HESI A2 — All Questions

The biopsy showed that the growth was benign. Which word best replaces 'benign'?

• a.Cancerous
• b.Contagious
• c.Painful
• d.Harmless✓

In medicine, benign describes a growth or condition that is not dangerous and does not spread. It is the opposite of malignant, which refers to cancerous tissue.

The patient appeared lethargic during the assessment. Which word best replaces 'lethargic'?

• a.Talkative
• b.Agitated
• c.Drowsy✓
• d.Energetic

Lethargic means lacking energy and appearing sluggish or drowsy. A lethargic patient moves and responds slowly.

She was treated for a chronic condition. Which word best replaces 'chronic'?

• a.Transient
• b.Reversible
• c.Localized
• d.Persistent✓

Chronic describes a condition that lasts a long time or recurs frequently. It contrasts with acute, which means sudden and short-lived.

He was admitted with an acute illness. Which word best replaces 'acute'?

• a.Painless
• b.Sudden✓
• c.Imagined
• d.Lingering

An acute illness comes on suddenly and is often severe but short in duration. This is the opposite of a chronic condition.

The nurse will palpate the abdomen. Which word best replaces 'palpate'?

• a.Photograph
• b.Feel✓
• c.Remove
• d.Numb

Palpate means to examine part of the body by feeling it with the hands or fingers. Nurses palpate to assess texture, size, or tenderness.

The chart noted edema in both ankles. Which word best replaces 'edema'?

• a.Fever
• b.Fracture
• c.Rash
• d.Swelling✓

Edema is swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in body tissues. It often appears in the legs, ankles, or feet.

The illness is highly contagious. Which word best replaces 'contagious'?

• a.Harmless
• b.Infectious✓
• c.Incurable
• d.Chronic

Contagious means an illness can be spread from one person to another, often by contact. Many infections caused by viruses are contagious.

In dim light the pupils dilate. Which word best replaces 'dilate'?

• a.Widen✓
• b.Shatter
• c.Close
• d.Harden

Dilate means to become wider or larger. For example, pupils dilate in dim light to let in more light.

Surgery requires a sterile field. Which word best replaces 'sterile'?

• a.Frozen
• b.Crowded
• c.Contaminated
• d.Germ-free✓

Sterile means completely free from living microorganisms such as bacteria. Sterile conditions are essential during surgery to prevent infection.

Patients must abstain from food before the test. Which word best replaces 'abstain'?

• a.Refrain✓
• b.Demand
• c.Depend
• d.Enjoy

To abstain is to choose not to do or consume something. For example, a patient may abstain from food before a blood test.

The surgeon closed the incision. Which word best replaces 'incision'?

• a.Cut✓
• b.Medication
• c.Bandage
• d.Organ

An incision is a cut made into body tissue, usually during surgery. Surgeons make an incision to reach the area they need to treat.

The medication may cause nausea. Which word best replaces 'nausea'?

• a.Lightheadedness
• b.Soreness
• c.Queasiness✓
• d.Rash

Nausea is the uncomfortable sensation of feeling sick to the stomach, often with the urge to vomit. It can be caused by illness, motion, or medication.

The patient agreed to comply with the treatment plan. Which word best replaces 'comply'?

• a.Ignore
• b.Obey✓
• c.Rewrite
• d.Question

To comply is to act in accordance with a rule or request. A patient who complies follows the treatment plan as directed.

This is a potent medication. Which word best replaces 'potent'?

• a.Weak
• b.Colorful
• c.Powerful✓
• d.Costly

Potent describes something that has a strong or powerful effect. A potent medication produces a strong result even in small doses.

Fatigue was her first symptom. Which word best replaces 'symptom'?

• a.Sign✓
• b.Physician
• c.Instrument
• d.Cure

A symptom is evidence of a disease or disorder that the patient feels or notices, such as pain or fatigue. Symptoms help identify what may be wrong.

Smoking can exacerbate a respiratory illness. Which word best replaces 'exacerbate'?

• a.Diagnose
• b.Worsen✓
• c.Cure
• d.Overlook

Exacerbate means to make a problem or condition more severe. For example, smoking can exacerbate a respiratory illness.

A patient who is well hydrated has:

• a.Enough body fluid✓
• b.A high temperature
• c.An active infection
• d.Low body weight

Hydrated means having enough fluid in the body to function properly. Staying hydrated is important for health, especially in hot weather.

The dressing was transparent. Which word best replaces 'transparent'?

• a.Loud
• b.Heavy
• c.Toxic
• d.Clear✓

Transparent means clear enough that light passes through and objects behind it can be seen. Glass and clean water are transparent.

The nurse will monitor his vital signs. Which word best replaces 'monitor'?

• a.Feed
• b.Transport
• c.Observe✓
• d.Discharge

To monitor is to observe and check something regularly over a period of time. Nurses monitor vital signs to track a patient's condition.

The patient reported severe fatigue. Which word best replaces 'fatigue'?

• a.Restlessness
• b.Hunger
• c.Confusion
• d.Exhaustion✓

Fatigue is a state of extreme tiredness or exhaustion. It can result from illness, overwork, or lack of sleep.

