HESI A2 practice questions and answers 2026. Tap an option to test yourself — you'll see the correct answer and a plain-English explanation for every question. Free, no login.
Q11Which of the following statements does NOT align with Darwin's theory of natural selection?
✓ Correct answer: C. Early settlers saved seed only from the most productive crop plants to plant the following year.
This is an illustration of artificial selection rather than natural selection.<br/><br/>Preferring only the most productive plants results in the promotion of traits preferred by the selectors, but these traits may not be the most advantageous to the species as a whole in its natural habitat.<br/><br/>Opting for solely the most productive plants often results in the sacrifice of other beneficial traits, such as disease resistance and drought tolerance.
Q12A genetic counsellor creates a pedigree analysis for a couple to determine the couple's chances of giving birth to a child with cystic fibrosis (CF), which is a recessive disorder. If the counsellor finds that neither the woman's grandmother nor her grandfather had the disorder but one of their children did, which of the following conclusions can the counsellor make?
✓ Correct answer: C. The grandparents were both carriers of the CF gene.
The woman's grandparents had a child with CF, so both individuals must have been carriers of the CF gene (heterozygous) since the disease is recessive and neither had the disease. There is no indication that the woman has CF, and there is no way to conclude whether the woman is a carrier who will pass on the gene to a child based on the information provided.
Q13Which of the following is responsible for secondary growth in woody plants?
✓ Correct answer: D. Vascular cambium
The vascular cambium consists of meristematic tissue that divides laterally to increase growth in width of woody plants (secondary growth).
Q14Which of the following statements about taxonomic levels is correct?
✓ Correct answer: A. Family is more specific than order
The levels of classification he used are: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.
Q15The author's main purpose in providing the anecdote in the first paragraph is to
✓ Correct answer: D. show the history of the topic before discussing the present day.
The anecdote discusses a historical example of a doctor performing an experiment and finding a connection between mood and the stomach. "Beaumont noticed that St. Martin's mood seemed to affect how quickly he digested food." Just after providing the story, the author states: "These early observations provided the first clues of crosstalk between the brain and the gut." This means the author explicitly states why they have used this anecdote, which is to set up the idea that doctors have noticed a brain-gut connection before diving into more current research on the topic.
Q16If the author wanted to expand the passage, which of the following options would NOT be a factual addition?
✓ Correct answer: C. Most people do not know how to handle their stressors and it shows.
Facts can be checked and verified as true. <br/><br/>Choice C states an opinion – there is no way to verify it as true.
Q17Which of the following is not one of the ‘more common’ fears a person might have when negotiating?
✓ Correct answer: C. Fear of dressing inappropriately
Choice B is the correct answer because it is not directly mentioned in the list. <br/><br/>Choices A, C and D are each listed as common fears of negotiating, making them incorrect choices.
Q18The author points out that the cathedral has served different functions throughout its history. <br/><br/>What point of irony seems obvious concerning its uses?
✓ Correct answer: C. It served as a House of God and also as a prison where 1700 POW’s lost their lives due to inhumane conditions endured during their imprisonment.
Because the incongruity between a House of God and a prison makes it ironic that the building was used for both purposes. B is incorrect because being the seat for the Anglican Bishop has no sense of irony. C is not a good answer choice because serving as a location for daily worship does not have any ironic undertones. D is not a correct answer because the Romanesque architecture has no connection with irony.
Q19What is the greatest ally of con men according to this author?
✓ Correct answer: C. Greed
Fear and ego are each mentioned as one of the key vulnerabilities, but are not the one he cited as the greatest ally of a con man, making those choices incorrect. Wealth is not mentioned at all and is not correct. Greed is the vulnerability that he cites as the greatest ally of a con man and is the correct answer.
Q20According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true of a code of ethics?
✓ Correct answer: B. it should cover every situation
Lines 16-18 state that it is not possible for any code to cover every possible situation.
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Theory