critical thinking questions about respiratory system

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Critical Thinking Questions

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

• Describe the three regions of the pharynx and their functions.
• If a person sustains an injury to the epiglottis, what would be the physiological result?
• Compare and contrast the conducting and respiratory zones.
• Compare and contrast the right and left lungs.
• Why are the pleurae not damaged during normal breathing?
• Describe what is meant by the term “lung compliance.”
• Outline the steps involved in quiet breathing.
• What is respiratory rate and how is it controlled?
• Compare and contrast Dalton’s law and Henry’s law.
• A smoker develops damage to several alveoli that then can no longer function. How does this affect gas exchange?
• Describe the relationship between the partial pressure of oxygen and the binding of oxygen to hemoglobin.
• Describe three ways in which carbon dioxide can be transported.
• Describe the neural factors involved in increasing ventilation during exercise.
• What is the major mechanism that results in acclimatization?

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Respiratory System NCLEX Practice Questions and Reviewer (220 Questions)

Hello and welcome to your NCLEX reviewer and practice questions quiz for respiratory system disorders! This nursing test bank will test your competence in managing patients with respiratory disorders such as pneumonia , COPD , pleural effusion, asthma , and more. This quiz aims to help student nurses to grasp and master the concepts of respiratory system disorders.

Respiratory System Disorders NCLEX Nursing Test Bank

Here are the NCLEX practice questions for respiratory system disorders. This nursing test bank set includes 220 NCLEX-style practice questions that cover nursing care management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma , pneumonia , pleural effusion, and other respiratory system disorders. Use these questions to help you review for the respiratory system disorders and as an alternative to Quizlet.

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Human Physiology/Appendix 1: answers to review questions

Homeostasis — Cells — Integumentary — Nervous — Senses — Muscular — Blood — Cardiovascular — Immune — Urinary — Respiratory — Gastrointestinal — Nutrition — Endocrine — Reproduction (male) — Reproduction (female) — Pregnancy — Genetics — Development — Answers

This appendix does not provide answers to the review questions posted at the end of each chapter; it is a collection of questions provided at the end of each chapter.

• 1 Homeostasis
• 2 Cell physiology
• 3 Integumentary System
• 4 The Nervous System
• 5.1 Critical Thinking: Vision
• 5.2 Critical Thinking: Hearing
• 5.3 Review Questions
• 6 The Muscular System
• 7 Blood Physiology
• 8 The cardiovascular system
• 9 The Immune System
• 10 The Urinary System
• 11 The respiratory system
• 12 The gastrointestinal system
• 13 Nutrition
• 14 The Endocrine System
• 15 The male reproductive system
• 16 The female reproductive system
• 17 Pregnancy and birth
• 18 Genetics and inheritance
• 19 Development: birth through death

Homeostasis

1. Meaning of Homeostasis:

2. What is the normal pH value for body fluid?

3. An example of the urinary system working with the respiratory system to regulate blood pH would be

4. The urge to breathe comes in direct response to:

5. In response to a bacterial infection my body's thermostat is raised. I start to shiver and produce more body heat. When my body temperature reaches 101 degrees, I stop shivering and my body temperature stops going up. This is an example of:

6. Which of the follow is an example of a positive feedback?

7. Where is the body's "thermostat" found?

8. What system has little to contribute to the homeostasis of the organism?

Cell physiology

1. List 2 functions of the cell membrane:

Questions 2 - 6 Match the following organelles with their function:

2. Mitochondria C

3. Vacuoles D

5. Smooth ER B

6. Golgi Apparatus E

7. The diffusion of H2O across a semi permeable or selectively permeable membrane is termed

8. Oxygen enters a cell via?

9. The term used to describe, "cell eating" is?

10. Which of the following requires energy?

11. Protein synthesis occurs at the

12. Which of the following is not found in the cell membrane?

13. What is a cell?

Integumentary System

1. Name all of the parts of the integumentary system.

2. Name the cells that produce melanin and describe its function.

3. Name and describe the importance of the cutaneous senses.

4. Explain how sweating helps maintain normal body temperature.

5. Explain where on the body hair has important functions, and describe these functions.

6. What is a melanoma?

The Nervous System

1. The junction between one neuron and the next, or between a neuron and an effector is called:

2. A fast excitatory synapses follows this order:

3. Resting potential is

4. Sensory neurons have:

5. ________blocks Acetylcholine receptor sites causing muscle relaxation.

