Question 1

When the oxygen supply to the tissues is inadequate, the condition is called?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: This can occur from low arterial oxygenation, reduced hemoglobin/oxygen-carrying capacity, impaired circulation, or impaired cellular oxygen utilization, all culminating in insufficient tissue O2. Hypercapnia refers to elevated CO2, which may coexist with respiratory failure but is not the term for low tissue oxygen. Cyanosis is a clinical sign of increased deoxygenated hemoglobin and can be absent in anemia or early hypoxemia, while acidosis is an acid-base disturbance that may result from hypoxia (e.g., lactic acidosis) rather than naming the primary oxygen deficit.

Question 2

Pulmonary edema is a disease of?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Because the pathologic fluid collection occurs within the lungs themselves, it is classified as a respiratory system condition. Although a common cause is left-sided heart failure (cardiogenic mechanism), the target organ affected by the edema is still the lung tissue and air spaces. Kidney or liver disease can contribute to fluid overload or low oncotic pressure, but they are upstream contributors rather than the primary site of edema.

Question 3

Asthma is a disorder of the ...... in the human body?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: These pathophysiologic changes occur in the bronchi/bronchioles of the lungs, leading to wheezing, cough, chest tightness, and dyspnea. The disorder primarily affects ventilation and airway caliber, which are core functions of the respiratory system. Circulatory and digestive disorders do not primarily produce episodic bronchoconstriction with variable airflow limitation. Therefore, the system implicated is the one responsible for gas exchange and airway conduction.

Question 4

A nurse assesses a client with a barrel chest. Which disease does the nurse associate with this finding?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: In emphysema, alveolar wall destruction reduces elastic recoil, causing persistent overexpansion of the lungs and a “barrel-shaped” thorax over time. This physical finding is classically associated with COPD, particularly emphysema-dominant disease. Acute conditions like pneumonia or pneumothorax can cause respiratory distress and asymmetry but do not typically produce a chronic barrel chest configuration. Chronic bronchitis is a COPD subtype but is more associated with productive cough and cyanosis than prominent hyperinflation changes.

Question 5

A patient has chest injury and rib fracture what's is seen?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: This pain often leads to splinting and shallow breathing, increasing risk of atelectasis and pneumonia, but the immediate expected finding is inspiratory pain. Flail chest requires multiple adjacent ribs fractured in at least two places with paradoxical chest wall motion, which is a more specific injury pattern than a simple rib fracture. RDS is not a typical direct finding from an isolated rib fracture, and syncope is not a characteristic presentation of uncomplicated rib injury.

Question 6

Dry cough at night is common in?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Symptoms often worsen at night due to circadian variation in bronchial tone and increased exposure to triggers (e.g., dust mites, cold air, reflux) while lying down. Malaria, typhoid, and dengue typically present with systemic febrile illness patterns rather than isolated nighttime cough. A common distractor is to attribute nocturnal cough to infection, but recurrent night cough without prominent fever is more consistent with asthma physiology.

Question 7

Pt has difficulty breathing when on her back and must sit upright in bed to breath,effectively and comfortably nurse document condition as?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: This positional dyspnea is classically termed orthopnea and is commonly seen in conditions like heart failure or significant obesity/ascites that limit diaphragmatic excursion. Apnea is absence of breathing, which does not match the described ability to breathe when upright. Tachypnea is an increased respiratory rate, and dyspnea is a general symptom of breathing difficulty without specifying the supine-worse positional feature.

Question 8

What is the function of the bronchi in the lungs?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Gas exchange does not occur in the bronchi because their walls are not designed for diffusion like the thin alveolar-capillary membrane. Oxygen is transported in the blood mainly bound to hemoglobin, not by the bronchi themselves. Carbon dioxide is eliminated via diffusion at the alveoli and exhalation, rather than being “absorbed” by the bronchi.

Question 9

In which part of the respiratory system, gaseous exchange takes place?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: The alveoli provide an enormous surface area and have type I pneumocytes and adjacent capillary endothelium that minimize diffusion distance for O2 and CO2. In contrast, the pharynx, larynx, and trachea are primarily conducting airways that warm, filter, and transport air but are not structured for diffusion. Therefore, the site of gaseous exchange is the alveoli.

