RN Exam Practice
Physiological AdaptationQuestion 1631 of 2368

A client asked to stick out their tongue shows the tongue pointing to the left. What does this finding suggest?

  1. Weakness of the right side of the tongue
  2. Normal hypoglossal nerve function
  3. Loss of taste on the anterior tongue
  4. Weakness of the left side of the tongue
Show answer

Correct answer: Weakness of the left side of the tongue

With one-sided weakness, the tongue points toward the affected side because the normal muscle acts unopposed.

Source: Nursing Skills, 2nd edition (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2023), Neurological Assessment: Cranial Nerve XII – Hypoglossal. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Practice the topic "Physiological Adaptation"

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026