronic alcohol consumption?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Chronic alcohol consumption primarily damages the liver, leading to fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis.

Question 12

Which liver condition leads to generalized edema and ascites?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Cirrhosis causes portal hypertension and decreased albumin synthesis, leading to fluid shifts that produce ascites and generalized edema.

Question 13

Pancreatic juice contains enzymes for digesting?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Pancreatic juice contains amylase for carbohydrates, proteases (trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase) for proteins, and lipase for fats.

Question 14

What pancreatic enzyme aids in the digestion of carbohydrates?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Pancreatic amylase breaks down starch and other carbohydrates to disaccharides; lipase digests fats, and trypsin/chymotrypsin digest proteins.

Question 15

What is the main function of the small intestine?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The small intestine’s primary role is nutrient absorption via villi and microvilli. Bile production and detoxification occur in the liver, and waste storage is a function of the large intestine.

Question 16

What is the condition called in which there is an impaired ability to absorb gluten in the small intestine?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Celiac disease is an autoimmune-mediated enteropathy triggered by gluten that damages the small intestinal villi, causing malabsorption of gluten.

Question 17

What is the typical distance in centimeters between the incisor teeth and the gastroesophageal junction when inserting a Ryle’s tube in an adult patient?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: In adults the incisors-to–gastroesophageal junction distance is approximately 40 cm, a standard depth used for NG/Ryle’s tube placement landmarks.

Question 18

Impaired peristalsis of the smooth muscle of the esophagus and inadequate relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES)?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Achalasia is characterized by impaired esophageal peristalsis and failure of the LES to relax.

Question 19

What is a common clinical sign of Hirschsprung's disease in a newborn?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Hirschsprung’s disease causes functional intestinal obstruction from absent ganglion cells; a classic early sign is failure or delay in passing meconium in the newborn.

Question 20

Which of the following is a common cause of gastritis?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Alcohol and spicy foods act as gastric mucosal irritants and can precipitate gastritis. The other options are not typical causes.

Question 21

The cardiac sphincter prevents backflow of food from which location?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The cardiac (lower esophageal) sphincter sits between the esophagus and stomach and prevents reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus.

Question 22

Which enzyme is present in pancreatic juice?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Pancreatic juice contains proteolytic enzymes such as trypsin (secreted as trypsinogen). Enterokinase is intestinal, pepsin is gastric, and ptyalin is salivary amylase.

Question 23

Which condition is a form of liver damage?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Cirrhosis is chronic liver disease characterized by fibrosis and nodular regeneration causing liver damage; the other options are not specific liver damage conditions.

Question 24

Which organ receives only oxygenated blood?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Most abdominal organs (e.g., spleen, stomach, pancreas) receive arterial oxygenated blood only; the liver uniquely receives both oxygenated (hepatic artery) and deoxygenated (portal vein) blood. Therefore, among the options, the spleen receives only oxygenated blood.

Question 25

What is the main function of the liver?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The liver’s hallmark function is detoxification of endogenous and exogenous substances through metabolic processes (Phase I/II).

Question 26

Duodenum ulcer is found mostly in individuals of which blood group?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Duodenal ulcers occur more frequently in individuals with blood group O.

Question 27

What is the terminal portion of the large intestine?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The rectum is the terminal segment of the large intestine before the anal canal. Duodenum and ileum are parts of the small intestine, and the colon is not the terminal portion.

Question 28

Passing black and tarry stool due to upper GI bleeding?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Black, tarry stools from digested blood are termed melena (here spelled 'Malena'). Hematemesis is vomiting blood, hematochezia is bright red blood per rectum, and hematuria is blood in urine.

Question 29

This is the area where pain from early appendicitis is likely to be found?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Early appendicitis typically begins with vague visceral pain referred to the periumbilical/epigastric region before localizing to the right lower quadrant; thus epigastrium is the best choice among the options.

Question 30

Dilated part of the alimentary canal between the esophagus and small intestine called?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The stomach is the distensible organ situated between the esophagus and the small intestine (duodenum); other options are not located in that position.

Question 31

The stomach is a dilated part of the alimentary canal between the esophagus and the?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Anatomically, the stomach lies between the esophagus and the duodenum, which is the first part of the small intestine.