6. Transmission across a synapse is dependent on the release of _______?

7. Motor neurons take messages

8. The medulla oblongata helps to regulate which of the following:

9. The nervous systems main components are what?

10. Explain what LTP does to enhance communication between two neurons, on the postsynaptic end.

• More receptors, such as AMPA receptors, are added and existing ones are sensitized via phosphorylation. Dendritic spine number and surface area is increased as well.

11. Explain what LTP does to communication between two neurons, on the presynaptic end.

• If the retrograde messenger theory is correct, presynaptic cells participate in the enhancement by increasing the probability of synaptic vesicle release. (Please remember the retrograde messenger is theoretical, I just thought it should be included here)

Critical Thinking: Vision

1. Explain why you are normally unaware of your blind spot.

• Since your eyes are looking from different angles, they see each other's blind spot and your brain combines the two images.

2. Stare at a bright light for 10 seconds and then stare at a white sheet of paper. What do you observe and why?

• You should observe a negative afterimage. This happens when the rod/cone (mostly cone) cells in your eye adapt to the stimulus and lose their sensitivity, leaving you with the negative of the color that was adapted to.

3. What is it that makes things "disappear" when you are staring at them at night, and how do you make them reappear?

• There are no rods in the fovea, so little light is picked up when you stare directly at the object. To make it reappear, just don't look right at it.

4. Name what rods are sensitive to and also what cones are sensitive to.

• Rods are more sensitive to lower light levels, but lack color-seeing ability. Cones work in brighter light and perceive color (blue, green, red).

5. Explain how Deadly Nightshade works

• Normally, the parasympathetic nervous system constricts the pupil as needed with acetylcholine. The atropine in nightshade is a competitive agonist on the same receptor as the one that accepts acetylcholine. Basically: the atropine takes up all of the places for acetylcholine to bind, and the pupils dilate.

Critical Thinking: Hearing

1. Explain how the pitch of sound is coded. How is the loudness of sound coded?

2. What do the three semicircular canals in the inner ear enable us to do? How do they accomplish this?

• Each of the three fluid filled canals is on a different plane. Movement is detected on these planes when the fluid inside moves around, vibrating cilia on the cupula which sends it on to the brain.

3. What does the eustachian tube do? What does the eustachian tube have to do with a middle ear infection?

• The eustachian tube is to keep pressure in the middle ear the same as atmospheric pressure. If the tube is blocked, the gases in the ear will diffuse back into the surrounding tissues and a vacuum will be made. Eventually, this will pull fluid in and if it becomes infected... You have an ear infection.

4. What is the advantage of having a oval window?

Sound transducted from air to a more dense medium (endolymph, in scala media where the organ of cortis is placed) would be partially reflected and greatly weakened if not for the ossicular bones that transfer the vibration from membrana tymphani trough malleus, incus and stapes to the foramen ovale where it puts the liquids of cochlea in motion. This motion is then transfered trough membrana vestibularis to membrana basilaris, which in turn puts the haircells in motion. This leads to a bending of the stereocills, fastened to membrana tectori, and as a result; a depolarization of the afferent sensory fibre receptor of n. cochlearis through release of glutamate. The loss of energy in transduction is partially re-gained by the size of membr. tympani compared to the size of foramen ovale and the rotation of the ossicular bones.

