FREE NEX Critical Thinking Questions and Answers

Question 1

A hospital memo states: 'To reduce the rate of hospital-acquired infections, all clinical staff must strictly adhere to the new 5-step handwashing protocol before and after every patient contact.' What is the primary assumption the hospital administration is making?

Accepted Answer

The new protocol is superior to the old one for preventing infections.

Answer

Staff are not currently washing their hands enough.

Answer

Patients have been complaining about staff hygiene.

Answer

Hospital-acquired infections are the only safety issue at the hospital.

Question 2

A patient chart notes the following: fatigue, unintended weight loss, and persistent cough for the last month. Based only on this information, which of the following is the most reasonable inference?

Accepted Answer

The patient's symptoms require further medical investigation.

Answer

The patient has a serious illness like cancer or tuberculosis.

Answer

The patient is likely a smoker.

Answer

The symptoms are probably caused by stress.

Question 3

A nurse manager argues, 'We should switch to 12-hour shifts because a study at City General Hospital showed it improved staff morale and reduced overtime costs.' Which of the following statements, if true, would most weaken the manager's argument?

Accepted Answer

City General Hospital has a much lower nurse-to-patient ratio than our hospital.

Answer

City General Hospital is in the same city as our hospital.

Answer

Our hospital's nurses have also reported low morale.

Answer

City General Hospital is a private hospital, while ours is a public one.

Question 4

Premise 1: All patients who receive a full course of Antibiotic Z are cured. Premise 2: Mr. Jones was not cured. What can be logically concluded from these two premises?

Accepted Answer

Mr. Jones did not receive a full course of Antibiotic Z.

Answer

Antibiotic Z is ineffective.

Answer

Mr. Jones needs a higher dose of Antibiotic Z.

Answer

Premise 1 must be false.

Question 5

A public health campaign poster reads: 'Our city has seen a 15% increase in gym memberships and a 10% decrease in heart disease cases over the past five years. Join a gym and protect your heart!' This campaign's conclusion relies on which of the following assumptions?

Accepted Answer

The increase in gym memberships is a direct cause of the reduction in heart disease.

Answer

Gym memberships are affordable for everyone.

Answer

No other health initiatives were started in the last five years.

Answer

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the city.

Question 6

A patient states, 'I'm not getting the flu shot. My cousin got one last year and she still got the flu.' Which statement best identifies the flaw in the patient's reasoning?

Accepted Answer

The patient is making a generalization based on anecdotal evidence.

Answer

The patient is disrespecting their doctor's medical opinion.

Answer

The patient is assuming that all flu shots are the same.

Answer

The patient is confusing correlation with causation.