A nurse examines a patient’s tympanic membranes with an otoscope. The nurse understands the normal tympanic membrane exhibits which normal characteristic?

White with prominent capillaries

Pearly gray and transparent

Pulled in at the base of the cone of light

Light pink with a slight bulge

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is B

Choice A reason: A normal tympanic membrane is not white with prominent capillaries. Such an appearance may indicate inflammation or infection (e.g., otitis media), where increased vascularity or opacity occurs, making this an abnormal and incorrect characteristic.

Choice B reason: A normal tympanic membrane is pearly gray, slightly translucent, with a visible cone of light reflecting off its taut surface. This reflects healthy middle ear anatomy, with no fluid or inflammation, making this the correct description.

Choice C reason: A pulled-in tympanic membrane suggests negative middle ear pressure, often due to eustachian tube dysfunction, not a normal finding. The normal membrane is flat or slightly concave, making this an incorrect characteristic.

Choice D reason: Light pink with a slight bulge suggests inflammation or fluid (e.g., otitis media), not a normal tympanic membrane. Normal membranes are pearly gray and flat, not pink or bulging, making this an incorrect description.

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Correct Answer is D

Explanation

Choice A reason: Saying “That must be terrible” and suggesting a pinched nerve is dismissive and assumes a cause without assessment. Exploring the pain’s impact gathers critical data, so this is incorrect for an appropriate response.

Choice B reason: Asking about family reactions shifts focus from the patient’s experience and is less relevant initially. Assessing how the pain affects daily activities provides functional insight, so this is not the best response for pain assessment.

Choice C reason: Sharing personal experience can seem empathetic, but it this risks bias and doesn’t assess the patient’s pain. Asking about daily activity impact is more patient-centered, so this is incorrect for professional response.

Choice D reason: Asking how pain affects daily activities encourages the patient to describe the pain’s severity and impact, aiding assessment and planning. This open-ended, patient-focused response is therapeutic, making it the correct choice for the nurse’s reply.

A. Bronchial breath sounds that are normal in that location B. Normal sounds auscultated over the trachea C. Vesicular breath sounds that are normal in that location D. Bronchovesicular breath sounds that are normal in that location

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Choice A reason: Bronchial breath sounds are loud, high-pitched, with expiration longer than inspiration, typically heard over the trachea or in consolidated lung areas. The described soft, low-pitched sounds with longer inspiration in the posterior lower lobes do not match, making this incorrect.

Choice B reason: Sounds over the trachea are bronchial, characterized by loud, high-pitched sounds with expiration equal to or longer than inspiration. The soft, low-pitched sounds with longer inspiration in the posterior lower lobes indicate peripheral lung fields, not tracheal sounds, making this incorrect.

Choice C reason: Vesicular breath sounds are soft, low-pitched, with inspiration longer than expiration, heard over peripheral lung fields like the posterior lower lobes. These are normal findings, reflecting air movement in alveoli, making this the correct interpretation of the described sounds.

Choice D reason: Bronchovesicular sounds are medium-pitched with equal inspiration and expiration, typically heard near mainstem bronchi. The described low-pitched sounds with longer inspiration in the posterior lower lobes align with vesicular sounds, not bronchovesicular, making this incorrect.

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A nurse examines a patient’s tympanic membranes with an otoscope. The nurse understands the normal tympanic membrane exhibits which normal characteristic?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

A 29-year-old woman tells the nurse that she has “excruciating pain” in her back. Which would be an appropriate response by the nurse to the woman’s statement?

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

When auscultating the lungs of an adult patient, the nurse notes that low-pitched, soft breath sounds are heard over the posterior lower lobes, with inspiration being longer than expiration. How should the nurse interpret these findings?

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

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