The physician discussed the prognosis. Which word best replaces 'prognosis'?

• a.Prescription
• b.Forecast✓
• c.Department
• d.Instrument

A prognosis is a medical prediction about how a disease will develop and the chance of recovery. It differs from a diagnosis, which identifies the condition.

The kidneys excrete waste. Which word best replaces 'excrete'?

• a.Eliminate✓
• b.Synthesize
• c.Circulate
• d.Neutralize

To excrete is to remove waste products from the body. The kidneys, for example, excrete waste through urine.

The tissue around the wound was inflamed. Which word best replaces 'inflamed'?

• a.Numb
• b.Swollen✓
• c.Pale
• d.Unaffected

Inflamed tissue is red, warm, swollen, and often painful as part of the body's response to injury or infection. Inflammation is a natural defense reaction.

Medication was given to alleviate the pain. Which word best replaces 'alleviate'?

• a.Cause
• b.Measure
• c.Relieve✓
• d.Intensify

Alleviate means to make something less severe or more bearable. Pain medication is given to alleviate a patient's discomfort.

The nurse checked for any contraindication before giving the drug. A contraindication is:

• a.a reason the drug should not be given✓
• b.a second drug given with the first
• c.the expected benefit of the drug
• d.the correct dose for the patient

The prefix contra means against, so a contraindication is a condition that makes a treatment unsafe or unwise. A drug given alongside another is a combination, the expected benefit is the indication rather than its opposite, and dosing is a separate matter entirely.

An ultrasound showed that the artery was occluded. The word 'occluded' means:

• a.enlarged
• b.inflamed
• c.displaced
• d.blocked✓

To occlude is to close or obstruct a passage, so an occluded artery is one blood cannot pass through. An enlarged vessel is dilated, an inflamed one is irritated and swollen, and a displaced one has moved out of position.

The child had a paroxysm of coughing that lasted nearly a minute. A paroxysm is:

• a.a mild and steady discomfort
• b.a slow return to normal breathing
• c.a habit repeated out of nervousness
• d.a sudden violent attack✓

A paroxysm is an abrupt, intense episode of a symptom that comes on without warning. Something mild and steady is the opposite of paroxysmal, a gradual recovery is not an attack at all, and a nervous habit is voluntary behaviour.

Place the patient in the supine position for the examination. Supine means lying:

• a.flat on the stomach, face down
• b.on the left side with knees bent
• c.flat on the back, face up✓
• d.upright with the legs extended

Supine describes a patient on their back with the face upward. Lying face down is prone, lying on one side is the lateral position, and sitting upright with the legs out is the Fowler or long-sitting position.

The chart described the patient's blood pressure as labile. This means it:

• a.stays within the normal range
• b.is dangerously low at all times
• c.changes often and unpredictably✓
• d.has not been measured recently

Labile means unstable or liable to shift, so a labile pressure swings from reading to reading. A steady reading would be stable, a persistently low one would be described as hypotensive, and an unmeasured value would simply be missing.

The patient's abdomen was firm and distended. Distended means:

• a.swollen or stretched outward✓
• b.sunken and hollow
• c.warm to the touch
• d.tender only on pressure

A distended abdomen has been stretched by gas, fluid or swelling from within. A sunken abdomen is the opposite, warmth describes temperature, and tenderness describes the response to touch rather than the shape.

After the stroke his left arm was flaccid. Flaccid means:

• a.limp and without tone✓
• b.rigid and stiff
• c.swollen and painful
• d.trembling steadily

Flaccid muscle has lost its normal tension and hangs loosely. Rigidity is the opposite condition, swelling describes size rather than tone, and a steady tremor is involuntary movement, not lack of tone.

The patient was turned to a prone position. Prone means lying:

• a.face up
• b.on the right side
• c.with the head lowered
• d.face down✓

Prone places the patient on the stomach with the face turned to one side. Face up is supine, lying on one side is lateral, and tilting the head below the feet is the Trendelenburg position.

The physician asked whether the patient could ambulate without help. To ambulate is to:

• a.eat
• b.dress
• c.speak
• d.walk✓

Ambulate comes from the Latin for walking, so an ambulatory patient can get about on foot. Feeding, dressing and speech are separate activities of daily living, each with its own term.

The nurse recorded that the patient was able to void. To void means to:

• a.swallow without difficulty
• b.empty the bladder✓
• c.sit up unassisted
• d.take a deep breath

Void is the clinical word for passing urine. Swallowing, sitting up and breathing deeply are all assessed separately and none of them involves the bladder.

Patients at risk of aspiration should be sitting upright when they eat. Aspiration in this sentence means:

• a.losing the appetite for solid food
• b.having difficulty chewing tough food
• c.refusing a meal that has been offered
• d.drawing food or liquid into the airway✓

Aspiration is the entry of material into the lungs instead of the esophagus, which is why upright positioning matters. Loss of appetite is anorexia, chewing trouble relates to the teeth and jaw, and refusing food is a choice rather than an event in the airway.

