MFA exit exam questions and answers — Set 18 — Medical First Aid
Set 18 of the Medical First Aid (MFA) exit exam bank — 30 of 675 questions, with the correct option marked and a one-line explanation for every one. Read it end to end, jump to a single set, or search it — then sit the same bank as a timed paper. The real DG Shipping exit exam is 30 marks with 15 to pass.
These are the bank's original groupings. Practising deals the whole bank out again every time you reshuffle, so a practice “Set 3” is a different 30 questions each time — the set numbers below are the source file's, and are only used here so the key stays navigable. Options are listed in their original order with fixed letters; when you practise, those move too.
Bank last rebuilt .
30 of 30 shown · Set 18
Nothing in this set matches that. Try a shorter word, or search the whole key.
Set 18 — 30 MFA exit exam questions with answers
1. A simple and good indicator of dehydration is:
- A. Urine colour changing from pale to dark
- B. An increase in urine output
- C. A slow pulse
- D. A moist mouth and tongue
2. A hypothermia casualty may be given warm, sweet drinks only if they are:
- A. Fully conscious and able to swallow
- B. Unconscious, to warm them faster
- C. Given a drink of alcohol first
- D. Not shivering and unresponsive
3. To slow the spread of venom after a snake bite on the leg, you should:
- A. Immobilise the limb, with a splint if available, and keep the casualty still
