1. If the victim has consumed a pesticide or chemical, you should ____
- A. Move him out of the place
- B. Give him more fresh air
- C. Give him some food
- D. Follow the first-aid instructions in the cargo information sheet or material safety data sheet
Answer: D — Follow the first-aid instructions in the cargo information sheet or material safety data sheet
The safety data sheet (and for cargoes the MFAG/cargo information) gives specific first-aid treatment for each chemical, such as whether vomiting may be induced. Following it, and obtaining radio medical advice, ensures correct treatment.
2. Shock can happen ____
- A. When a person is badly injured
- B. With extreme pain
- C. With severe fright
- D. All of the above
Answer: D — All of the above
Shock is failure of the circulation to supply enough blood to vital organs. It may follow severe injury and blood loss, and can be brought on or worsened by extreme pain and fear, so all casualties should be reassured and treated for shock.
3. When the victim has started breathing on his own, you should ____
- A. Clap for his recovery
- B. Leave the place
- C. Stay with the person until medical help arrives
- D. Report back to your duty
Answer: C — Stay with the person until medical help arrives
A resuscitated casualty can stop breathing again or vomit. He should be placed in the recovery position and continuously monitored by the first aider until medical help or the doctor takes over.
4. While showering a chemically contaminated person, you should ____
- A. Remove his clothing
- B. Put more clothing on him
- C. Leave the clothing on
- D. Wait for instructions
Answer: A — Remove his clothing
Contaminated clothing holds the chemical against the skin, so it must be removed while the casualty is flushed with plenty of water. Rescuers should wear suitable protective gloves while doing so.
5. What is a convulsion?
- A. A breathing disorder
- B. A smelling disorder
- C. A talking disorder
- D. A sudden, violent, irregular movement of the body caused by involuntary muscle contraction
Answer: D — A sudden, violent, irregular movement of the body caused by involuntary muscle contraction
A convulsion is a sudden, violent and involuntary contraction of muscles producing irregular body movements. It is associated with epilepsy, toxins in the blood, head injury or high fever in children.
6. Eye injuries require ____
- A. Only first aider's advice
- B. Doctor's (medical) advice
- C. Self-medication
- D. No treatment, as it will cure itself
Answer: B — Doctor's (medical) advice
Eye injuries can lead to permanent loss of sight if wrongly treated. After flushing chemicals or covering the eye, embedded objects must not be removed and medical advice must be obtained.
7. Giardiasis is most commonly caught from contaminated ____
- A. Water
- B. Dairy products
- C. Fruits and vegetables
- D. Meat
Answer: A — Water
Giardiasis is caused by the protozoan Giardia lamblia, whose cysts are passed in faeces and survive well in water. Most infections come from drinking contaminated or untreated water, so potable water must be properly treated.
8. When eye contamination happens, first you should ____
- A. Take the victim to a ventilated space
- B. Give CPR
- C. Check his pulse
- D. Flush the eyes with plenty of water
Answer: D — Flush the eyes with plenty of water
Chemicals in the eye must be washed out immediately with plenty of clean running water for at least 10-20 minutes, holding the eyelids open. Delay increases damage to the cornea.
9. For unconscious victims who are breathing, you should ____
- A. Give first aid
- B. Roll them on their side so that fluids can drain from the mouth
- C. Give more ventilation
- D. Cover with a blanket
Answer: B — Roll them on their side so that fluids can drain from the mouth
A breathing unconscious casualty should be placed in the recovery position on his side so the tongue does not block the airway and vomit or blood drains out of the mouth instead of being inhaled.
10. When a clean pad is available for heavy bleeding, you should ____
- A. Check its expiry date
- B. Place the pad on the wound and press firmly
- C. Use it to wipe away the blood
- D. All of the above
Answer: B — Place the pad on the wound and press firmly
Heavy bleeding is controlled by direct pressure: place a clean pad or dressing over the wound and press firmly, adding more pads on top if blood soaks through, and raise the limb if possible.
11. Treatment for hypothermia includes ____
- A. Taking the victim inside
- B. Covering him with blankets
- C. Giving warm drinks if conscious
- D. All of the above
Answer: D — All of the above
A hypothermic casualty must be moved to shelter, have wet clothing removed, be wrapped in blankets and, if fully conscious, given warm sweet non-alcoholic drinks. Rewarming should be gradual.
12. If the victim has a pulse but is not breathing, you should ____
- A. Check the first-aid manual
- B. Do nothing
- C. Continue rescue breathing
- D. Wait for instructions
Answer: C — Continue rescue breathing
A casualty with a pulse but no breathing needs rescue breaths only, about one every 5-6 seconds, rechecking the pulse regularly. Chest compressions are needed only if the pulse is lost.
13. The boiling point of water at normal atmospheric pressure is ____
- A. 94°C
- B. 100°C
- C. 105°C
- D. 101°C
Answer: B — 100°C
At standard atmospheric pressure (1013 mbar) pure water boils at 100°C. Boiling drinking water for at least one minute kills most disease-causing organisms in contaminated water.
14. In a third-degree burn victim, shock may be caused by ____
- A. Pain
- B. Loss of skin
- C. Loss of fluids
- D. Loss of air
Answer: C — Loss of fluids
Large full-thickness burns allow plasma to leak from damaged blood vessels, causing heavy fluid loss and hypovolaemic shock. Replacing fluids is therefore a priority in severe burns.