Review Questions

1. Located under the hardest bone in the body, these control not only hearing but also a sense of gravity and motion:

2. The retina does the following;

3. This is the reason that we stop feeling the clothes that we are wearing

4. When eating a piece of candy, I will use the following to sense that it is sweet

5. If I have a cold, food may not taste as good to me because

6. Walking from a well lit room into a dark room would cause the following to occur

7. Hair cells in the ear

8. Eyesight decreases with age because

9. Teens walking off of a roller coaster in Magic Mountain seem to have vertigo because

10. These receptors react to foods treated with monosodium glutamate

The Muscular System

1. Smooth Muscle is

2. Skeletal Muscle is

3. Cardiac Muscle is

4. Which type of muscle cell is multinucleated?

5. What is an example of a smooth muscle?

6. Each myosin filament is surrounded by ____ actin filaments.

7. The muscular system is controled by what system?

8. How many types of muscle are there?

Blood Physiology

1. Taking aspirin every day can reduce the risk of heart disease because:

:E) it prevents platelet clumping

2. A hematocrit measures percentage of:

:D) Red blood cells

3. Fred's blood type is O- and Ginger's is B+. Fred and Ginger have a son who is AB+. What do you conclude?

:D) Fred is not the boy’s father

4. Which blood component plays the largest role in maintaining the osmotic pressure of blood?

:A) albumin

5. If you hold your breath for one minute

:B) Hydrogen-ion concentration in the blood will increase

6. Most of the carbon dioxide produced by tissues is transported to the lungs as:

:C) Bicarbonate ions in the plasma

7. To prevent blood loss after a tissue injury, blood vessels first

:D) Constrict and form barriers

8. You take a blood sample from a male cyclist at the end of a long race. The hematocrit is 60%. The most likely conclusion is:

:D) The cyclist is dehydrated

9. In a normal blood sample, which of the following cells will be the most abundant?

:A) Neutrophils

10. A bag of donated blood does not clot because

The cardiovascular system

1. This conducts electricity like nerves

2. This carries the most blood at any given time in the body

3. The following contract together to pump blood

4. This is the pacemaker of the heart

5. When reading an EKG, this letter shows the depolarization from the AV node down to the AV bundle

6. The T wave in an EKG shows

7. Blood pressure is the measure of

8. Systolic Pressure is

9. The heart has how many chambers?

10. End diastolic volume in human

The Immune System

1-When neutrophils and macrophages squeeze out of capillaries to fight off infection it is called:

2-During a great battle between your WBC's and an aggressive microbe, an inflammatory response has been initiated. Reddness and edema has kicked in what else does the body do to protect itself?

3-Specificity and memory are associated with which body defense mechanism?

4-An additional chemical defense found in tears and saliva?

5-Which of the following does complement protein perform

6-Which substance induces fever?

7-Major function(s) of the lymphatic system is/are?

8-An antigen is:

9-A foreign substance, usually a protein, that stimulates the immune system to react, such as by producing antibodies is a ______________.

10-When a macrophage ingests an invading bacteria and takes the antigen to a lymph node, what happens next?

11-What is the most common portal of entry for diseases, into the body?

12-This gland shrinks in size during adulthood, and has hormones that function in maturation of T-lymphocytes:

13-Which of the following is not a mechanical factor to protect the skin and mucous membranes from infection?

14-Where is the site of maturation for a B cell?

15-Nonspecific resistance is

16-What is an Antibody?

The Urinary System

1. While reading a blood test I notice a high level of creatinine, I could assume from this that

2. Direct control of water excretion in the kidneys is controlled by

3. Nephrons

4. If I am dehydrated, my body will increase

5. Which part of the nephron removes water, ions and nutrients from the blood?

6.Kidneys have a direct effect on which of the following

7. Why do substances in the glomerulus enter the Bowman's capsule?

8. What happens in tubular excretion?

9. The countercurrent exchange system includes_________and_________.

10. The function of the loop of the nephron in the process of urine formation is:

The respiratory system

1. This is total lung capacity :*A) Vital capacity :B) Tidal volume :C) Expiratory reserve volume :D) Inspiratory reserve volume 2. Involuntary breathing is caused by the

7. The exchange of gases between the blood within the capillaries and tissue fluid surrounding the body's cells is called? :A) external respiration :B) cell metabolism :C) cellular respiration :*D) internal respiration 8. The medulla oblongata and pons regulate and measure what?

