Respiratory TMC Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (1–10)

Question 1

Coarse, low-pitched bubbling sounds heard over the large airways that often clear with coughing are best described as:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Coarse crackles (rhonchi). Coarse crackles, sometimes called rhonchi, arise from secretions in larger airways and frequently change or clear after the patient coughs.

Question 2

A high-pitched, musical, continuous sound heard on expiration is most consistent with:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Wheezing. Wheezes are continuous, high-pitched musical sounds produced by airflow through narrowed airways, classically heard in bronchospasm.

Question 3

A harsh, high-pitched sound heard over the upper airway during inspiration in a patient recently extubated suggests:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Upper airway obstruction (stridor). Inspiratory stridor after extubation indicates upper-airway narrowing, commonly from laryngeal edema, and warrants prompt evaluation.

Question 4

A bluish discoloration of the lips and oral mucosa indicating reduced oxygenation is termed:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Central cyanosis. Central cyanosis reflects desaturated hemoglobin in mucous membranes and signals significant hypoxemia, unlike peripheral cyanosis from poor perfusion.

Question 5

Clubbing of the fingers in a patient with chronic lung disease most directly reflects:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Chronic hypoxemia. Digital clubbing develops with long-standing hypoxemia and chronic conditions such as bronchiectasis, interstitial fibrosis, and cyanotic heart disease.

Question 6

Increased tactile fremitus over a region of the chest most likely indicates:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Lung consolidation (pneumonia). Consolidated lung transmits vibration better than air-filled lung, so fremitus increases; air or fluid between the lung and chest wall decreases it.

Question 7

A hyperresonant percussion note over one hemithorax with absent breath sounds suggests:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Pneumothorax. Trapped pleural air produces hyperresonance with diminished or absent breath sounds; fluid or consolidation instead produces dullness.

Question 8

Which respiratory rate in an adult is generally classified as tachypnea?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

26 breaths/min. Normal adult respiratory rate is about 12-20 breaths/min; a rate above 20, such as 26, is tachypnea.

Question 9

A pulse oximeter reading may be falsely unreliable in a patient with:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Carbon monoxide poisoning. Standard pulse oximetry cannot distinguish carboxyhemoglobin from oxyhemoglobin, so SpO2 reads falsely high in CO poisoning; co-oximetry is required.

Question 10

A sudden drop in end-tidal CO2 (PetCO2) toward zero in a ventilated patient most urgently suggests:

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Loss of airway or circulation (e.g., disconnection or cardiac arrest). An abrupt fall of PetCO2 to near zero signals no CO2 reaching the detector, typically from circuit disconnection, esophageal tube, or cardiac arrest.

Respiratory TMC Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (1–10)

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