Question 32

The normal liver span at the mid-clavicular line (MCL) is?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: In adults the normal liver span percussed along the right mid‑clavicular line is approximately 6–12 cm; values outside this range suggest hepatomegaly or a small liver.

Question 33

Junction between large intestine and small intestine is called________?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The anatomical junction between the small intestine (ileum) and the large intestine (cecum) is the ileocecal valve; options naming jejunal or duodenal junctions are incorrect.

Question 34

Saliva contains an enzyme that acts upon which of the following nutrients?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Salivary amylase (ptyalin) in saliva begins carbohydrate digestion by breaking down starches into maltose and dextrins; it does not digest proteins, fats, minerals, or vitamins.

Question 35

Gastric acid secretion is under the control of the following agents EXCEPT?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Major controllers of gastric acid secretion are gastrin, histamine (H2), and acetylcholine (M3). Serotonin is not a primary regulator.

Question 36

Alternating waves of contraction and relaxation that squeezes food along the GI tract is called?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Peristalsis is the coordinated alternating contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle that propels food through the GI tract; segmentation mixes contents without net forward movement. Assimilation and suffocation are unrelated.

Question 37

Patients who have persistent diarrhea may develop all but which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Chronic diarrhea causes fluid and electrolyte losses leading to dehydration and weakness; it is associated with weight loss, not weight gain.

Question 38

Which of the following structures is part of the small intestine?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The small intestine consists of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum; the other options are parts of the large intestine.

Question 39

All of the following agents intensify the secretion of gastric glands EXCEPT?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Pepsin is a gastric enzyme secreted by chief cells; it does not stimulate gastric gland secretion. Gastrin and histamine are key stimulators of acid secretion, and carbonated mineral waters can promote gastric secretion via gastric distension/CO2.

Question 40

Which of the following has the least important role in terms of peptic ulcer formation?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Hypertension is not a recognized etiologic factor in peptic ulcer disease, whereas gastric acid, NSAID use, and H. pylori infection are primary contributors.

Question 41

The bile duct and the main pancreatic duct enters the ......................... part of duodenum and forms major duodenal papilla?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The common bile duct and main pancreatic duct unite to open at the major duodenal papilla on the posteromedial wall of the descending (second) part of the duodenum.

Question 42

At which of the following locations does bile enter the digestive tract?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Bile from the liver/gallbladder enters the second part of the duodenum via the common bile duct at the major duodenal papilla (sphincter of Oddi).

Question 43

Bile acid is secreted by which organ?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Bile acids are synthesized and secreted by hepatocytes in the liver; the gallbladder stores and concentrates bile, and the pancreas and stomach do not secrete bile acids.

Question 44

Where are digested molecules of food, water, and minerals absorbed?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Most nutrient absorption occurs in the small intestine, whose villi and microvilli maximize absorption of digested food along with the majority of water and minerals.

Question 45

Rebound tenderness at McBurney's point exhibited in appendicitis is also known as?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Rebound tenderness indicating peritoneal irritation is called Blumberg's sign; it is classically positive in appendicitis at McBurney's point.

Question 46

What hormone stimulates chief cells to produce pepsinogen in the stomach?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: G cells secrete gastrin, which stimulates gastric secretion including chief cell release of pepsinogen. Pepsin is an enzyme (not a hormone), HCl is acid from parietal cells, and insulin is unrelated.

Question 47

What does the mnemonic 'ABDOMINAL' stand for in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: In the ABDOMINAL mnemonic for abdominal pain, the letter A stands for Appendicitis.

Question 48

Which part of the colon is located on the right side of the body?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The ascending colon runs upward along the right side of the abdomen; the transverse crosses the upper abdomen and the descending and sigmoid are on the left.

Question 49

Which secretion in the stomach helps HCl break down proteins?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Pepsin is the stomach protease activated by HCl and initiates protein digestion. Lipase digests fats and trypsin is a pancreatic enzyme acting in the small intestine.

Question 50

Which cells secrete hydrochloric acid in the stomach?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Parietal cells in the gastric glands secrete hydrochloric acid (and intrinsic factor). Goblet cells produce mucus, chief cells secrete pepsinogen, and acinar cells belong to the pancreas.

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