All Free Paediatric Nursing MCQs with Answers

Every Paediatric Nursing question in the bank, across all chapters, each with the correct answer and a written explanation. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

350 questions · page 8 of 18

  • A. Mix the packet with the stated volume of safe water
  • B. Mix the packet with less water to make it stronger
  • C. Add sugar and salt to improve the solution
  • D. Keep the prepared solution at room temperature for three days

Explanation: The packet must be dissolved in the exact volume of safe water printed on it.

Correct answer: Mix the packet with the stated volume of safe water
  • A. Vitamin A
  • B. Vitamin K
  • C. Folic acid
  • D. Calcium gluconate

Explanation: Vitamin A is recommended for children with measles because it reduces severity and complications, especially eye and respiratory…

Correct answer: Vitamin A
Moderate
  • A. Stop aspirin and inform the prescriber
  • B. Continue aspirin after giving it with food
  • C. Replace aspirin with an extra dose of antibiotic
  • D. Give aspirin only when the rash becomes painful

Explanation: Aspirin should be avoided in children with viral infections because of its association with Reye syndrome.

Correct answer: Stop aspirin and inform the prescriber
  • A. Wearing shoes outdoors
  • B. Sharing towels only with siblings
  • C. Drinking milk before sleeping
  • D. Avoiding citrus fruits during summer

Explanation: Hookworm larvae can penetrate skin, especially when children walk barefoot on contaminated soil.

Correct answer: Wearing shoes outdoors
Moderate
  • A. Intestinal obstruction
  • B. Acute glomerulonephritis
  • C. Bacterial meningitis
  • D. Middle-ear effusion

Explanation: A large mass of Ascaris worms can obstruct the intestine and cause pain, vomiting and distension.

Correct answer: Intestinal obstruction
Moderate
  • A. Use droplet precautions during the infectious period
  • B. Use contact precautions only after the cough stops
  • C. Allow close contact because the child is afebrile
  • D. Place the child in airborne isolation for the whole admission

Explanation: Pertussis spreads mainly through respiratory droplets, so droplet precautions help protect staff and other children.

Correct answer: Use droplet precautions during the infectious period
  • A. Dysentery
  • B. Simple viral gastroenteritis
  • C. Lactose intolerance
  • D. Functional constipation

Explanation: Visible blood in diarrhoeal stool suggests dysentery, often caused by invasive intestinal infection, and requires clinical assessment for…

Correct answer: Dysentery
Fairly easy
  • A. Antibiotics are not routinely needed for this uncomplicated illness
  • B. Antibiotics prevent every chest infection from developing
  • C. Antibiotics should be started whenever nasal mucus is thick
  • D. Antibiotics are needed until the cough has completely stopped

Explanation: An uncomplicated upper respiratory infection is commonly viral and is managed with fluids, feeding and symptom care.

Correct answer: Antibiotics are not routinely needed for this uncomplicated illness
Moderate
  • A. Measure weight and record urine output
  • B. Check the colour of the child’s hair
  • C. Assess the number of erupted teeth
  • D. Measure the length of the child’s fingernails

Explanation: Daily weight and accurate urine output provide objective information about changing fluid balance.

Correct answer: Measure weight and record urine output
  • A. Tinea capitis
  • B. Measles
  • C. Mumps
  • D. Pertussis

Explanation: Tinea capitis is a fungal infection of the scalp that may cause circular scaly lesions, itching and hair loss.

Correct answer: Tinea capitis
  • A. Growth is measurable physical change, while development is progressive skill acquisition
  • B. Growth is emotional change, while development is increase in height and weight
  • C. Growth is learned behaviour, while development is only genetically determined
  • D. Growth and development are identical terms for increasing age and maturity

Explanation: Growth refers to quantitative changes such as weight, length, and head circumference.

Correct answer: Growth is measurable physical change, while development is progressive skill acquisition
  • A. About 4.5 kg
  • B. About 6 kg
  • C. About 9 kg
  • D. About 12 kg

Explanation: Birth weight usually doubles by about 5 to 6 months and triples by approximately 12 months.

Correct answer: About 9 kg
  • A. Sits without support
  • B. Walks independently
  • C. Uses three-word sentences
  • D. Copies a circle with a pencil

Explanation: Many infants can sit without support at approximately 6 months. Independent walking and three-word sentences occur later, while copying a…

Correct answer: Sits without support
  • A. Uses two-word phrases with meaning
  • B. Uses only crying to communicate
  • C. Reads short sentences aloud
  • D. Uses complex adult grammar consistently

Explanation: By about 2 years, a child commonly combines two words, such as “more milk,” and understands more language than the child can express.

Correct answer: Uses two-word phrases with meaning
  • A. Arrange prompt developmental assessment and referral
  • B. Advise the parents to wait until the child is three years old
  • C. Tell the parents that all children develop at the same rate
  • D. Begin intensive speech training before assessing the child

Explanation: Loss of an acquired skill is a significant warning sign and requires prompt assessment rather than reassurance.

Correct answer: Arrange prompt developmental assessment and referral
Hard
  • A. Comparing one weight with the population average
  • B. Plotting serial weight and length measurements over time
  • C. Assessing appetite without measuring the child
  • D. Measuring height only when the child appears thin

Explanation: Serial measurements plotted on an appropriate growth chart show the child’s growth pattern and whether the child is crossing percentile…

Correct answer: Plotting serial weight and length measurements over time
  • A. Assess hydration, feeding, and stool history
  • B. Teach the caregiver to stop all complementary foods
  • C. Reassure the caregiver that downward crossing is always normal
  • D. Measure the child’s head circumference only

Explanation: Poor weight gain with repeated loose stools may reflect dehydration, inadequate nutrient absorption, infection, or feeding problems.

Correct answer: Assess hydration, feeding, and stool history
  • A. It is a genetically programmed process of biological readiness
  • B. It occurs only after formal teaching by an adult
  • C. It is the same as practising a newly taught skill
  • D. It depends entirely on the child’s social environment

Explanation: Maturation is the unfolding of biologically programmed changes that allow new abilities to appear.

Correct answer: It is a genetically programmed process of biological readiness
Fairly easy
  • A. Long-term inadequate nutrition and chronic illness
  • B. Brief crying before a routine feeding
  • C. A single missed daytime nap
  • D. Normal variation in tooth eruption by several weeks

Explanation: Chronic illness and inadequate nutrition can reduce physical growth, energy, attention, and opportunities for learning.

Correct answer: Long-term inadequate nutrition and chronic illness
Very hard
  • A. The infant transfers a toy from one hand to the other
  • B. The infant makes repeated consonant sounds
  • C. The infant cannot sit without support
  • D. The infant responds to a familiar caregiver’s voice

Explanation: By around 9 months, most infants can sit independently, so inability to sit without support warrants further developmental assessment.

Correct answer: The infant cannot sit without support