HESI Admission Assessment Exam (A2) v1.0
Question 1
A nurse working at a medical clinic earns $17.81 per hour. The nurse works three 8-hour shifts and one 12-hour shift every week, and is paid weekly. Weekly deductions are: federal tax $102.80, state tax $24.58, federal insurance $18.13, and family health insurance $52.15. What is the nurse's take-home pay each week?
- A. $158.54
- B. $443.50
- C. $514.74
- D. $641.16
Answer : B
Question 2
There are 48 students studying foreign language at the community college. If the only two foreign languages offered are French and Spanish, and 28 students are studying French, which of the following represents the ratio of students studying Spanish to the total number of foreign language students?
- A. 2/7
- B. 1/2
- C. 1/3
- D. 5/12
Answer : D
If there are 48 total, and 28 study French, then 20 study Spanish. The ratio of 20 to 48 = 20/48 = 10/24 = 5/12.
Question 3
Which meal(s) eaten away from home have worse results for dieters than for non-dieters?
- A. The article doesn't state which meal is the worse for non-dieters.
- B. Dinner eaten away from home is worse because people consume fewer whole grains and vegetables.
- C. Breakfast eaten away from home is worse because it increases the percent of calories from saturated and solid fat, alcohol, and added sugar (So FAAS) in a day.
- D. Breakfast and lunch eaten away from home are worse because they increase the percent of calories from saturated fats.
Answer : D
The paragraph states that breakfast and lunch away from home increase calories from saturated fat more among dieters than for non-dieters.
Question 4
Why is it difficult to measure the effect of food away from home on diet quality?
- A. People eat out too much, so it is not possible to collect accurate data.
- B. Researchers are unable to assess the nutritional quality of people's diets.
- C. Peoples' food preferences are too complex and may even be unmeasurable.
- D. Too many unknown variables affect the data.
Answer : D
To answer the question look for clues in the second sentence in addition to the word "why." The answer lies in "many unobserved factors" and the more specific
"such as food preferences and time constraints." The correct answer is supported by the following: "many unobserved factors, such as food preferences and time constraints, influence not just our choice of where to eat but also the nutritional quality of what we eat."
Question 5
Which statement is not a detail from the passage?
- A. Eating breakfast away from home can result in an increase in fatty protein consumption.
- B. Eating food away from home is connected to bad food choices.
- C. In general, people who eat breakfast away from home consume more calories.
- D. Eating dinner away from home results in less vegetable consumption.
Answer : A
For this question, eliminate answer choices that ARE explicitly stated in the passage. The correct choice will be entirely out of scope. The passage does not mention an increase in fatty protein consumption anywhere and is therefore the answer.
Question 6
What is the meaning of the word "associated" in the first paragraph?
- A. specialized
- B. predated
- C. connected
- D. obfuscated
Answer : C
In saying the two things are "associated," the author intends to describe two ideas that are linked or intrinsically connected.
Question 7
What is the major difference between matter at the nanoscale and matter at larger scales such as millimeters or inches?
- A. At the nanoscale, metals are bendable, and at larger scales they are rigid.
- B. Matter has different and special characteristics at the nanoscale.
- C. At the nanoscale, matter has the same properties as matter at the atomic level.
- D. There is no difference.
Answer : B
Nanotechnology is the science of studying very small pieces of matter. A nanometer is bigger than an atom, but smaller than a millimeter. The author explains that matter at the nanoscale and matter at larger scales both have different and special characteristics: "At the nanoscale, the physical, chemical, and biological properties of materials differ from the properties of matter either at smaller scales, such as atoms, or at larger scales that we use in everyday life such as millimeters or inches."
Question 8
Which claim from the passage best describes the benefits of nanotechnology?
- A. Scientists can develop novel technologies and products.
- B. Nanotechnology is defined as the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers.
- C. The different colors can be used in simple medical tests to indicate infection or disease.
- D. Unique properties of materials emerge.
