ATI LPN
NCLEX PN Questions Respiratory System Questions
Question 1 of 5
The organ of the respiratory system that traps bacteria with a ring of tonsils is the:
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The pharynx (B) traps bacteria with tonsils (e.g., palatine, adenoids), per the key lymphoid tissue filters pathogens (e.g., 10ⶠbacteria/day). The nose (A) uses mucus/hairs, not tonsils. The larynx (C) and trachea (D) lack tonsils mucus alone clears debris. Pharyngeal tonsils (Waldeyer's ring) produce lymphocytes, per immunology, guarding against inhaled/oral microbes unlike A's physical trap, C's vocal role, or D's conduit function, B's immune barrier is distinct.
Question 2 of 5
If treatment for acute epiglottitis is effective, what should the nurse expect to record about the child?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Clear bilateral breath sounds (D) show effective epiglottitis treatment, per document (4). Antibiotics (e.g., ceftriaxone) and steroids resolve swelling (e.g., 24-48 hr), restoring airflow (RR <30). Pale lips (A) or tripod (B) persist pre-treatment. Tachypnea (C) lingers if unresolved. D's clarity normal vesicular sounds confirms recovery, unlike A's hypoxia sign.
Question 3 of 5
The nose serves all the following functions EXCEPT:
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The nose warms, humidifies, and cleanses air turbinates and mucous membranes heat and moisten inhaled air, while hairs and mucus trap dust and microbes. It's a primary air passageway to the pharynx. However, it doesn't initiate the cough reflex that's triggered by irritants in the larynx, trachea, or lower airways, detected by sensory nerves (e.g., vagus), not nasal structures. Coughing expels debris from deeper airways, not the nose, which relies on sneezing or mucociliary clearance. This distinction highlights the nose's role in air conditioning and filtration, not reflex-driven expulsion, a key anatomical separation in respiratory defense mechanisms and clinical understanding of upper versus lower airway responses.
Question 4 of 5
During internal and external respiration, gases move by
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Diffusion drives gas movement in internal (blood-to-tissue) and external (alveoli-to-blood) respiration, based on partial pressure gradients Oâ‚‚ from high (alveoli, ~100 mmHg) to low (blood, ~40 mmHg), COâ‚‚ vice versa. Osmosis moves water, not gases. Active transport uses energy for ions, not Oâ‚‚/COâ‚‚, which are lipid-soluble and passive. Endocytosis involves cell engulfment, irrelevant here. Diffusion's simplicity, across thin alveolar-capillary membranes, ensures rapid exchange, a core mechanism in respiration, critical in conditions like pulmonary edema where thickened barriers slow it, affecting oxygenation.
Question 5 of 5
The nurse assesses the respiratory status of a client who is experiencing an exacerbation of COPD secondary to an upper respiratory tract infection. Which of the following findings would be expected?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Coarse crackles and rhonchi are expected in a COPD exacerbation from an upper respiratory infection. Secretions obstruct airways, producing these adventitious sounds as air moves through crackles from fluid, rhonchi from mucus. Normal breath sounds (A) are diminished in COPD due to hyperinflation and reduced airflow, not present in exacerbation. Expiration, not inspiration (B), prolongs as airways narrow. Chest movement (C) decreases with overdistended lungs, not normal. These findings reflect infection-driven mucus buildup atop chronic obstruction, key in nursing assessment to guide suctioning or bronchodilator use and monitor worsening respiratory distress.