Cosmetology Exam

1. Question 1 · Scientific Concepts

   Pus-forming bacteria that grow in grapelike clusters and cause abscesses and boils are
   • A.staphylococci
   • B.diplococci
   • C.spirilla
   • D.streptococci
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A. staphylococci

   Staphylococci are cocci arranged in clusters like a bunch of grapes, and they produce abscesses, pustules, and boils. Streptococci are also pus-forming cocci, but they are arranged in curved chains and are linked with strep throat and blood poisoning.

2. Question 2 · Scientific Concepts

   A client’s nail plate has lifted from the nail bed, starting at the free edge and moving toward the lunula, but has not been shed. This condition is
   • A.onycholysis
   • B.onychia
   • C.onychomadesis
   • D.onychorrhexis
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A. onycholysis

   Onycholysis is the lifting of the nail plate from the bed without shedding, usually beginning at the free edge. Onychomadesis is the look-alike term; in that condition the plate separates beginning at the matrix and falls off.

3. Question 3 · Hair Care and Services

   A client requesting a permanent wave has fine hair that was lightened twice and feels very rough when the fingers slide toward the scalp. Which step is MOST appropriate before the service?
   • A.Predisposition patch test
   • B.Preliminary test curl
   • C.Test for metallic salts
   • D.Relaxer strand test
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B. Preliminary test curl

   Lightened, highly porous hair may not tolerate waving lotion, so a preliminary test curl is wrapped to predict the result and processing time. A predisposition test screens for allergy to aniline derivative color, not for wave tolerance. Nothing in the history points to a metallic dye.

4. Question 4 · Hair Care and Services

   A client has a round face. Which design creates the illusion of length?
   • A.Volume on top, close at the sides
   • B.Chin-length fullness at the cheeks
   • C.Fullness at the sides, flat on top
   • D.Center part with width at the ears
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A. Volume on top, close at the sides

   A round face is made to look longer by building height on top and keeping the hair close at the sides. Fullness at the sides with a flat top is the correction for an oblong face, which needs to look shorter and wider.

5. Question 5 · Skin Care and Services

   Skin that produces too little sebum and has follicles that are barely visible is classified as
   • A.combination
   • B.couperose
   • C.dehydrated
   • D.alipidic
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D. alipidic

   Alipidic means lacking lipids, the term for the dry skin type, which is recognized by small or barely visible follicles. Dehydrated is the tempting error: it describes a lack of water, a condition that can affect any skin type, including oily skin.

6. Question 6 · Scientific Concepts

   Spiral or corkscrew-shaped bacteria, such as the organism that causes Lyme disease, are
   • A.streptococci
   • B.diplococci
   • C.spirilla
   • D.bacilli
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: C. spirilla

   Spirilla are the spiral or corkscrew-shaped bacteria; they cause syphilis and Lyme disease. Bacilli are rod-shaped and are responsible for tetanus, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and diphtheria.

7. Question 7 · Scientific Concepts

   While sectioning the nape, the cosmetologist feels for the bone that forms the lower back of the skull, just above the nape. This bone is the
   • A.sphenoid
   • B.temporal
   • C.parietal
   • D.occipital
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D. occipital

   The occipital bone is the hindmost bone of the skull and forms the back of the skull above the nape. The two parietal bones form the sides and crown of the cranium, and the temporal bones form the sides of the head in the ear region.

8. Question 8 · Hair Care and Services

   A new client reports using a home haircolor that darkens gradually with each application and now requests highlights with lightener. What should the cosmetologist do FIRST?
   • A.Give a preliminary test curl
   • B.Perform an elasticity test
   • C.Test for metallic salts
   • D.Apply a protein filler
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: C. Test for metallic salts

   Colors that build gradually are typically metallic dyes, which react with peroxide by producing heat and breakage, so the hair is tested for metallic salts before any lightener is applied. An elasticity test describes the hair’s strength but would not reveal the incompatible chemical.

9. Question 9 · Hair Care and Services

   A client has a narrow forehead and a wide jaw and chin line. The design should add
   • A.width at the temples
   • B.volume at the nape
   • C.length below the chin
   • D.fullness at the jawline
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A. width at the temples

   The triangular, or pear-shaped, face needs width at the forehead, created with volume at the temples and some height on top. Fullness at the jawline is the correction for an inverted triangle and would widen an already wide jaw.

10. Question 10 · Skin Care and Services

    On the Fitzpatrick scale, fair skin that burns easily and tans only minimally is classified as
    • A.Type I
    • B.Type II
    • C.Type III
    • D.Type IV
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: B. Type II

    Type II is fair skin that burns easily and tans minimally. Type I is the closest wrong choice; it describes very fair skin that always burns and never tans.

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