9. About how many alveoli are there in the lungs?

11. Hemoglobin gives up oxygen when the environment is more _______. :*A)Acidic :B)Alkaline :C)Icey :D)Open 12. The sac that surrounds your lungs is called what? :A) Diaphragm :*B) Visceral Pleura :C) Pulmonary Thorax :D) None of the above 13. In what cellular organelle is the oxygen actually consumed and carbon dioxide produced?

14. Which of these are protective reflexes?

15. Where does gas exchange take place?

16. When you hyperventilate you release large amounts of CO2 and drop your O2 levels. As a result you loose the urge to breathe and may pass out. This is called what? :A) Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease :B) Asthma :*C) Shallow water black out :D) Pulmonary Fibrosis 17. Acidosis is when you blood pH is below ? :A) 7.05 :B) 7.15 :C) 7.25 :*D) 7.35 18. When we exhale deeply some air is still left in the lungs, this air left is called? :A) Tidal Volume :B) Vital Capacity :C) Expiratory reserve Volume :*D) Residual Volume

The gastrointestinal system

1. This is released in the duodenum in response to acidic chyme

2. In the GI tract, this layer is responsible for absorption and secretions

3. This digestive enzyme is produced in the salivary glands and the pancreas

4. This keeps the chyme in the stomach until it reaches the right consistency to pass into the small intestine

5. The site where most of the chemical and mechanical digestion is carried out

6. Parietal cells secret

7. The cells at the base of fundic or oxyntic glands

8. The movement and the flow of chemicals into the stomach is controlled by

9. The function of the Ileum is

10. The liver does this

11. How many layers is the G.I tract composed of?

12. Name the 7 accessory organs.

• Salivary glands, parotid gland, submandibular gland, sublingual gland, tongue, teeth, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, vermiform appendix

1. Nonessential amino acids

2. Micronutrients include

3. The body requires amino acids to

4. The function of lipids

5. This vitamin is a vital component of the reproductive process and lowers the risk of getting cancer

6. This vitamin is needed to make red blood cells

7. This participates in the synthesis of hemoglobin and melanin

8. I go to visit my grandmother and see that she has multiple bruises- from this I may assume that

9. As a pirate I may get scurvy because

10. I am taking anticoagulant medication and it doesn’t seem to be working, this could be because

11. Which of these are fat soluable?

The Endocrine System

1. My child just fell and was hurt, the anxious feeling that I feel is caused by

2. All of Bob’s life he has had to take insulin shots, this is caused because

3. The reason iodine is in salt is

4. All hormones react to a negative feedback except

5. If I have a high blood calcium level it may be due to

6. Hormones that are lipids that are synthesized from cholesterol

7. This type of hormone must bind to a receptor protein on the plasma membrane of the cell

8. Endocrine glands release hormones in response to

9. The anterior pituitary secretes

10. Chief cells produce

11. Name the eight major endocrine glands.

• Pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, pancreas, testes/ovaries, adrenal gland, pineal gland

12. Name the four major groups hormones can be chemically classified into.

• Amino acid-derived, polypeptides/proteins, steroids, eicosanoids, glycoprotein, amines

