Chapter 2 Practice Questions

Question 1

The nurse is reviewing the development of culture. Which statement is correct regarding the development of ones culture? Culture is:

a. Genetically determined on the basis of racial background.
b. Learned through language acquisition and socialization.
c. A nonspecific phenomenon and is adaptive but unnecessary.
d. Biologically determined on the basis of physical characteristics.

Answer 1

b. Learned through language acquisition and socialization.

Question 2

During a class on the aspects of culture, the nurse shares that culture has four basic characteristics. Which statement correctly reflects one of these characteristics?

a. Cultures are static and unchanging, despite changes around them.
b. Cultures are never specific, which makes them hard to identify.
c. Culture is most clearly reflected in a persons language and behavior.
d. Culture adapts to specific environmental factors and available natural resources.

Answer 2

d. Culture adapts to specific environmental factors and available natural resources.

Question 3

During a seminar on cultural aspects of nursing, the nurse recognizes that the definition stating the specific and distinct knowledge, beliefs, skills, and customs acquired by members of a society reflects which term?

a. Mores
b. Norms
c. Culture
d. Social learning

Answer 3

c. Culture

Question 4

When discussing the use of the term subculture, the nurse recognizes that it is best described as:

a. Fitting as many people into the majority culture as possible.
b. Defining small groups of people who do not want to be identified with the larger culture.
c. Singling out groups of people who suffer differential and unequal treatment as a result of cultural variations.
d. Identifying fairly large groups of people with shared characteristics that are not common to all members of a culture.

Answer 4

d. Identifying fairly large groups of people with shared characteristics that are not common to all members of a culture.

Question 5

When reviewing the demographics of ethnic groups in the United States, the nurse recalls that the largest and fastest growing population is:

a. Hispanic.
b. Black.
c. Asian.
d. American Indian.

Answer 5

a. Hispanic.

Question 6

During an assessment, the nurse notices that a patient is handling a small charm that is tied to a leather strip around his neck. Which action by the nurse is appropriate?

a. Ask the patient about the item and its significance.
b. Ask the patient to lock the item with other valuables in the hospitals safe.
c. Tell the patient that a family member should take valuables home.
d. No action is necessary.

Answer 6

a. Ask the patient about the item and its significance.

Question 7

The nurse manager is explaining culturally competent care during a staff meeting. Which statement accurately describes the concept of culturally competent care? The caregiver:

a. Is able to speak the patients native language.
b. Possesses some basic knowledge of the patients cultural background.
c. Applies the proper background knowledge of a patients cultural background to provide the best possible health care.
d. Understands and attends to the total context of the patients situation.

Answer 7

d. Understands and attends to the total context of the patients situation.

Question 8

The nurse recognizes that an example of a person who is heritage consistent would be a:

a. Woman who has adapted her clothing to the clothing style of her new country.
b. Woman who follows the traditions that her mother followed regarding meals.
c. Man who is not sure of his ancestors country of origin.
d. Child who is not able to speak his parents native language.

Answer 8

b. Woman who follows the traditions that her mother followed regarding meals.

Question 9

After a class on culture and ethnicity, the new graduate nurse reflects a correct understanding of the concept of ethnicity with which statement?

a. Ethnicity is dynamic and ever changing.
b. Ethnicity is the belief in a higher power.
c. Ethnicity pertains to a social group within the social system that claims shared values and traditions.
d. Ethnicity is learned from birth through the processes of language acquisition and socialization.

Answer 9

c. Ethnicity pertains to a social group within the social system that claims shared values and traditions.

Question 10

The nurse is comparing the concepts of religion and spirituality. Which of the following is an appropriate component of ones spirituality?

a. Belief in and the worship of God or gods
b. Attendance at a specific church or place of worship
c. Personal effort made to find purpose and meaning in life
d. Being closely tied to ones ethnic background

Answer 10

c. Personal effort made to find purpose and meaning in life

Question 11

A woman who has lived in the United States for a year after moving from Europe has learned to speak English and is almost finished with her college studies. She now dresses like her peers and says that her family in Europe would hardly recognize her. This nurse recognizes that this situation illustrates which concept?

a. Assimilation
b. Heritage consistency
c. Biculturalism
d. Acculturation

Answer 11

a. Assimilation

Question 12

The nurse is conducting a heritage assessment. Which question is most appropriate for this assessment?

a. What is your religion?
b. Do you mostly participate in the religious traditions of your family?
c. Do you smoke?
d. Do you have a history of heart disease?

Answer 12

b. Do you mostly participate in the religious traditions of your family?

Question 13

In the majority culture of America, coughing, sweating, and diarrhea are symptoms of an illness. For some individuals of Mexican-American origin, however, these symptoms are a normal part of living. The nurse recognizes that this difference is true, probably because Mexican-Americans:

a. Have less efficient immune systems and are often ill.
b. Consider these symptoms part of normal living, not symptoms of ill health.
c. Come from Mexico, and coughing is normal and healthy there.
d. Are usually in a lower socioeconomic group and are more likely to be sick.