Question 10

Failure of distension of alveoli due to loss of elasticity of the lung, is known as?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: When alveoli fail to expand (collapse or incomplete expansion), the condition is termed atelectasis, leading to reduced ventilated lung volume and impaired gas exchange. Loss of elastic properties can contribute to poor alveolar expansion by altering normal mechanics and promoting collapse, especially in dependent lung regions. Emphysema is primarily permanent enlargement of airspaces with alveolar wall destruction and air trapping rather than failure of alveolar distension. Respiratory failure is an outcome of severe dysfunction, and empyema is pus in the pleural space, neither defining the mechanical problem described.

Question 11

You are caring for a toddler with croup. Which of the following clinical manifestations would you not see with croup?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Typical associated findings include a harsh/brassy (barking) cough and low-grade fever. A daytime worsening pattern with improvement during sleep is not characteristic and suggests an alternative process rather than croup. Nighttime worsening with daytime improvement is the expected pattern for croup symptoms.

Question 12

Which of the following is a symptom of pneumonia?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: This symptom directly reflects irritation of the pleura from infection and is a classic lower-respiratory finding along with cough, fever, and dyspnea. Runny nose and sore throat are more typical of upper respiratory viral infections rather than alveolar infection. Headache can occur with many illnesses but is nonspecific and less diagnostically linked to pneumonia than pleuritic chest pain.

Question 13

Which of the following is a symptom of pneumonia?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: This symptom aligns with lower respiratory tract infection affecting the pleura and adjacent chest wall structures. Headache can occur with many illnesses but is nonspecific and not as characteristic as pleuritic pain for pneumonia. Sore throat and runny nose are more typical of upper respiratory viral infections rather than primary pneumonia.

Question 14

What is the main function of the respiratory system?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: In the alveoli, oxygen diffuses into pulmonary capillaries while carbon dioxide diffuses out to be exhaled, maintaining adequate oxygenation and acid–base balance. Filtering blood is primarily a renal and hepatic role, not a pulmonary one. Hormone regulation is chiefly endocrine, and nutrient transport is mainly a function of the cardiovascular system carrying absorbed nutrients from the GI tract.

Question 15

Gaseous exchange in alveoli (lungs) occurs through?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: Oxygen moves from alveoli (higher PO2) into pulmonary capillary blood (lower PO2), while carbon dioxide moves in the opposite direction (higher PCO2 in blood to lower in alveoli). This process does not require cellular energy, so it is not active transport. Osmosis refers to water movement, and filtration is bulk flow driven by hydrostatic pressure, neither of which describes alveolar O2/CO2 transfer.

Question 16

COPD is usually classified as?

Accepted Answer

Answer reason: This creates a reduced FEV1 and a decreased FEV1/FVC ratio, which is the hallmark pattern of obstructive diseases. Restrictive diseases instead primarily reduce lung volumes with a normal or increased FEV1/FVC ratio. While infections can trigger exacerbations, the underlying classification is based on airflow obstruction rather than an infectious or autoimmune mechanism.

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Respiratory System Practice Test 13

Respiratory System NCLEX Practice Test

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When the oxygen supply to the tissues is inadequate, the condition is called?

Pulmonary edema is a disease of?

Asthma is a disorder of the ...... in the human body?

A nurse assesses a client with a barrel chest. Which disease does the nurse associate with this finding?

A patient has chest injury and rib fracture what's is seen?

Dry cough at night is common in?

Pt has difficulty breathing when on her back and must sit upright in bed to breath,effectively and comfortably nurse document condition as?

What is the function of the bronchi in the lungs?

In which part of the respiratory system, gaseous exchange takes place?

Failure of distension of alveoli due to loss of elasticity of the lung, is known as?

You are caring for a toddler with croup. Which of the following clinical manifestations would you not see with croup?

Which of the following is a symptom of pneumonia?

Which of the following is a symptom of pneumonia?

What is the main function of the respiratory system?

Gaseous exchange in alveoli (lungs) occurs through?

COPD is usually classified as?

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