Part of the Cardiology and Resuscitation practice questions exam area.
This page holds 200 free practice questions for Chapter 40, Responding to the Field Code, covering sudden cardiac arrest and the chain of survival, bystander and dispatcher-assisted CPR, high-quality CPR and pit-crew teamwork, airway management and waveform capnography in arrest, defibrillation and antiarrhythmics for VF and pulseless VT, PEA, asystole, and the Hs and Ts, arrest in pregnancy, drowning, opioid overdose, hypothermia, trauma, and children, post-ROSC care, and termination of resuscitation, DNR and POLST orders, and family presence. They are written for paramedic and EMT students working through Nancy Caroline's Emergency Care in the Streets, 9th edition. Every question shows the correct answer with a short explanation as soon as you tap, so you learn while you test rather than waiting until the end.
Study it two ways: the 10 Question Blitz, a quick round where every right answer lights a siren and any misses lead into Lights & Sirens, a 5-in-a-row drill on that section, or the full 100-question test drawn at random from the whole chapter. After each test you get a score and a section-by-section breakdown. Progress on the full test is saved on your device, so you can stop and pick up later.
The 2025 AHA guidelines changed the chain of survival by:
Answer: B. Using one chain for all cardiac arrests
In 2025 the AHA went back to a single chain of survival for every cardiac arrest, adult or child, in or out of the hospital, instead of the four chains used in 2020. The chain still runs from recognition and activation through CPR, defibrillation, advanced care, and post-arrest care to recovery. Recovery was kept, not dropped; survivors still need long-term physical, cognitive, and emotional support. Defibrillation did not move ahead of CPR; compressions start while the defibrillator is readied. No separate drowning chain was created; the single chain stresses breaths for asphyxial arrests such as drowning and pediatric arrest. (2025 AHA Guidelines, Part 1 Executive Summary and Part 4 Systems of Care.)
During excellent mechanical CPR, the patient in cardiac arrest begins to move his arms and groan but has no pulse at the rhythm check. This most likely represents:
Answer: B. CPR-induced consciousness
High-quality compressions can perfuse the brain enough to cause movement or awareness without return of circulation. Continue CPR, check for ROSC at rhythm checks, and consider sedation or analgesia per protocol if the movement interferes with care. It is not a reason to stop compressions.
A 30-year-old man is found hanging and is cut down pulseless and apneic. Compared with a witnessed VF arrest, his resuscitation should especially stress:
Answer: D. Early oxygenation and ventilation
Hanging causes an asphyxial arrest, in which the heart stops because of hypoxia, so effective ventilation with oxygen is a key part of CPR from the start, along with compressions. Compression-only CPR is acceptable for bystanders in a sudden cardiac arrest but omits what this patient needs most. Cervical fractures are uncommon in suicidal hangings that do not involve a long drop, and immobilization must never delay CPR; manual stabilization can be used if injury is suspected. Waiting for intubation before ventilating wastes minutes of oxygenation that a bag-mask can provide now. (AHA 2020 and 2025 adult BLS; ERC 2021 special circumstances.)
Most students use the 10 Question Blitz for daily practice and take the full 100-question test in the days before a class exam or NREMT practice. Lights & Sirens after a blitz is the fastest way to close gaps the night before a test.
Every question in this chapter is also listed by section, with answers, on the topic pages above. See all paramedic topics or take the NREMT paramedic practice test.
Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch. 4 Ch. 5 Ch. 6 Ch. 7 Ch. 8 Ch. 9 Ch. 10 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13 Ch. 14 Ch. 15 Ch. 16 Ch. 17 Ch. 18 Ch. 19 Ch. 20 Ch. 21 Ch. 22 Ch. 23 Ch. 24 Ch. 25 Ch. 26 Ch. 27 Ch. 28 Ch. 29 Ch. 30 Ch. 31 Ch. 32 Ch. 33 Ch. 34 Ch. 35 Ch. 36 Ch. 37 Ch. 38 Ch. 39 Ch. 40 Ch. 41 Ch. 42 Ch. 43 Ch. 44 Ch. 45 Ch. 46 Ch. 47 Ch. 48 Ch. 49 Ch. 50 Ch. 51 Ch. 52 Ch. 53
These practice questions were written for this site. They are not the publisher's test bank and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Jones & Bartlett Learning, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Use them alongside your textbook and your instructor's objectives.