Answer 13

b. Consider these symptoms part of normal living, not symptoms of ill health.

Question 14

The nurse is reviewing theories of illness. The germ theory, which states that microscopic organisms such as bacteria and viruses are responsible for specific disease conditions, is a basic belief of which theory of illness?

a. Holistic
b. Biomedical
c. Naturalistic
d. Magicoreligious

Answer 14

b. Biomedical

Question 15

An Asian-American woman is experiencing diarrhea, which is believed to be cold or yin. The nurse expects that the woman is likely to try to treat it with:

a. Foods that are hot or yang.
b. Readings and Eastern medicine meditations.
c. High doses of medicines believed to be cold.
d. No treatment is tried because diarrhea is an expected part of life.

Answer 15

a. Foods that are hot or yang.

Question 16

Many Asians believe in the yin/yang theory, which is rooted in the ancient Chinese philosophy of Tao. Which statement most accurately reflects health in an Asian with this belief?

a. A person is able to work and produce.
b. A person is happy, stable, and feels good.
c. All aspects of the person are in perfect balance.
d. A person is able to care for others and function socially.

Answer 16

c. All aspects of the person are in perfect balance.

Question 17

Illness is considered part of lifes rhythmic course and is an outward sign of disharmony within. This statement most accurately reflects the views about illness from which theory?

a. Naturalistic
b. Biomedical
c. Reductionist
d. Magicoreligious

Answer 17

a. Naturalistic

Question 18

An individual who takes the magicoreligious perspective of illness and disease is likely to believe that his or her illness was caused by:

a. Germs and viruses.
b. Supernatural forces.
c. Eating imbalanced foods.
d. An imbalance within his or her spiritual nature.

Answer 18

b. Supernatural forces.

Question 19

If an American Indian woman has come to the clinic to seek help with regulating her diabetes, then the nurse can expect that she:

a. Will comply with the treatment prescribed.
b. Has obviously given up her belief in naturalistic causes of disease.
c. May also be seeking the assistance of a shaman or medicine man.
d. Will need extra help in dealing with her illness and may be experiencing a crisis of faith.

Answer 19

c. May also be seeking the assistance of a shaman or medicine man.

Question 20

An older Mexican-American woman with traditional beliefs has been admitted to an inpatient care unit. A culturally sensitive nurse would:

a. Contact the hospital administrator about the best course of action.
b. Automatically get a curandero for her, because requesting one herself is not culturally appropriate.
c. Further assess the patients cultural beliefs and offer the patient assistance in contacting a curandero
d. Ask the family what they would like to do because Mexican-Americans traditionally give control of decision making to their families.

Answer 20

c. Further assess the patients cultural beliefs and offer the patient assistance in contacting a curandero

Question 21

A 63-year-old Chinese-American man enters the hospital with complaints of chest pain, shortness of breath, and palpitations. Which statement most accurately reflects the nurses best course of action?

a. The nurse should focus on performing a full cardiac assessment.
b. The nurse should focus on psychosomatic complaints because the patient has just learned that his
wife has cancer.
c. This patient is not in any danger at present; therefore, the nurse should send him home with
instructions to contact his physician.
d. It is unclear what is happening with this patient; consequently, the nurse should perform an
assessment in both the physical and the psychosocial realms.

Answer 21

d. It is unclear what is happening with this patient; consequently, the nurse should perform an
assessment in both the physical and the psychosocial realms.

Question 22

Symptoms, such as pain, are often influenced by a persons cultural heritage. Which of the following is a true statement regarding pain?

a. Nurses attitudes toward their patients pain are unrelated to their own experiences with pain.
b. Nurses need to recognize that many cultures practice silent suffering as a response to pain.
c. A nurses area of clinical practice will most likely determine his or her assessment of a patients pain.
d. A nurses years of clinical experience and current position are strong indicators of his or her
response to patient pain.

Answer 22

b. Nurses need to recognize that many cultures practice silent suffering as a response to pain.

Question 23

The nurse is reviewing concepts of cultural aspects of pain. Which statement istrue regarding pain?

a. All patients will behave the same way when in pain.
b. Just as patients vary in their perceptions of pain, so will they vary in their expressions of pain.
c. Cultural norms have very little to do with pain tolerance, because pain tolerance is always
biologically determined.
d. A patients expression of pain is largely dependent on the amount of tissue injury associated with the pain.

Answer 23

b. Just as patients vary in their perceptions of pain, so will they vary in their expressions of pain.

Question 24

During a class on religion and spirituality, the nurse is asked to define spirituality. Which answer is correct? Spirituality:

a. Is a personal search to discover a supreme being.
b. Is an organized system of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe.
c. Is a belief that each person exists forever in some form, such as a belief in reincarnation or the afterlife.
d. Arises out of each persons unique life experience and his or her personal effort to find purpose in life.

