Sample Single Best Answer Questions (SBAs) for Year 3

1. Which single one of the following is the most likely finding in a man of 73 with a recent
myocardial infarct?

a. arteritis in a coronary artery

b. atherosclerosis in a coronary artery
c. dissection of a coronary artery
d. embolism into a coronary artery
e. spasm of a coronary artery

2. For which one of the following cancers is there a national screening programme in the
UK?

a. cancer of the breast

b. cancer of the kidney
c. cancer of the lung
d. cancer of the prostate
e. cancer of the skin

3. Which one of the following is the most accurate definition of carcinoma in situ?

a. carcinoma at an early stage detected by cervical screening

b. carcinoma at its primary epithelial site only
c. carcinoma closely resembling the epithelial tissue of origin
d. carcinoma not penetrating the basement membrane of the epithelium
e. carcinoma that may invade locally but will not metastasise

4. A 74 yr old woman has weight loss and increasing jaundice over the last three – four
weeks. She has a palpable gallbadder. Which investigation from the list below is of most
value in achieving a diagnosis?

a. Abdominal X-ray
b. Abdominal ultrasound
c. Barium meal and follow through
d. CT abdomen
e. Fine needle aspiration biopsy of gallbladder

5. A 46 year old woman has severe pain in her thoracic spine two years after receiving
surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy for breast carcinoma. Investigation reveals bony
metastases. Which is the single best treatment for this condition?
a. Bisphosphonates
b. Codeine phosphate
c. Ibuprofen
d. Nefopam
e. Paracetamol
6. Which one of the following is the best definition of granulation tissue?

a. a group of macrophages and giant cells around a necrotic area

b. a localised microscopic collection of macrophages
c. an area of mature collagen formed by fibroblasts
d. capillaries and fibroblasts growing into an area of inflammation
e. tissue derived from granulosa cells of the ovary

7. Which one of the following is a property of amyloid?

a. a derivative of starch and therefore sensitive to amylase

b. an indication of a genetic disorder
c. deposited in tissues outside cells
d. diagnosed by analysis of urine to detect fibrils
e. only found in the brain and kidney

8. Which one of the following is the most accurate description of a benign neoplasm?

a. a group of neoplastic cells that have stopped growing

b. a neoplasm that will not invade or metastasise
c. a neoplastic mass with a smooth edge
d. any lesion labelled with the suffix '-oma'
e. any neoplasm at a small or early stage

9. A sixty year old diabetic schizophrenic man in remission has gangrene of his leg. He
requires a below knee amputation. Who should decide his capacity to consent?

a. patient
b. surgeon
c. psychiatrist
d. wife
e. court

10. A 16 year old girl with sickle cell disease has a 5 days of worsening thoracic back pain.
She is pyrexial and has lost her appetite. She is tender to palpation over her T7 vertebra.
Her chest is clear.
Which is the single most appropriate management step?

a. bed rest
b. hospital admission
c. oral antibiotics
d. oral analgesia
e. spinal manipulation
Answers:

1. B
2. A
3. D
4. D
5. C
6. C
7. C
8. B
9. B
10. D