The nurse noted cyanosis around the patient's lips. Cyanosis is:

• a.a bluish colour of the skin✓
• b.a yellowing of the skin
• c.an unusual pallor of the skin
• d.a raised red rash on the skin

Cyanosis is the blue-grey tint that appears when blood carries too little oxygen. Yellowing is jaundice, abnormal paleness is pallor, and a raised red rash describes a different finding altogether.

A lesion was noted on the patient's forearm. A lesion is:

• a.a permanent surgical scar
• b.a bruise caused by a fall
• c.an area of damaged tissue✓
• d.an allergy to a medication

Lesion is the general term for any wound, sore or area of abnormal tissue, whatever the cause. A scar is one healed result, a bruise is one specific kind of injury, and an allergy is a reaction rather than a visible area of tissue.

The patient was febrile on admission. Febrile means:

• a.having a fever✓
• b.having chest pain
• c.being unable to sleep
• d.having low blood sugar

Febrile comes from the Latin for fever and simply means the temperature is raised. Chest pain, insomnia and low blood sugar each have their own vocabulary and none is implied by this word.

For two weeks before the diagnosis she complained only of malaise. Malaise is:

• a.a sharp pain in one location
• b.a vague feeling of being unwell✓
• c.a sudden loss of consciousness
• d.an inability to move one side

Malaise is a general, hard-to-pin-down sense of discomfort and low energy that often precedes a clearer illness. A localised sharp pain, fainting and one-sided weakness are all specific findings rather than vague ones.

The speech therapist assessed the patient for dysphagia. Dysphagia is difficulty with:

• a.speaking
• b.breathing
• c.hearing
• d.swallowing✓

The root phag refers to eating or swallowing, and dys means difficult, so dysphagia is trouble swallowing. Difficulty speaking is dysphasia, laboured breathing is dyspnea, and hearing loss carries another term again.

The dressing was removed and the skin underneath was intact. Intact means:

• a.red and irritated
• b.moist and draining
• c.bruised and discoloured
• d.unbroken and undamaged✓

Intact skin has no break in its surface, which is exactly what a nurse hopes to find beneath a dressing. Redness, drainage and bruising all describe skin that is not intact.

Which word best completes the sentence? 'The infection left his hearing permanently ___ , so he now reads lips.'

• a.impaired✓
• b.enhanced
• c.restored
• d.irrelevant

Impaired means weakened or reduced in function, which fits a man who must now read lips. Enhanced and restored both mean improved, and irrelevant describes importance rather than function.

Warm compresses were applied for their therapeutic effect. Therapeutic means:

• a.temporary and unreliable
• b.experimental and unproven
• c.uncomfortable but necessary
• d.healing or beneficial✓

A therapeutic measure is one intended to treat or relieve a condition. Nothing in the word implies that the effect is short-lived, untested, or unpleasant, though a particular treatment might happen to be any of those.

The instructions say to dilute the concentrate before use. To dilute means to:

• a.warm gently before use
• b.shake until fully mixed
• c.make weaker by adding liquid✓
• d.measure out an exact dose

Diluting adds water or another liquid so the solution becomes less concentrated. Warming, shaking and measuring are all separate preparation steps that do not change the strength.

The record noted emesis twice during the night. Emesis is:

• a.coughing
• b.vomiting✓
• c.sweating
• d.shivering

Emesis is the clinical term for vomiting, which is why a drug that prevents it is an antiemetic. Coughing, sweating and shivering are all charted with their own words.

The oncologist reported that the disease was in remission. Remission means the disease:

• a.has returned after treatment
• b.has lessened or disappeared for now✓
• c.has spread to other organs
• d.no longer responds to treatment

Remission is a period in which signs and symptoms fade, though the illness may return later. A return of disease is a relapse, spread is metastasis, and a disease that stops responding is called resistant or refractory.

Staff must follow the protocol for a suspected exposure. A protocol is:

• a.a written record of an event
• b.a warning posted for visitors
• c.an agreement between two staff
• d.an established set of steps✓

A protocol lays out in advance the procedure everyone is to follow in a given situation. A record documents what happened afterward, a posted warning conveys a hazard, and an informal agreement binds no one else.

The assessment measured the patient's cognitive function. Cognitive refers to:

• a.movement and balance
• b.thinking and memory✓
• c.digestion and appetite
• d.mood and emotion

Cognitive function covers reasoning, attention, memory and judgement. Movement and balance are motor functions, digestion is a physical process, and mood belongs to the affective rather than cognitive domain.

The child was admitted with a calcium deficit. A deficit is:

• a.an excess
• b.a shortage✓
• c.a balance
• d.a reaction

A deficit is an amount that falls short of what is needed. An excess is too much, a balance means the amount is correct, and a reaction describes a response rather than a quantity.

The drug was stopped because of an adverse reaction. Adverse means:

• a.expected and harmless
• b.delayed by several hours
• c.harmful or unfavourable✓
• d.unusual but beneficial

An adverse effect works against the patient, which is why it prompts stopping the drug. A harmless expected effect is a side effect that can often be tolerated, timing is a separate question, and anything beneficial would not be called adverse.