Answer 24

b. Just as patients vary in their perceptions of pain, so will they vary in their expressions of pain.

Question 25

The nurse recognizes that working with children with a different cultural perspective may be especially difficult because:

a. Children have spiritual needs that are influenced by their stages of development.
b. Children have spiritual needs that are direct reflections of what is occurring in their homes.
c. Religious beliefs rarely affect the parents perceptions of the illness.
d. Parents are often the decision makers, and they have no knowledge of their childrens spiritual needs.

Answer 25

a. Children have spiritual needs that are influenced by their stages of development.

Question 26

A 30-year-old woman has recently moved to the United States with her husband. They are living with the womans sister until they can get a home of their own. When company arrives to visit with the womans sister, the woman feels suddenly shy and retreats to the back bedroom to hide until the company leaves. She explains that her reaction to guests is simply because she does not know how to speak perfect English. This woman
could be experiencing:

a. Culture shock.
b. Cultural taboos.
c. Cultural unfamiliarity.
d. Culture disorientation.

Answer 26

a. Culture shock.

Question 27

After a symptom is recognized, the first effort at treatment is often self-care. Which of the following statements about self-care is true? Self-care is:

a. Not recognized as valuable by most health care providers.
b. Usually ineffective and may delay more effective treatment.
c. Always less expensive than biomedical alternatives.
d. Influenced by the accessibility of over-the-counter medicines.

Question 28

The nurse is reviewing the hot/cold theory of health and illness. Which statement best describes the basic tenets of this theory?

a. The causation of illness is based on supernatural forces that influence the humors of the body.
b. Herbs and medicines are classified on their physical characteristics of hot and cold and the humors of the body.
c. The four humors of the body consist of blood, yellow bile, spiritual connectedness, and social aspects of the individual.
d. The treatment of disease consists of adding or subtracting cold, heat, dryness, or wetness to restore the balance of the humors of the body.

Question 29

In the hot/cold theory, illnesses are believed to be caused by hot or cold entering the body. Which of these patient conditions is most consistent with a cold condition?

a. Patient with diabetes and renal failure
b. Teenager with an abscessed tooth
c. Child with symptoms of itching and a rash
d. Older man with gastrointestinal discomfort

Question 30

When providing culturally competent care, nurses must incorporate cultural assessments into their health assessments. Which statement is most appropriate to use when initiating an assessment of cultural beliefs with an older American-Indian patient?

a. Are you of the Christian faith?
b. Do you want to see a medicine man?
c. How often do you seek help from medical providers?
d. What cultural or spiritual beliefs are important to you?

Question 31

During a class on cultural practices, the nurse hears the termcultural taboo. Which statement illustrates the concept of a cultural taboo?

a. Believing that illness is a punishment of sin
b. Trying prayer before seeking medical help
c. Refusing to accept blood products as part of treatment
d. Stating that a childs birth defect is the result of the parents sins

Question 32

The nurse recognizes that categories such as ethnicity, gender, and religion illustrate the concept of:

a. Family.
b. Cultures.
c. Spirituality.
d. Subcultures.

Question 33

he nurse is reviewing concepts related to ones heritage and beliefs. The belief in divine or superhuman power(s) to be obeyed and worshipped as the creator(s) and ruler(s) of the universe is known as:

a. Culture.
b. Religion.
c. Ethnicity.
d. Spirituality.

Answer 33

b. Religion.

Question 34

When planning a cultural assessment, the nurse should include which component?

a. Family history
b. Chief complaint
c. Medical history
d. Health-related beliefs

Question 35

Which of the following reflects the traditional health and illness beliefs and practices of those of African heritage? Health is:

a. Being rewarded for good behavior.
b. The balance of the body and spirit.
c. Maintained by wearing jade amulets.
d. Being in harmony with nature.

Question 36

he nurse is reviewing aspects of cultural care. Which statements illustrate proper cultural care? Select all that apply.

a. Examine the patient within the context of ones own cultural health and illness practices.
b. Select questions that are not complex.
c. Ask questions rapidly.
d. Touch patients within the cultural boundaries of their heritage.
e. Pace questions throughout the physical examination.

Answer 36

b. Select questions that are not complex.
d. Touch patients within the cultural boundaries of their heritage.

Question 37

The nurse is asking questions about a patients health beliefs. Which questions are appropriate? Select all that apply.

a. What is your definition of health?
b. Does your family have a history of cancer?
c. How do you describe illness?
d. What did your mother do to keep you from getting sick?
e. Have you ever had any surgeries?
f. How do you keep yourself healthy?

Answer 37

a. What is your definition of health?
c. How do you describe illness?
d. What did your mother do to keep you from getting sick?
f. How do you keep yourself healthy?