Answer : A
Nanotechnology is the science of studying very small particles of matter. The author states that it is a new field that may help scientists develop new technologies and products that will be helpful in industry and medicine as a result of the different ways that matter behaves at the nanoscale.
Question 9
What is the author’s primary purpose in writing this essay?
- A. to explain how to utilize the nanoscale
- B. to review the conversion between the nanoscale and nanotechnology
- C. to advocate for the usage of more nanotechnology
- D. to describe nanotechnology and what it is
Answer : D
The overall tone of the passage is informational and fairly dry. The topic is nanotechnology and the paragraph explains in some detail what it is and what its value is.
Question 10
Which sentence best summarizes the benefits of the new silk technology?
- A. The new technology allows for closer interaction between machines and living tissue, paving the way for more advanced implantable devices.
- B. These implants have the potential to maximize the contact between electrodes and brain tissue, while minimizing damage to the brain.
- C. They could provide a platform for a range of devices with applications in epilepsy, spinal cord injuries, and other neurological disorders.
- D. The arrays could potentially read the complex signals in the brain that direct movement, and then route those signals to healthy muscles or prosthetic devices.
Answer : A
The statement from the beginning of the passage encompasses all of the benefits of the new silk technology and is consequently the best answer. The other three choices are all strong supporting ideas showing how the technology will work.
Question 11
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the silk brain recording device?
- A. Durability
- B. Flexibility
- C. Different rates of dissolution
- D. Needle-like electrodes
Answer : D
This answer is not one of the characteristics of the silk technology. It is a characteristic of an older, simpler brain recording device: "Currently, the simplest devices for recording from the brain are needle-like electrodes that can penetrate into brain tissue."
Question 12
The author suggests that persistent passivity and imperturbability may be a direct result of which of the following?
- A. Drug-induced stimulation of the amygdala.
- B. A stroke that resulted in severe tissue damage in the limbic system.
- C. Encephalitis as a result of head trauma.
- D. Activation of a strategically implanted electrode in a patient’s amygdala.
Answer : B
The author states that "patients with trauma or damage to this structure [the amygdala] exhibit a complete absence of aggression." Earlier in the passage the author indicates that the amygdala is located centrally in the brain's limbic system, which is responsible for emotional regulation.
Question 13
Which statement is not listed as a detail within the passage?
- A. Electrode stimulation of the amygdala can elicit extreme aggressive acts.
- B. Scientists are able to isolate the functions of even small regions of the human brain.
- C. Typically temperamental rhesus monkeys with amygdala damage are completely imperturbable.
- D. Subjects who experience this utter rage and fearlessness have no rational foundation for their reaction.
Answer : C
The other statements are directly lifted from the passage. This answer is not part of the passage.
Question 14
What is the main idea of the passage?
- A. The human brain is as complex as it is mysterious.
- B. Patients with damaged amygdalas are less aggressive than individuals with healthy ones.
- C. Electrode stimulation is a valuable tool for researchers who study the human brain.
- D. Scientists have learned a lot about how the amygdala affects human emotion.
Answer : D
The passage is focused on the amygdala and how scientists have studied its relationship with emotions such as fear and aggression. The other answer choices are too specific or too broad. The correct main idea will always match the scope of the passage.
Question 15
In the context of the passage, "accommodate" means to
- A. arrange lodging for
- B. contain
- C. make allowances for
- D. excuse
Answer : C
For vocabulary-in-context questions, always look up the word to see what it means in the context of the passage. Here, we are looking for a word or phrase that means something like "facilitate the proper viewing of" the different focal points. "Make allowances for" means "adjust for" or "compensate for," which is what lenses—either those in the eye or those in eyeglasses—must do. "Arrange lodging for," meaning "house" or "put up," is another meaning of "accommodate" but does not apply in this context, so it is incorrect. "Excuse," meaning "remove blame from" or "disregard," does not apply in this context either.