Death certification: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Death certification

Sample item

What should a cause-of-death certificate avoid listing as the sole cause?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Mechanism such as cardiac arrest without underlying cause

Mechanisms such as cardiac arrest occur in all deaths and do not explain why death occurred; the underlying disease or injury should be stated.

Option by option

  • A. Specific lethal pneumonia

    Pneumonia can be an underlying cause.

  • B. Traumatic intracranial haemorrhage

    Traumatic haemorrhage can be causal.

  • C. Metastatic cancer with organ involvement

    Cancer can be a causal disease process.

  • D. Mechanism such as cardiac arrest without underlying cause (correct)

    Correct: mechanism alone lacks causal explanation.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More Forensic Medicine questions

Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is D, Mechanism such as cardiac arrest without underlying cause. Mechanisms such as cardiac arrest occur in all deaths and do not explain why death occurred; the underlying disease or injury should be stated.

Why is "Specific lethal pneumonia" not the answer?

Pneumonia can be an underlying cause.

Why is "Traumatic intracranial haemorrhage" not the answer?

Traumatic haemorrhage can be causal.

Why is "Metastatic cancer with organ involvement" not the answer?

Cancer can be a causal disease process.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Death certification in Forensic Medicine. The correct option holds because: Correct: mechanism alone lacks causal explanation.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Death certification?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.