Green-tagged patients who can walk usually make up the largest group in a mass casualty event.
Correct Answer
True
True. The walking wounded, who have minor injuries, usually outnumber all other groups. Many leave the scene and seek care on their own, which can flood nearby hospitals.
Category: Mass Casualty Triage
Question 2
A tornado watch means conditions favor tornadoes, while a tornado warning means one has been sighted or indicated by radar.
Correct Answer
True
True. The National Weather Service issues a watch when tornadoes are possible in and near the area, which is the time to prepare, and a warning when a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar, which calls for taking shelter right away.
Category: Environmental Disasters
Question 3
Mitigation includes long-term steps, such as stricter building codes, that reduce the harm a future disaster can cause.
Correct Answer
True
True. Mitigation is the phase focused on lessening a disaster's impact before it happens, through land-use planning, building codes, infrastructure improvements and public education.
Category: Disaster Phases and Planning
Question 4
Many emergency shelters cannot meet the needs of people with complex medical conditions.
Correct Answer
True
True. Shelters often lack equipment, power and staff for complex care, which makes evacuation especially hard for people with limited mobility or serious illness. Nurses help plan for these at-risk groups ahead of time.
Category: Disaster Phases and Planning
Question 5
A pandemic is often caused by a new pathogen to which people have little or no immunity.
Correct Answer
True
True. Because few people are immune to a novel virus or other pathogen, it can spread across borders and continents and cause widespread illness and disruption.
Category: Biological Threats
Question 6
Debriefings after a disaster drill identify strengths and areas that need improvement.
Correct Answer
True
True. Reviewing performance after an exercise captures lessons learned so plans, training and protocols can be updated before a real event.
Category: Hospital Preparedness
Question 7
In the recovery phase, nurses address the mental health needs of staff as well as patients.
Correct Answer
True
True. Disaster work can cause trauma and burnout in health care workers, so recovery includes assessing and supporting the physical and mental health of staff along with patients and families.
Category: Recovery and Support
Question 8
After a radiological release, contaminated soil and water can make local crops and animals unsafe to eat.
Correct Answer
True
True. Radioactive particles can enter soil, water and food chains, affecting agriculture and food supplies long after the release.
Category: Technological Hazards
Question 9
Communication breakdowns during a disaster hit lower-income and medically underserved communities especially hard.
Correct Answer
True
True. Failed communication isolates the people who most need help, and underserved communities often have fewer resources and poorer roads, so delayed care can lead to severe complications or death.
Category: Disaster Phases and Planning
Question 10
During disaster recovery, nurses help monitor for contaminated water and infectious disease outbreaks.
Correct Answer
True
True. In the recovery phase, nurses work with public health agencies to watch for health threats such as unsafe water and outbreaks, and they advocate for equitable access to care.
Category: Recovery and Support
Question 11
A black tag goes to the patient whose severe injuries mean they must be treated first.
Correct Answer
False
False. A black tag marks a patient who is deceased or not expected to survive with the resources available. Patients with immediate but survivable threats to life receive a red tag and are treated first.
Category: Mass Casualty Triage
Question 12
Sheltering in place is the safest response to an approaching wildfire, so evacuation is rarely needed.
Correct Answer
False
False. Evacuation is the only way to escape a wildfire, which can spread rapidly with dry vegetation and wind. Nurses must be ready to follow evacuation orders and protect patients.
Category: Environmental Disasters
Question 13
An epidemic is a disease occurring in a community at its usual, expected level.
Correct Answer
False
False. An epidemic is a disease occurring in a population more often than expected, usually a sudden rise in cases within a set period.
Category: Biological Threats
Question 14
Earthquakes can be predicted accurately, so hospitals in quake zones prepare only after an alert is issued.
Correct Answer
False
False. Earthquakes are very difficult to predict, so preparedness depends on understanding regional risk and having a disaster plan ready at all times.
Category: Environmental Disasters
Question 15
Handwashing plays only a minor role in limiting the spread of influenza.
Correct Answer
False
False. Handwashing is a key intervention for limiting influenza transmission, along with vaccination and infection control in health care settings.
Category: Biological Threats
Question 16
Under the incident command system, each department decides its own roles independently during a disaster.
Correct Answer
False
False. The incident command system is a standardized, centralized framework with clearly defined roles, so decisions, resources and communication are coordinated rather than handled separately.
Category: Hospital Preparedness
Question 17
The health effects of radiation exposure always appear within a short time after the event.
Correct Answer
False
False. Acute radiation sickness can appear quickly, but many effects, such as higher rates of leukemia and thyroid cancer, may not appear for decades.
Category: Technological Hazards
Question 18
During a disaster, nurses should set aside their own rest and emotional needs until the recovery phase ends.
Correct Answer
False
False. Disaster work can cause trauma and burnout, and nurses need to attend to their own physical and mental health throughout in order to keep caring for patients effectively.
Category: Recovery and Support
Question 19
Flash floods develop slowly, giving hospitals plenty of warning to move patients.
Correct Answer
False
False. Flash floods result from heavy rain over a short time and develop quickly, which is what makes them so dangerous. Hospitals in flood-prone areas plan ahead to move patients to higher floors.
Category: Environmental Disasters
Question 20
Ebola spreads mainly through contaminated food rather than through contact with an infected person's body fluids.
Correct Answer
False
False. Ebola first reached people from wild animals but now spreads from person to person through contact with body fluids, which is why caregivers and health care workers face the highest risk.
Category: Biological Threats