15. If the victim has no pulse and you are trained in CPR, you should ____
- A. Continue rescue breathing only
- B. Perform CPR on the victim
- C. Wait for instructions
- D. Read the first-aid manual
Answer: B — Perform CPR on the victim
Absence of a pulse means the heart has stopped, so rescue breaths alone are not enough. A trained rescuer must begin CPR with chest compressions and breaths at once.
16. Smoke inhalation requires ____
- A. Only first aider's advice
- B. Doctor's (medical) advice
- C. Self-medication
- D. No treatment, as it will cure itself
Answer: B — Doctor's (medical) advice
Smoke inhalation can cause airway burns, carbon monoxide and toxic gas poisoning, and lung swelling may develop hours later. The casualty needs fresh air or oxygen and medical advice.
17. Signs of heat exhaustion are ____
- A. Fatigue
- B. Weakness
- C. Collapse
- D. All of the above
Answer: D — All of the above
Heat exhaustion results from loss of water and salt through sweating and causes fatigue, weakness, headache, dizziness, heavy sweating, cramps and sometimes fainting or collapse.
18. Heat cramps occur ____
- A. After excessive blood loss
- B. After excessive salt loss
- C. After excessive swimming
- D. After excessive sleeping
Answer: B — After excessive salt loss
Heat cramps are painful muscle spasms caused by loss of salt through heavy sweating during hard work in hot conditions. Treatment is rest in a cool place and salted fluids or oral rehydration solution.
19. Meningitis can be spread by ____
- A. Bacteria in the air
- B. Close contact
- C. Viruses in the air
- D. All of the above
Answer: D — All of the above
Meningitis is caused mainly by bacteria or viruses spread by respiratory droplets and close contact such as sharing cabins or utensils. All the listed routes can transmit it.
20. What is meningitis?
- A. Electric shock
- B. Inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord
- C. Heat shock
- D. Cold shock
Answer: B — Inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord
Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges, the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, usually from infection. It causes headache, fever, neck stiffness and sensitivity to light and is a medical emergency.
21. Symptoms of general poisoning are ____
- A. Hallucinations
- B. Slurred speech
- C. Vomiting
- D. All of the above
Answer: D — All of the above
Poisons can affect the digestive tract and the nervous system, so casualties may show nausea and vomiting, confusion, hallucinations, slurred speech, drowsiness, convulsions or unconsciousness.
22. Symptoms of shellfish poisoning are ____
- A. Numbness spreading from the face to the body
- B. Dizziness
- C. Increased salivation
- D. All of the above
Answer: D — All of the above
Paralytic and other shellfish poisonings cause tingling and numbness starting around the mouth and face and spreading, dizziness, increased salivation, nausea and in severe cases breathing paralysis.
23. A simple fracture is ____
- A. One broken bone
- B. Two broken bones
- C. A broken bone that does not pierce the skin
- D. A figure-of-eight broken bone
Answer: C — A broken bone that does not pierce the skin
A simple (closed) fracture is one in which the broken bone does not break through the skin and there is no wound leading to it. It contrasts with a compound (open) fracture.
24. Heat cramps are ____
- A. Muscle catch during exercise
- B. Muscle catch during swimming
- C. Muscle pains and spasms that occur after working or exercising in the heat
- D. Muscle catch during sleep
Answer: C — Muscle pains and spasms that occur after working or exercising in the heat
Heat cramps are painful muscle spasms, usually of the legs and abdomen, that occur during or after hard work in hot conditions because of salt lost in sweat.
25. In heat stroke, the casualty's body temperature may rise to about ____
- A. 106°F
- B. 100°F
- C. 96°F
- D. 94°F
Answer: A — 106°F
In heat stroke the body's temperature control fails and core temperature can rise to about 41°C (106°F) or higher, with hot dry skin and confusion. Rapid cooling and urgent medical advice are essential.
26. What should be given by mouth to a victim of a major stroke?
- A. Some fresh fruit juice
- B. Some food to eat
- C. A muscle massage
- D. Nothing by mouth
Answer: D — Nothing by mouth
A stroke casualty may have difficulty swallowing and may lose consciousness, so food or drink can cause choking or aspiration. Nothing should be given by mouth; keep the casualty at rest and obtain medical help urgently.
27. Sprains usually happen due to ____.
- A. A sudden jerk of the arm
- B. A sudden twist or jerk of the leg
- C. A fall
- D. All of the above
Answer: D — All of the above
A sprain is a stretching or tearing of the ligaments around a joint, caused when the joint is forced beyond its normal range. Sudden jerks, twists and falls can all wrench a joint and produce a sprain.
28. Once a victim has been pulled out of an enclosed space, what should be checked first?
- A. Check for injuries
- B. Check his blood pressure
- C. Check for breathing
- D. Check his eyes
Answer: C — Check for breathing
Enclosed-space casualties are often affected by oxygen deficiency or toxic gases. Following the ABC priorities, the first aider must first confirm an open airway and normal breathing, and start rescue breathing or CPR if needed, before looking for other injuries.
29. Signs of first-degree burns are ____.
- A. Red skin
- B. Pain
- C. Mild swelling
- D. All of the above
Answer: D — All of the above
A first-degree (superficial) burn affects only the outer layer of skin. It typically shows redness, pain and slight swelling, without blisters, and usually heals within a few days with cooling and simple care.
30. When a victim goes into shock ____.
- A. He gets more energy
- B. He develops internal bleeding
- C. His vital organs do not receive enough oxygenated blood
- D. His memory improves
Answer: C — His vital organs do not receive enough oxygenated blood
Shock is a failure of the circulatory system to supply enough oxygenated blood to the vital organs. As a result organ function slows and can fail; it is life-threatening and needs prompt first aid and medical care.
