Even when I was in elementary school, ahem, I loved taking tests. I studied voraciously and felt I had failed if I made less than 95 percent. In high school, the desire to study gave way to seeking a more active social life. Still, I crammed for tests, invoking my previously learned test-taking skills, and managed to graduate second in my class. Over thirty years later when I was the oldest student in my nursing class, test-taking was daunting but still enjoyable (most of the time).  The challenge as well as the opportunity to explore new information are incentives to tackle a test. Below is a multiple-choice quiz composed of twenty eclectic questions related to caregiving. Take a few minutes and test yourself!

Choose the phrase that best completes each statement. (Answers below)

1. Common symptoms of dehydration do not include  (a) profuse sweating and hunger    (b) fatigue, dark yellow urine, rapid heartbeat    (c) light headedness upon standing and muscle cramps.
2. For an elderly person living alone, the hot water thermostat should be adjusted to no more than     (a) 98.6°     (b) 107°     (c) 120°.
3. Atrophy of muscles occurs due to a lack of    (a) sleep   (b) good nutrition   (c) exercise.
4. Cigarette smoking, ultraviolent light and genetics all play a part in the development of cataracts, but the most common cause is  (a) overuse of certain drugs   (b) trauma    (c) aging.
5. Recent statistics show that    (a) 25%    (b) 50%    (c) 80% of persons with Alzheimer’s disease are cared for at home.
6. Decubitus ulcer is the technical term for  (a) a stomach ulcer        (b) a bedsore (c) an ulcer that occurs on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity
7. Diastolic     (a) refers to the lower of the two numbers in a blood pressure reading           (b) is the phase of the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats      (c) both a and b.
8. Dysuria refers to    (a) frequent urination              (b) extreme confusion (c) painful or difficult urination
9. The apical pulse can be heard by placing a stethoscope over the                   (a) neck     (b)  bottom left of the heart        (c) wrist
10. Constipation is most often defined as       (a) having a bowel movement less than three times a week       (b) the inability to have a bowel movement every day          (c) every-other-day stools passed with little effort.
11. Which of the following is not a safety measure?   (a) placing scatter rugs throughout the home               (b) installing grabs bars in the bathroom    (c) using night lights.
12. A nosocomial infection is one       (a) for which there is no treatment      (b) that originates in a hospital           (c) that is easily curable.
13. Systolic   (a) refers to the higher of the two numbers in a blood pressure reading     (b) is the phase of the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats     (c) both a and b.
14. A clear liquid diet may include    (a) orange juice, coffee with cream, sherbet       (b) plain Jell-O, apple juice, fat-free broth      (c) Coke, cream of tomato soup, vanilla milkshakes.
15. The universal sign for choking is    (a) uncontrollable coughing    (b) hands clutched to the throat        (c) pleas of “Help me, I’m choking!”
16. Phantom pain refers to      (a) pain that comes and goes  (b) psychological pain (c) pain from a body part that has been amputated                                   
17. A tympanic temperature is taken      (a) in the axillary (armpit) area                  (b) in the ear         (c) under the tongue
18. When using stairs, an elderly person should always remove       (a) shoes    (b) loose-fitting clothing      (c) reading glasses
19. The Institute of Medicine estimates that family caregivers provide  ______ of long-term care in America.             (a) 50%             (b) 75%     (c) 90% 
20. A caregiver who makes it a priority to take care of herself/himself is acting         (a) wisely          (b) selfishly                (c) thoughtlessly.

ANSWERS:        1(a)  2(b)  3(c)  4(c)  5(c)  6(b)  7(c)   8(c)  9(b) 10(a) 11(a) 12(b)        13(c)         14(b)         15(b)         16(c)         17(b)          18(c)          19(c)          20(a)