Lung Sounds Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. When a patient whispers “one-two-three,” the words sound unusually distinct through the stethoscope over one lung area. What is this finding called?
Pleural friction rub
Tactile fremitus
Whispered pectoriloquy
Vesicular breathing
2. A person has sudden shortness of breath and pleuritic chest pain. Breath sounds are markedly reduced on one side. Which condition should be considered promptly?
Uncomplicated acute bronchitis
Pneumothorax
Small focal consolidation with bronchial breathing
Bilateral pulmonary edema
3. A substantial layer of fluid has collected between a lung and the chest wall. Which auscultatory finding is most likely directly over that fluid?
Reduced or absent breath sounds
Diffuse high-pitched wheezing
Louder vesicular breath sounds
Normal tracheal breath sounds
4. During auscultation, you hear a low-pitched, snoring sound that changes after the patient coughs. What is the best term for it?
Fine crackles
Stridor
Pleural friction rub
Rhonchi
5. Which approach best supports a reliable comparison during a posterior lung examination?
Listen to every site on one side before examining the other side
Listen only at the bases because abnormal sounds settle downward
Compare matching sites from side to side while moving from top to bottom
Ask the patient to whisper continuously while every site is examined
6. While listening over a focal lung area, the patient's spoken “E” sounds more like “A.” How should this be documented?
Bronchophony
Egophony
Stridor
Rhonchi
7. Which description best matches normal vesicular breath sounds over most peripheral lung tissue?
Soft, relatively low-pitched sounds with inspiration longer and louder than expiration
Loud, high-pitched sounds with a distinct pause between inspiration and expiration
Musical sounds that are louder during expiration and persist throughout the breath
Brief popping sounds heard mainly at the end of inspiration
8. Bronchial breath sounds are heard over a peripheral area where vesicular sounds would normally be expected. Which process most commonly explains this finding?
Air collecting in the pleural space and blocking sound transmission
Alveolar consolidation transmitting central airway sounds more clearly
A thick chest wall reducing all sound intensity
Normal airflow through healthy peripheral alveoli
9. A patient develops a loud, harsh sound heard most strongly over the neck during inspiration. What does this finding most strongly suggest?
Significant upper-airway narrowing
Inflamed pleural surfaces rubbing together
Fluid in small peripheral airways
Normal bronchovesicular airflow
10. A patient has diffuse, high-pitched musical sounds, especially during a prolonged expiration. Which mechanism best explains the finding?
Airflow through narrowed lower airways
Dense alveoli transmitting spoken sounds
Fluid separating the lung from the chest wall
Pleural surfaces rubbing during chest movement
11. A localized, grating sound is heard during both inspiration and expiration and does not clear with coughing. Which finding fits best?
Rhonchi
Fine crackles
Pleural friction rub
Expiratory wheeze
12. Which description is most characteristic of crackles?
A continuous, low-pitched snoring sound
A harsh sound transmitted most strongly over the neck
Discontinuous popping or clicking sounds
A smooth musical tone lasting through most of expiration
13. During a prolonged lung examination, the patient becomes light-headed after taking repeated deep breaths. What is the most appropriate immediate response?
Continue quickly so every site is assessed before symptoms worsen
Ask the patient to breathe even more deeply through the nose
Switch immediately to voice-transmission tests without a pause
Pause the examination and allow normal breathing until the patient recovers
14. Which finding is best described as a wheeze?
A localized grating noise caused by inflamed pleural surfaces
A series of brief, nonmusical pops during inspiration
An unusually clear transmission of whispered speech
A continuous musical sound associated with narrowed airways
15. At both posterior bases, you hear brief, high-pitched pops near the end of deep inspiration. Which term best describes them?
Rhonchi
Stridor
Bronchial breath sounds
Fine crackles
16. Where are normal bronchial or tracheal breath sounds usually heard most clearly?
Over the peripheral lung bases
Over the trachea
At the lateral chest near the lower axillae
Near the posterior costophrenic angles