CPR Practice Questions with Explanations
Questions
You see an adult collapse in a parking lot. What should you do first?
- Make sure the scene is safe for you
- Check for a pulse at the neck
- Give two rescue breaths right away
- Begin chest compressions immediately
What does CPR stand for?
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Cardiac pressure response
- Cardiovascular pulse restoration
- Chest pressure revival
What is the main purpose of chest compressions?
- To move blood to the brain and heart
- To restart the heart's electrical rhythm by force
- To push a stuck object out of the airway
- To force air deep into the lungs
You tap an adult's shoulders and shout "Are you OK?" What are you checking?
- Responsiveness
- Whether the airway is open and clear
- Pulse
- Blood pressure
An adult is unresponsive. You are alone and have a cell phone. What is the best next action?
- Call 911 on speaker and get an AED if one is close
- Leave them to go find a bystander who can call 911
- Give 2 minutes of CPR before calling
- Wait to see if they wake up
An unresponsive adult makes occasional gasping sounds. What does this mean?
- They are not breathing normally; start CPR
- They are breathing, so place them on their side
- Wait until the gasping stops, then start CPR
- Give rescue breaths only, no compressions
How long should you take to check for normal breathing?
- At least 5 but no more than 10 seconds
- 15 to 20 seconds, to be completely sure
- About 30 seconds
- One full minute
Brain damage can begin how soon after the brain stops getting oxygen?
- About 4 to 6 minutes
- Within about 30 seconds
- About 20 minutes after collapse
- About 1 hour
Without CPR or defibrillation, a cardiac arrest victim's chance of survival drops by roughly how much each minute?
- 7 to 10 percent
- About 1 percent
- About 25 percent per minute
- Half every minute
What do Good Samaritan laws generally do?
- Protect people who help in good faith
- Require every adult to know CPR
- Allow bystanders to be paid by hospitals
- Prevent untrained people from giving CPR
Why can you give CPR to an unresponsive adult without asking permission?
- Implied consent
- Expressed consent
- Duty to act
- Abandonment
Before helping a responsive adult, what should you do?
- Ask for their permission to help
- Begin CPR without speaking
- Call their family first
- Check their wallet for medical ID
A responsive child is hurt and a parent is present. Who gives consent?
- The parent or guardian
- The child alone, regardless of age
- The rescuer decides
- No one needs to
What is the purpose of a CPR barrier device such as a pocket mask?
- Reduce the risk of spreading infection
- Make each compression deeper and more effective
- Measure the person's pulse
- Replace the need for breaths
Which best describes sudden cardiac arrest?
- The heart suddenly stops pumping blood effectively
- A blocked artery cuts blood flow to part of the heart
- The person has chest pain but stays awake
- Blood pressure becomes too high
What is the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in adults?
- An abnormal heart rhythm
- Choking on food or another object
- Asthma
- Dehydration
What most often leads to cardiac arrest in children?
- Breathing problems
- Abnormal rhythms from birth
- High cholesterol
- Too much exercise
When should you place someone in the recovery position?
- Unresponsive, breathing normally, no suspected spine injury
- Unresponsive and not breathing
- Awake but complaining of crushing chest pain and sweating
- During a pause in CPR
Hands-Only CPR is recommended for which situation?
- An untrained bystander helping an adult who suddenly collapses
- A trained rescuer helping an infant
- Any drowning victim, especially a child pulled from a pool
- A choking child who is still awake
What are the two steps of Hands-Only CPR?
- Call 911, then push hard and fast in the center of the chest
- Give 2 breaths, then check a pulse
- Tilt the head back, then give 30 quick breaths into the mouth
- Find an AED, then wait for EMS
What is telecommunicator (dispatcher-assisted) CPR?
- A 911 call-taker coaching the caller through CPR
- CPR done using a phone app with no human involved at all
- A recorded video class on CPR
- CPR given by EMS after arrival
Where should a person ideally be placed for CPR?
- On their back on a firm, flat surface
- On their side in a soft bed or couch for comfort
- Sitting upright in a chair
- Face down on the floor
Which are valid reasons to stop CPR?
- An AED is ready to analyze
- EMS takes over care
- The person starts breathing normally
- Ten minutes have passed
- The person has a rib that cracks
If you feel a rib crack during compressions, you should stop CPR.
