UPDATED NURSING EXAM: NR 603 APEA Predictor Exam (Questions and Answers with Explanations) 1.During pregnancy, dyspnea accompanied by increased respiratory rate, cough, rales, or respiratory distress raises concerns of: Answer: Peripartum cardiomyopathy Explanation: Dyspnea with increased respiratory rate, cough, rales, or respiratory distress during pregnancy could indicate infection, asthma, pulmonary embolus, or peripartum cardiomyopathy. 2.The middle section of the thoracic cavity containing the esophagus, trachea, heart, and great vessels is the: Answer: Mediastinum Explanation: The mediastinum is the central thoracic cavity containing the esophagus, trachea, heart, and great vessels, flanked by the pleural cavities with the lungs, visceral pleura, and pericardium. 3.A patient is unable to identify the smell of an orange. This inability could reflect an abnormality in cranial nerves: Answer: CN IExplanation: Cranial Nerve I (olfactory nerve) is responsible for smell. Testing with familiar odors assesses its function, while CN II and III assess vision and pupillary reaction, and CN VIII tests hearing and balance. 4.A transient ischemic attack is: Answer: A transient episode of neurologic dysfunction by focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal ischemia, without acute infarction Explanation: A TIA is defined as transient neurological dysfunction due to focal ischemia without infarction, distinct from ischemic stroke, which