Maha Exam Questions:

1. What do the 5 A’s stand for? (LO 7)

Explanation: The 5A’s model is used to assist clinicians in providing five major intervention steps to
achieve smoking cessation. The 5 A’s include Ask (ask the patient about tobacco use), Advise (Advise
people who use tobacco to quit), Assess (assess patient’s readiness to make a quit attempt), Assist
(Assist with the quit attempt), and Arrange (arrange follow-up care).

a. Ask, Advise, Analyze, Assist, and Arrange

b. Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange
c. Ask, Accept, Assess, Assist, and Answer
d. Ask, Advise, Assess, Attempt, and Arrange
2. What are the health benefits of quitting smoking? (LO 3)

Explanation: There are many health benefits linked to quitting smoking. Some cardiovascular
benefits include decreased risk of aortic aneurysms, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular
disease, and peripheral vascular disease.

a. Reduces the risk of hyperglycemia

b. Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease
c. Reduces the risk of schizophrenia
d. Increases the risk of insomnia
3. How many cigarettes are in a pack? (LO 4)

Explanation: Each pack of American cigarettes contains a total of 20 cigarettes.

a. 10 cigarettes
b. 15 cigarettes
c. 20 cigarettes
d. 25 cigarettes
4. What is a smoker’s nicotine yield, per cigarette? (LO 2)

Explanation: The average smoker’s yield of nicotine per cigarette is approximately 1-2 mg.

a. Around 0.5-1 mg
b. Around 1-2 mg
c. Around 2-4 mg
d. Around 4-8 mg
5. What are some differences with electronic cigarettes versus regular cigarettes? (LO 6)

Explanation: E-cigarettes are not an FDA approved treatment agent for tobacco cessation as they
also contain harmful carcinogens as well as nicotine. However, in comparison to cigarettes, e-
cigarettes contain fewer toxic chemicals than the deadly mix of 7,000 chemicals in smoke from
regular cigarettes.

a. E-cigarettes are an FDA approved treatment agent for tobacco cessation unlike
cigarettes
 b. Unlike cigarettes, E-cigarettes do not contain any harmful components and are
completely safe
c. E-cigarettes contain fewer toxic chemicals in comparison to cigarettes
d. Teenagers are less likely to use e-cigarettes in comparison to cigarettes
6. LD tells his pharmacist that he wants to quit smoking and is ready to quit smoking within the
next month. What stage of readiness is LD in currently? (LO 8)

Explanation: Since LD is ready to quit smoking within the next month, he would be classified in being
stage 2 of readiness to quit. If he was not ready to quit within the next month, he would be
classified as being in stage 1. If he was a recent quitter (quit within past 6 months) he would be
classified as being in stage 3. If he was a former tobacco user (quit >6 months ago) he would be
classified in being in stage 4.

a. Stage 1
b. Stage 2
c. Stage 3
d. Stage 4
7. JC is not ready to quit smoking within the next month. Which answer describes the best
approach for JC at this time? (LO 10)

Explanation: Since JC is not ready to quit smoking within the next month, the goal is to help JC start
thinking about quitting. It would not be appropriate to use a judgmental tone when advising on the
health consequences of smoking. Since JC is not sure of quitting at this time, it would not be
beneficial to jump to the step of creating a treatment plan, as she will most likely not be motivated
to adhere to it. The best answer in this scenario would be to educate JC on the health consequences
of smoking to encourage JC to start thinking about quitting.

a. Tell JC how bad tobacco is, in a judgmental manner

b. Provide a treatment plan to get JC to stop smoking
c. Raise awareness of health consequences/concerns with smoking
d. Ignore talking about smoking cessation with JC until she feels more motivated to quit
8. Which of the following is a symptom of nicotine withdrawal? (LO 10)

Explanation: Hypothermia, memory loss, and rashes are not symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms include weight gain, sleep problems, nicotine cravings, persistent
cough, stress and irritation, quitter’s flu, and more.

a. Weight gain
b. Hypothermia
c. Memory loss
d. Rash
9. JC is worried about the withdrawal symptoms from quitting smoking. Most nicotine withdrawal
symptoms manifest within the first 1-2 days and peak within the first week. How many weeks
would you expect it to take for JC’s withdrawal symptoms to subside? (LO 10)
Explanation: Most nicotine withdrawal symptoms will subside in 2-4 weeks. This is an important
counseling point to tell patients when they are concerned about the withdrawal symptoms from
quitting smoking.

a. 1-2
b. 2-4
c. 3-5
d. 8-9
10. For someone who is not ready to quit smoking, the 5 R’s can be used. What do the 5 R’s stand
for? (LO 9)

Explanation: The 5 R’s can be used as a method for enhancing motivation to quit smoking in patients
who are not ready to quit now. The 5 R’s include relevance, risk, rewards, roadblocks, and
repetition.

a. Relevance, Risk, Rewards, Roadblocks, Repetition

b. Relevance, Resistance, Risk, Roadblocks, Repetition
c. Relevance, Roadblock, Restart, Risk, Rewards
d. Review, Relevance, Risk, Rewards, Roadblocks