Chapter 7: Mental Status

Question 1

An aversion to touch or being held, along with delayed or absent language development, is characteristic of:

Select one:

a. attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
b. autism.
c. dementia.
d. mental retardation.
e. schizophrenia.

Answer 1

b. autism.

Question 2

Assessing orientation to person, place, and time helps determine:

Select one:

a. the ability to understand analogies.
b. abstract reasoning.
c. attention span.
d. state of consciousness.
e. emotional status.

Answer 2

d. state of consciousness.

Question 3

When is the mental status portion of the neurologic system examination performed?

Select one:
a. During the history-taking process

b. Immediately after the vital signs are taken
c. During the time when questions related to memory are asked
d. Constantly, throughout the entire interaction with a patient
e. During assessment of cranial nerves and deep tendon reflexes

Answer 3

d. Constantly, throughout the entire interaction with a patient

Question 4

When you ask the patient to tell you the meaning of a proverb or metaphor, you are assessing which of the following?

Select one:

a. Level of consciousness
b. Abstract reasoning
c. Emotional stability
d. Memory
e. Impaired judgment

Answer 4

b. Abstract reasoning

Question 5

While interviewing a patient, you ask him to explain “a stitch in time saves nine” to assess:

Select one:

a. reading comprehension.
b. attention span.
c. mood and feeling.
d. reasoning skills.
e. perceptual distortions.

Answer 5

d. reasoning skills

Question 6

Peripheral neuropathy is most likely to be manifested by:

Select one:

a. impaired memory.
b. impaired abstract reasoning.
c. Impaired writing ability.
d. hallucinations.
e. difficulties with analogies.

Answer 6

c. Impaired writing ability

Question 7

Impairment of arithmetic skills is often caused by:

Select one:

a. impaired execution of motor skills.
b. Impaired judgment.
c. peripheral neuropathies.
d. depression.
e. perceptual distortions.

Answer 7

d. depression.

Question 8

A state of impaired cognition, consciousness, mood, and behavioral dysfunction of acute onset refers to:

Select one:

a. lethargy.
b. delirium.
c. stupor.
d. coma.
e. confusion.

Answer 8

b. delirium

Question 9

Which statement is true in regard to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

Select one:

a. It occurs before 7 years of age.
b. It is usually related to mental retardation.
c. It is usually related to dementia.
d. It is manifested by prolonged periods of catatonic behavior.
e. It usually first manifests with decorticate posturing.

Answer 9

a. It occurs before7 years of age.

Question 10

Which of the following is most closely related to damage or dysfunction of the central or peripheral nervous system?

Select one:

a. Chronic pain
b. Neuropathic pain
c. Acute pain
d. Acute inflammation
e. Surgery

Answer 10

b. Neuropathic pain

Question 11

Facial muscle or tongue weakness may result in:

Select one:

a. aphasia.
b. word salad.
c. neologisms.
d. echolalia.
e. impaired comprehension.

Answer 11

a. aphasia

Question 12

Which statement is true regarding mental status changes in older adults?

Select one:
a. There is usually a decline in general intelligence in older adults.

b. Vocabulary and inventories of information show a marked decrease in older adults.
c. Remote memory decline frequently causes problems in processing information.
d. Recent memory is usually more efficient than remote memory.
e. There is an increased risk of delirium with acute illness or metabolic derangement.

Answer 12

e. There is an increased risk of delirium with acute illness or metabolic derangement.

Question 13

When you suspect that your 81-year-old patient has short-term memory loss because he cannot remember what he had for breakfast, you should:
Select one:
a. order a neurology consult.

b. stop all of his medications.
c. continue to press the patient for appropriate answers.
d. validate the concern with his family or caregivers.
e. dismiss the finding as a normal age-related change.

Answer 13

d. validate the concern with his family or caregivers.

When older adults experience memory loss for recent events, consult other family members to clarify discrepancies or to fill in the gaps.

Question 14

Which hormone is known as the “hunger hormone”?
Select one:
a. Leptin 
b. IGF-I
c. Ghrelin
d. Somatostatin
e. TSH

Answer 14

c. Ghrelin

Question 15

A 69-year-old truck driver presents with a sudden loss of the ability to understand spoken language. This indicates a lesion in the:
Select one:
a. temporal lobe. 
b. Broca area.
c. frontal cortex.
d. precentral gyrus.
e. occipital lobe.

Answer 15

a. temporal lobe.

The temporal lobe, specifically in the Wernicke speech area, is responsible for the comprehension of spoken and written language.

Question 16

ody temperature is regulated by the:
Select one:
a. thalamus.
b. hypothalamus. 
c. medulla.
d. pons.
e. cerebellum.

Answer 16

b. hypothalamus.

Question 17

A patient in the emergency department has a concussion to the head. You suspect that the patient may also have a retinal hemorrhage. You are using the ophthalmoscope to examine the retina of this patient. Which aperture of the ophthalmoscope is most appropriate for this patient?
Select one:
a. StrabismoScope 
b. Red-free filter
c. Slit lamp
d. Small aperture
e. Grid

Answer 17

b. Red-free filter