Lay rescuers do not need to check for a pulse before starting CPR.
What is the correct compression rate for adult CPR?
- 100 to 120 per minute
- 60 to 80 per minute
- 80 to 100 per minute
- 120 to 150 per minute
How deep should you compress an adult's chest?
- At least 2 inches but not more than 2.4 inches
- About 1 inch
- At least 3 inches, as deep as you can push
- About 1.5 inches
In centimeters, what is the correct adult compression depth?
- 5 to 6 cm
- 2 to 3 cm
- 3 to 4 cm
- 7 to 8 cm
Where should your hands go for adult chest compressions?
- Center of the chest, lower half of the breastbone
- Upper half of the breastbone near the neck
- Left side of the chest, directly over where the heart sits
- Over the stomach
What is the compression-to-breath ratio for adult CPR?
- 30:2
- 15:2
- 5:1
- 30:1
Why must you let the chest fully recoil after each compression?
- It lets the heart refill with blood
- It gives the rescuer a short rest between compressions
- It opens the airway
- It keeps the ribs from breaking
What is the main problem with leaning on the chest between compressions?
- It prevents full chest recoil
- It makes compressions too deep
- It speeds up the compression rate
- It lets air into the stomach
Pauses in chest compressions should last no longer than about how long?
- 10 seconds
- 30 seconds
- 1 minute
- 2 minutes
How long should each rescue breath take?
- About 1 second
- About 3 seconds
- About 5 seconds
- As long as possible
How can you tell a rescue breath is effective?
- The chest visibly rises
- The person's lips turn pink
- You hear air leave the nose
- The stomach visibly rises
What can happen if rescue breaths are too large or too forceful?
- Air enters the stomach and may cause vomiting
- The heart rate speeds up
- The person wakes up faster and starts breathing on their own
- Oxygen levels rise too high
Which technique opens the airway of an unresponsive adult with no suspected spine injury?
- Head tilt-chin lift
- Jaw thrust only
- Neck roll
- Pulling the tongue forward with your fingers
How should your arms and shoulders be positioned during adult compressions?
- Arms straight, shoulders directly over your hands
- Elbows bent, shoulders behind your hands
- Arms straight, shoulders near the person's head
- One hand only, with the elbow locked tight against your side
At 100 to 120 compressions per minute, about how long does one set of 30 compressions take?
- 15 to 18 seconds
- 5 to 8 seconds
- 30 to 35 seconds
- About 1 minute
About how many cycles of 30:2 fit into 2 minutes of CPR?
- 5
- 2
- 10
- 20
Your first rescue breath does not make the chest rise. What should you do?
- Re-tilt the head and try the second breath
- Blow much harder on the same breath until the chest rises
- Skip breaths for the rest of CPR
- Check for a pulse for 30 seconds
What is a risk of compressing deeper than 2.4 inches on an adult?
- Injury to the person
- Less blood flow to the brain
- Faster heart refill
- Better oxygenation
What is a problem with compressing faster than 120 per minute?
- Depth often drops and the heart has less time to refill
- The heart restarts too quickly
- The person gets too much oxygen
- Nothing; a faster rate always moves more blood to the brain
In what order does CPR begin for an unresponsive adult who is not breathing normally?
- Compressions, Airway, Breathing
- Airway, Breathing, Compressions
- Breathing, Airway, Compressions
- Airway, Compressions, Breathing
Which part of the hand should push on the chest?
- The heel of the hand
- The fingertips
- The center of the palm, with fingers flat
- The knuckles
A trained rescuer is unwilling to give mouth-to-mouth breaths. What should they do?
- Give continuous chest compressions
- Wait until a barrier device can be found and brought
- Give breaths only
- Do nothing until EMS arrives
What popular song has a tempo close to the correct CPR rate?
- "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees
- Any slow ballad
- A song at 60 beats per minute
- Any song you know well enough to sing all the way through
Why do rescuers often count compressions out loud?
- To track the count and keep a steady pace
- To wake the person up
- To let the AED hear and track the compression rate
- It is legally required
For adult CPR, it is better to compress too shallow than too deep.
How many chest compressions are in one adult CPR cycle? (number only)