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Quiz: Brain Health, Sleep, and Emergency Care

Test your understanding of brain-healthy habits, sleep, dementia, and CPR/AED emergency response with these review questions.

1. According to current guidelines for hands-only chest compressions on an adult, what is the correct compression rate and depth?

  1. 60-80 compressions per minute, at least 1 inch deep
  2. 150-170 compressions per minute, as shallow as possible
  3. 100-120 compressions per minute, at least 2 inches deep
  4. Any rate is acceptable as long as compressions continue
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. The chapter states that correct chest compressions should be at least 2 inches deep at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute, allowing the chest to fully recoil between compressions. This rate is close to the tempo of the song "Stayin' Alive," a commonly used memory aid.

Concept Tested: CPR Techniques

2. What is "cognitive reserve," as described in the chapter?

  1. A buffer of neural connections, built through cognitive engagement, that helps the brain tolerate age-related changes without losing function as quickly
  2. A fixed amount of memory capacity present at birth that cannot be changed
  3. A term describing how much sleep a person has stored up in advance
  4. A measurement of blood flow to the brain during exercise
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. Cognitive reserve is built through cognitive engagement activities like learning new skills, reading, or playing strategy games, and it functions as a buffer that helps the brain tolerate age-related changes without losing function as quickly. It is one of five modifiable factors the chapter links to brain health.

Concept Tested: Brain-Healthy Habits

3. Why does the chapter emphasize that dementia is not a normal or inevitable part of aging?

  1. Because dementia only occurs in people under the age of fifty
  2. Because everyone eventually develops dementia if they live long enough
  3. Because dementia only affects short-term memory and nothing else
  4. Because most people never develop it, even into their nineties, and it results from specific disease processes damaging brain tissue rather than simply "giving up" mentally
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. The chapter states plainly that dementia is not a normal or inevitable part of aging — most people never develop it, even into their nineties — and it results from specific disease processes, not from a person failing to stay mentally active. This distinction matters for accurately understanding what a diagnosis does and does not mean.

Concept Tested: Alzheimer's Disease And Other Dementias

4. A student works an after-school job and shares a bedroom in a household with a shift-working parent, making consistent sleep difficult. How does the chapter frame this situation?

  1. As entirely the result of poor personal discipline and time management
  2. As a structural barrier to sleep unrelated to personal choice, distinct from a sleep habit the student could simply adjust on their own
  3. As proof that sleep needs decrease for students with jobs
  4. As something that has no connection to health outcomes
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. The chapter explicitly names factors like after-school jobs, shift-working parents, and crowded housing as structural barriers to sleep that have nothing to do with personal discipline. It draws a distinction between a sleep habit a person can adjust and a social condition that constrains their options.

Concept Tested: Sleep And Rest Influences On Health

5. A bystander finds someone unresponsive and not breathing normally, with several other people standing nearby. What is the correct next action after confirming the scene is safe?

  1. Wait for someone in the group to volunteer to call 911
  2. Begin rescue breaths before doing anything else
  3. Point directly at one specific person and assign them to call 911, since a general call for help is often assumed to be someone else's responsibility
  4. Leave to find a phone rather than staying with the person
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. The chapter specifically warns that a general call for help in a group often results in everyone assuming someone else is handling it, so assigning the task to one specific person by pointing at them directly is the correct approach. This step, along with sending someone else for an AED, comes right after confirming scene safety and checking responsiveness.

Concept Tested: CPR Techniques

6. While attaching AED pads, a rescuer notices the person has a visible implanted pacemaker near the collarbone. What should the rescuer do?

  1. Stop using the AED entirely, since it cannot be used on anyone with a pacemaker
  2. Place the pad directly on top of the pacemaker for the best connection
  3. Delay starting compressions until the pacemaker issue is resolved
  4. Place the pad at least an inch to the side of the pacemaker rather than directly on top, without delaying compressions
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. The chapter notes that if a person has a visible implanted device like a pacemaker, the pad should be placed at least an inch to the side of it rather than directly on top. This detail affects exact pad placement only — it should not delay starting compressions or using the AED.

Concept Tested: AED Use

7. A grandmother with dementia asks where her late husband is for the third time during a visit. Based on the chapter's guidance, what is the most supportive response?

  1. Gently redirecting the conversation rather than repeating the painful news each time, since correcting factual details that don't matter is often less kind than redirecting
  2. Firmly correcting her every time to ensure she remembers the facts accurately
  3. Refusing to answer and leaving the room
  4. Explaining in detail, with dates, exactly when and how he passed away
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. The chapter specifically uses this example: if someone repeatedly asks about a person who has passed away, gently redirecting the conversation is often kinder than repeating painful news. This reflects the broader guidance to adapt communication and avoid arguing about factual details that don't matter to the person's wellbeing in the moment.

Concept Tested: Supporting An Elder With Cognitive Impairment

8. A person's dementia symptoms progressed in noticeable steps following a stroke, rather than gradually. Which type of dementia does this pattern most closely match?

  1. Frontotemporal dementia, which usually appears at a younger age
  2. Vascular dementia, which results from reduced blood flow and tends to progress in noticeable steps
  3. Lewy body dementia, which typically involves visual hallucinations
  4. Alzheimer's disease, which typically starts with short-term memory loss
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Vascular dementia results from reduced blood flow to the brain, often following a stroke or a series of smaller blood vessel blockages, and the chapter notes it tends to progress in noticeable steps rather than smoothly, distinguishing it from Alzheimer's disease and other dementia types.

Concept Tested: Alzheimer's Disease And Other Dementias

9. Why does the chapter emphasize that bystander CPR, started immediately, can make the difference between survival and death?

  1. Because CPR eliminates the need for emergency medical services entirely
  2. Because CPR permanently restores a normal heart rhythm without any further treatment
  3. Because brain damage can begin within about 4 to 6 minutes without circulation, and average emergency response times often exceed that window, making immediate bystander action a critical bridge
  4. Because CPR is only effective if performed by a certified medical professional
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. The chapter explains that brain damage can begin within roughly 4 to 6 minutes without circulation, and emergency response times in many communities exceed that window. Bystander CPR started immediately serves as a bridge, keeping minimal circulation going until trained responders with an AED arrive.

Concept Tested: CPR Techniques

10. A family caring for a grandparent with dementia is hesitant to use respite care, feeling it would mean they had failed as caregivers. Evaluating this belief against the chapter's guidance, what is the most accurate response?

  1. Respite care should be avoided entirely, since only family members should ever provide care
  2. Using respite care means the family has given up on the grandparent's wellbeing
  3. Caregivers who feel overwhelmed should simply try harder rather than seeking outside support
  4. Encouraging a caregiver to use respite care and support resources is itself a way of supporting the person with dementia, since a caregiver's own wellbeing directly affects the quality of care they can sustain
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. The chapter states directly that family caregivers are often at elevated risk for stress and burnout, and that using respite care and support resources supports the person with dementia indirectly, since a caregiver's wellbeing affects the quality of care they can sustain. This reframes seeking support as responsible caregiving, not failure.

Concept Tested: Supporting An Elder With Cognitive Impairment