HPAT Practice Questions: Section 2 - Interpersonal Understanding
Question 1
The following is a hospital consultation between Sandy, who has undergone a regulation fertility test, and Dr Jones, her fertility specialist.
Dr Jones: Sandy, please come in. How are you feeling today?
Sandy: Oh you know how it is; I’m dealing with five different accounts at work and I have the decorator coming to my apartment in an hour. How long should this take?
Dr Jones: Oh I see, well I was hoping to have a little of your time today to discuss the results of your latest tests.
Sandy: How long are we talking about here? I’m in a huge rush – isn’t this just a standard procedure anyway?
Dr Jones: Well, usually yes, however there are some points here that I think we need to talk about.
Sandy: Ok, as long as you can make it quick.
Dr Jones: I know this may be hard to hear, but I need you to understand that your results indicate a serious deficiency in the health of your eggs.
Sandy: Which means…?
Dr Jones: I’m sorry Sandy, but your eggs are no longer healthy. You can’t conceive children.
Sandy: This is absurd – I’m only thirty years old! Test me again.
Dr Jones: I ran the results three times to be sure… I’m sorry, but there’s no question about it. Now I want to discuss some alternative options with you –
Sandy (cutting him off): I don’t have time to listen to this; it’s preposterous. Give me the name of another fertility specialist – I’m getting a second opinion.
Which of the following best describes Dr Jones’ tone in the following statement: “I’m sorry Sandy, but your eggs are no longer healthy. You can’t conceive children.”
- [A] Bluntly
- [B] Mournfully
- [C] Regretfully
- [D] Apologetically
Question 2
The following is the reflection of Sam, who has just returned home from a year travelling abroad.
Just like that, I was back in my old room. Dust had piled, shelves had been repositioned and the sheets, as if burdened by the obsolescence of time, were exchanged with newer, pristine replacements. I sat there for what felt like eternity, allowing the vivid rush of my last year to fill my senses. Places, moments, friends and sites flowed in and out of my mind like water through a summer stream. And then there was nothing – only the blackness of my small bedroom. Where had the time gone? Memories that had altered a lifetime changed me for the better and forever. My body was back, but I suppose I never really left. They’d told me it would be a year to remember for the rest of my days – they were right. They were times that I knew would be cherished in perpetuity, times that even here, now, in the emptiness of my room, filled me with joy, excitement and hope.
Which of the following comments made by Sam is the most bittersweet?
- [A] “I sat there for what felt like eternity, allowing the vivid rush of my last year to fill my senses.”
- [B] “They were times that I knew would be cherished in perpetuity, times that even here, now, in the emptiness of my room, filled me with joy, excitement and hope”
- [C] “They’d told me it would be a year to remember for the rest of my days – they were right.”
- [D] “My body was back, but I suppose I never really left.”
Questions 3 - 4
Consider the image and the nurse’s quote.
(3) The nurse is most likely to be feeling
- [A] Guilty and anxious
- [B] Fearful and empathetic
- [C] Stressed and professional
- [D] Caring and sensitive
(4) Which one of the following is likely to happen next?
- [A] The family member becomes confused
- [B] The nurse lodges complaint to address the doctor’s insensible attitude towards his/her work
- [C] The nurse calls the involved doctor to confirm what has been written in the discharge letter
- [D] The patient asks to talk to the doctor who was looking after his family member
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- Question 1: C
- Question 2: B
- Question 3: A
- Question 4: C
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