- B. Encourage the casualty to walk to the ship's hospital
- C. Massage the limb to disperse the venom
- D. Raise the bitten leg above the level of the heart
4. If back blows do not relieve choking in a conscious infant, the next step is to:
- A. Give up to five chest thrusts
- B. Give abdominal thrusts
- C. Perform a blind finger sweep of the mouth
- D. Hold the infant upside down and shake
5. The decision to request helicopter evacuation of a seriously ill or injured crew member rests with:
- A. The Master, usually after obtaining radio medical advice
- B. The Chief Engineer
- C. The ship's agent
- D. The company's crewing department
6. HIV infection can be transmitted by:
- A. Sexual contact
- B. Contaminated blood or shared needles
- C. An infected mother to her baby
- D. All of the above
7. When a crew member falls seriously ill at sea, medical advice can be obtained from:
- A. Radio Medical Advice services (TMAS) ashore
- B. Nowhere until the ship reaches port
- C. Only the ship's agent at the next port
- D. Only the Master of another ship
8. Which hazard is commonly associated with entering an enclosed space?
- A. Asphyxia or hypoxia due to oxygen deficiency
- B. Sunstroke
- C. Seasickness
- D. Frostbite
9. Why is regular deep breathing encouraged for a casualty with rib fractures?
- A. To prevent chest infection caused by shallow breathing
- B. To realign the broken ribs
- C. To increase bleeding and clear clots
- D. To reduce the heart rate to normal
10. Bluish discolouration of the lips or fingertips (cyanosis) may be caused by:
- A. Poisoning or any condition causing lack of oxygen
- B. Excess oxygen in the blood
- C. High blood sugar
- D. Sunburn
11. For two-rescuer CPR on an infant, the recommended ratio of chest compressions to rescue breaths is:
- A. 15:2
- B. 5:1
- C. 30:1
- D. 10:2
12. A leaking exhaust gas pipe from a combustion engine is a likely source of:
- A. Carbon monoxide
- B. Chlorine
- C. Ammonia
- D. Oxygen enrichment
13. Which of the following should NOT be applied to a burn?
- A. Ice
- B. Cool running water
- C. A clean, non-fluffy dressing
- D. Cling film loosely laid over the burn
14. For a snake bite, applying a tight tourniquet is:
- A. Not recommended, as it can cause severe tissue damage and loss of the limb
- B. Recommended for all snake bites
- C. Recommended only on bites to the arm
- D. Recommended if left in place for six hours
15. Corrosive chemicals in powder form on a casualty's skin should first be:
- A. Carefully brushed off, before flushing with water
- B. Mixed with a little water to form a paste
- C. Neutralised with vinegar
- D. Covered with an ointment
16. A third-degree (full-thickness) burn damages:
- A. All layers of the skin and possibly the underlying tissues
- B. Only the uppermost layer of the skin
- C. Only the hair on the skin surface
- D. Only the outer layer and part of the dermis
17. Removal of snake venom by sucking it out from the punctured skin is:
- A. Ineffective and not recommended
- B. The best first aid for all snake bites
- C. Recommended only within five minutes of the bite
- D. Recommended if the rescuer wears gloves
18. Heatstroke is a medical emergency in which the core body temperature rises from the normal 37°C to about:
- A. 40°C or more
- B. 37.5°C
- C. 38°C
- D. 36°C
19. Where is the heart located in the human body?
- A. In the chest, above the diaphragm and slightly to the left of the midline
- B. Below the diaphragm, slightly to the right of the midline
- C. In the abdomen behind the stomach
- D. In the lower neck behind the windpipe
20. An organ is best described as:
- A. A structure made up of tissues that performs a particular function
- B. A single cell with its own function
- C. A fluid that carries nutrients around the body
- D. A type of white blood cell
21. A tissue is:
- A. A grouping of similar cells that work together
- B. A single cell
- C. A group of organs working together
- D. A fluid surrounding the cells
22. Tonsils are special collections of ____ tissue located at the entrances of the respiratory and digestive systems.
- A. Lymphoid
- B. Muscular
- C. Bony
- D. Fatty
23. The lungs are composed of branching air tubes and millions of tiny air sacs called:
- A. Alveoli
- B. Villi
- C. Nephrons
- D. Ventricles
24. In advanced (severe) hypothermia requiring immediate medical attention, a key sign is that:
- A. Shivering stops and the casualty becomes drowsy or confused
- B. The casualty shivers violently
- C. The casualty has goose bumps
- D. The hands and feet feel cold
25. Which is the most typical symptom of a heart attack?
- A. Persistent crushing or squeezing chest pain that may spread to the arm, neck or jaw
- B. Brief sharp, stabbing twinges that worsen when the chest is pressed
- C. An itchy skin rash on the chest
- D. Pain that disappears completely within a few seconds
26. When giving rescue breaths to an infant, the rescuer should:
- A. Cover both the infant's mouth and nose with the mouth to form an airtight seal
- B. Pinch the nose and give full adult-sized breaths into the mouth
- C. Blow into the nose only, keeping the mouth open
- D. Tilt the head fully back as far as it will go
27. Under MLC 2006 Standard A4.1, the ship's medicine chest and medical equipment must be inspected by a competent person at intervals not exceeding:
- A. 30 months
- B. 6 months
- C. 3 months
- D. 12 months
28. During the periodic inspection of the ship's medicine chest, which of the following must be checked?
- A. Labelling, expiry dates, storage conditions and directions for use of all medicines
- B. Only the controlled drugs register
- C. Only the medical equipment, not the medicines
- D. Only the quantity of painkillers
29. Which publication, jointly produced by ILO, IMO and WHO, gives the recommended contents of the ship's medicine chest and guidance on treatment on board?
- A. International Medical Guide for Ships (IMGS)
- B. IAMSAR Manual Volume III
- C. IMDG Code Supplement - EmS Guide
- D. Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seafarers
30. A ship carrying dangerous goods must have on board, in addition to the normal medicine chest:
- A. Blood for transfusion
- B. A decompression chamber
- C. A qualified ship's doctor regardless of crew size
- D. The medicines, antidotes and equipment recommended in the MFAG for the cargo carried
Printing this? Use your browser's Print (Ctrl/⌘ + P) — the buttons, the search box and the site chrome drop out and the questions run on as plain text, so a set fits a few pages. Filter to one set first if you only want that set on paper.
