Lung Sounds & Auscultation: Crackles, Wheezes, Stridor

1. A patient presents with fine crackles in the lung bases. Which condition is most commonly associated with this finding?

Asthma

Pulmonary edema

Pneumothorax

Bronchitis

2. Biphasic stridor (heard during both inspiration and expiration) typically suggests obstruction at which level?

Small airways

Fixed upper airway level

Alveolar level

Pleural space

3. A patient with atelectasis (collapsed lung tissue) would demonstrate which auscultatory finding?

Wheezes throughout the field

Absent or diminished breath sounds

Bilateral fine crackles

Loud bronchial sounds

4. Stridor that worsens with agitation or crying in a young child suggests which diagnosis?

Laryngotracheobronchitis (croup)

Epiglottitis

Foreign body aspiration

Bacterial tracheitis

5. A patient with congestive heart failure has bilateral crackles at the lung bases. These sounds are caused by which mechanism?

Airway inflammation

Fluid accumulation in alveoli

Bronchial secretions

Pleural thickening

6. A patient with asthma during an acute exacerbation presents with silent chest on auscultation. What does this indicate?

Mild airway obstruction

Severe airway obstruction

Resolving bronchospasm

Normal lung function

7. Pleural friction rub is best described as a sound similar to which everyday sound?

Leather creaking

Wind whistling

Water bubbling

Paper rustling

8. Rhonchi are low-pitched, continuous sounds. What is the primary cause of rhonchi?

Fluid in small airways

Secretions in large airways

Bronchial spasm

Pleural friction

9. A patient presents with acute epiglottitis. Which breath sound would you expect to hear?

Bilateral wheezes

Inspiratory stridor

Fine crackles

Absent breath sounds

10. When auscultating lung sounds, at which anatomical position should crackles from pulmonary edema typically be heard first?

Apices bilaterally

Posterior bases bilaterally

Right middle lobe

Left anterior chest

11. A patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has prolonged expiratory wheezes. This finding is consistent with which pathophysiology?

Air trapping and airway collapse

Fluid accumulation in alveoli

Upper airway obstruction

Pleural inflammation

12. Coarse crackles are best described as which type of sound?

High-pitched, musical sounds

Low-pitched, bubbling sounds

Continuous whistling sounds

Rubbing or scratching sounds

13. Stridor is an abnormal breath sound typically heard without a stethoscope. Where is stridor most commonly heard?

Lower lung lobes

Over the larynx or trachea

Bilateral lung fields

Upper lung apices

14. Wheezes heard on expiration suggest obstruction in which part of the airway?

Large airways

Small airways

Larynx

Alveoli

15. When performing lung auscultation, you hear early inspiratory crackles. Which condition is most likely?

Chronic bronchitis

Asthma

Interstitial lung disease

Acute bronchitis

16. A child with croup presents with a characteristic barking cough and inspiratory stridor. Which organism most likely causes this condition?

Haemophilus influenzae

Parainfluenza virus

Streptococcus pneumoniae

Respiratory syncytial virus

17. During lung sounds & auscultation assessment, you detect late inspiratory crackles. Which pathology is most consistent?

Early pneumonia

Pulmonary fibrosis

Acute asthma

Tracheal stenosis

18. Which lung sound is characterized by high-pitched, continuous musical sounds heard during inspiration or expiration?

Crackles

Wheezes

Stridor

Rhonchi

19. A patient with pneumonia has crackles that clear after coughing. What does this suggest?

Secretions in the airways

Fluid in the pleural space

Bronchial obstruction

Pulmonary embolism

20. A patient on diuretics for heart failure now has clear lungs on auscultation. Previously, bilateral crackles were present. What does this indicate?

Disease progression

Treatment effectiveness

Development of pneumonia

Worsening heart function

Lung Sounds Quiz: Crackles, Wheezes or Stridor?