22) For which of the following patients is a focused physical examination appropriate?
A) A 30-year-old male with a history of diabetes and who is found unresponsive by his son
B) A 25-year-old female with a history of asthma and who is complaining of difficulty breathing
C) A 19-year-old female with a history of epilepsy and who is found only responsive to painful
stimuli by her roommate
D) A 70-year-old male with dementia whose caretaker called because he “didn’t seem like
himself today”
Objective: 14.4
23) Your patient is a 24-year-old female who swallowed a handful of pills of unknown type.
Although she was initially alert and oriented with no complaints, you note that she is now
beginning to slur her words and is becoming progressively lethargic. What is the highest priority
in dealing with this patient?
A) Checking the patient’s pupil size and reactivity to light
B) Finding out exactly what she took
C) Maintaining an open airway
D) Notifying the receiving facility of the change in mental status
Objective: 14.4
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24) Your 76-year-old female patient is having trouble breathing. When you auscultate her lungs,
you hear crackles (rales) and you are concerned that she may have pulmonary edema. Her
oxygen saturation is 92%, so you place her on 100% oxygen via a nonrebreather mask. Her
breathing gets a little easier with the oxygen. You decide to expedite transport since she is
anxious about her condition. Later, as you are completing your reassessment, you see that her
respirations have slowed to 8 times per minute and she is barely staying awake. What should you
do next?
A) Ask your partner to pull over and wait for ALS backup.
B) Assist her with using her metered-dose inhaler.
C) Shake her to keep her awake.
D) Begin ventilating her with a bag-valve mask.
Objective: 14.5
25) The ambulance is called for an assaulted patient. While transporting the patient to the
hospital, the EMT notes the patient’s jugular veins are flat (nondistended). Which of these is most
likely the cause of this finding?
A) Closed head injury
B) Blood loss
C) Blood collecting around the heart in the pericardial sac
D) High blood pressure
Objective: 14.5
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26) When checking breath sounds in a trauma patient, what should the EMT assess for first?
A) Wheezing and stridor
B) Rate and tidal volume
C) Presence and equality
D) Amount of dead space air and residual air
Objective: 14.5
27) What does distention refer to when describing your patient’s abdomen?
A) Larger than normal
B) Softer than normal
C) Harder than normal
D) Having a sunken-in appearance
Objective: 14.5
28) What is a surgical opening in the wall of the abdomen with a plastic bag in place to collect
digestive waste?
A) Thoracotomy
B) Fistula
C) Colostomy
D) Gastric bypass
Objective: 14.5
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29) If a patient complains of abdominal pain localized to a specific area of the abdomen, which
of the following techniques should be used to assess the abdomen?
A) Palpate the painful area last.
B) Do not palpate the painful area.
C) Palpate the painful area first.
D) Palpate the area at the beginning and end of the exam.
Objective: 14.5
30) The term priapism means ________ and may be found in injuries of the ________.
A) unequal pupils; brain
B) a painful muscle spasm; spine
C) abnormal pulsation; abdomen
D) a persistent penile erection; spine
Objective: 14.5
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31) Your patient is a 22-year-old college student complaining of abdominal pain. She is alert and
oriented, although somewhat uncomfortable. Which of the following should be your first action?
A) Take the patient’s roommate aside and ask about the patient’s medical history.
B) Palpate the patient’s abdomen for tenderness and guarding.
C) Ask the patient to describe the pain and find out if she has other complaints.
D) Perform a rapid head-to-toe physical examination.
Objective: 14.5
32) Your patient is a 15-year-old female complaining of shortness of breath. Which of the
following is NOT appropriate during the focused exam?
A) Looking at the use of her neck muscles
B) Checking her pupils for reactivity to light
C) Looking at her nail beds
D) Listening to her breath sounds
Objective: 14.5
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33) You are performing a rapid trauma assessment on an unresponsive 30-year–old male. As you
evaluate his head, which of the following should you check for?
A) Unequal facial muscles
B) Function of the cranial nerves
C) Crepitation
D) Whether the patient can follow your finger with his eyes
Objective: 14.5
34) When you begin interviewing your patient, he tells you that he has not felt well for several
months, ever since he had his gallbladder removed. He goes on to tell you that he cannot get his
wife to schedule a doctor’s appointment for him and when she remembers to call, the office is
always closed. Which of the following is the best way to proceed?
A) Begin your assessment of his vital signs.
B) Ask him why he decided to call 911 today.
C) Try to call his doctor to schedule an appointment.
D) Ask him for a list of his medications.
Objective: 14.6
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35) In the assessment of a responsive medical patient, which of the following will provide you
with the most important information?
A) Focused physical exam
B) Patient’s medical history
C) Detailed physical exam
D) Baseline vital signs
Objective: 14.6
36) Mr. Hughes is a 49-year-old man complaining of chest pain. To find out about the quality of
his chest pain, which of the following questions is most appropriate?
A) On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, how would you rate your level of pain?
B) Does anything make the pain worse?
C) Can you describe how the pain in your chest feels?
D) Are you having pain anywhere besides your chest?
Objective: 14.6
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37) Mrs. Butler is a 66-year-old woman who is complaining of chest pain. Which of the
following questions would be best in helping you determine if the pain is radiating?
A) Are you having pain anywhere besides your chest?
B) Does anything make the pain better or worse?
C) Are you experiencing any other symptoms?
D) Are you having pain in your arm?
Objective: 14.6
38) You are dispatched for a patient with chest pain. Your patient tells you that she has had
shortness of breath and chest pain for about 20 minutes. Which of the following will give you the
best information regarding your patient’s chest pain symptoms?
A) Is the pain in your chest a sharp pain?
B) Describe how the pain feels.
C) Have you taken your medications correctly?
D) Do you have a history of chest pain?
Objective: 14.6
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39) When using the memory aid OPQRST, which of the following questions would help you find
out about P?
A) What is your primary complaint?
B) Are you having any pain?
C) Do you have any past medical history?
D) Does anything make the pain better or worse?
Objective: 14.6
40) Where might you find a patient’s medical alert identification jewelry?
A) Ankle bracelet
B) Bracelet
C) Necklace
D) All of the above
Objective: 14.7
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41) You are called for a patient who was discovered unconscious in his bed this morning. You
immediately complete a primary assessment and determine that he is breathing and has a good
pulse. What should you do next?
A) Try to locate all of his medications.
B) Begin transport immediately.
C) Complete a rapid physical exam.
D) Ask the family what happened.
Objective: 14.7
42) Your patient is an unresponsive 40-year-old woman. Which of the following should you do
first?
A) Immediately request advanced life support.
B) Perform a rapid physical exam.
C) Ask her husband if she has any known allergies.
D) Take her blood pressure.
Objective: 14.7
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