The male reproductive system

1. This is needed to make immature sperm mature

2. These become engorged with blood in an erection

3. The difference between male and female sperm

4. The entire process of sperm formation takes about

5. Hyper Activation occurs when

6. It takes sperm ___________ weeks to travel through the epididymis

7. While singing in the choir, Ben suddenly notices his voice is constantly cracking. This is caused by

8. In sexual homology, the glans penis in the male is equal to _____________ in the female

9. In sexual homology, the ___________ in the male is equal to the fallopian tubes in the female

10. Joe has a bulge in the groin area that seems to get worse when he lifts things. This most likely is

The female reproductive system

1. In homology, the __________ in the female is equal to the penis in the male

2. This contains some of the strongest muscles in the human body

3. This protects the vaginal and urethral openings

4. Sally has noticed that her cervical mucus has changed and now resembles egg whites- from this Sally could assume

5. Debbie recently went to the OBGYN and was diagnosed with PCOD (polycystic ovary syndrome) because of this she has

6. Angie went to the doctor because she has had pain in her leg recently- this could be caused by

7. Sue recently started her period and has noticed that they are very heavy and painful, and that they are inconsistent in their timing. One explanation could be

8. Mary is getting married and is not ready to become a mother- she chooses this birth control because of its high effectiveness

9. The release of LH in woman causes

10. When the ovaries stop producing estrogen, this occurs

11. Infertility affects what percentage of couples?

12. What is the only 100% effective form of birth control?

Pregnancy and birth

1. Is at this stage that an egg implants in the uterine lining

2. Which part of the embryoblast will become the central nervous system in development

3. This hormone is only produced in the human body when a woman is pregnant

4. By this week of pregnancy, the beginnings of all major organs have formed

5. Stem cells are found in the embryoblast and use of them is very controversial, another place to find stem cells that are usable to treat leukemia and other disorders is the

6. The cervix dilates on an average of ______ per hour in the active phase of labor

7. The contractions of the uterus are stimulated by the release of

8. A sign of pre-labor is

9. This is the most common complication of pregnancy

10. Sue decides to breastfeed because she has been told that colostrum contains

11. What is the first milk, after birth, called?

Genetics and inheritance

1. DNA is found on

2. Even though each cell has identical copies of all of the same genes, different cells __________ or ___________ different genes

3. In diploid organisms, a dominant allele on one chromosome will

4. Transcription occurs in the

5. This is the start codon and is found at the beginning of each mRNA

6. Sara was born with cystic fibrosis, from this we could assume that

7. Jesse was born with a flattened face, almond eyes and less muscle tone; it could be assumed that he has

8. The most common inherited disease is

9. Being a carrier of sickle cell anemia means that the person will

10. Hemophilia is

Development: birth through death

1. Growth is the most rapid in

2. This hormone stimulates puberty

3. Compared to girls' early growth spurt, growth __________in boys and __________

4. This quality symbolizes adulthood in most cultures

5. Susie has a very hard time keeping friends, according to Maslow, this could be because

6. According to Maslow, in order for me to reach my full potential of self-actualization I must first

7. Humans are one of the _________ developing species in the animal kingdom

8. Jenny thinks that she might be going through menopause, a symptom of this is

9. It is estimated that 52 million people will be afflicted with this by 2010

10. This is the leading cause of death for both men and women

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Critical thinking has been defined as the disciplined mental activity of evaluating arguments or propositions and making judgments that can guide the development of beliefs and action steps. 1 There is little if any debate that graduate respiratory therapists (RTs) must have critical thinking skills in order to be successful in the current healthcare environment. These skills are crucial to RTs having the ability to define patient care issues with a high level of accuracy. 2 Furthermore, RTs must have the ability to be objective and receptive to others' points of view with regard to patient care issues and be able to justify their own views based on data and logic. Critical thinking is also necessary as the RT evaluates evidence-based research in order to develop and evaluate care plans or recommend changes in respiratory therapy protocols. 3 The ability to think critically is an essential component of providing quality respiratory care to patients.

A high level of critical thinking skills and the ability to apply the appropriate best-practice protocols have been identified as requisites for graduate RTs in 2015 and beyond. 3 Critical thinking has become increasingly important as RTs work with more acutely ill patients, deal with sophisticated equipment and technology, face complicated ethical questions, and manage an ever growing body of knowledge. Accordingly, educators continue to search for strategies that enhance the level of practical clinical experience that is available to students, as well as the curricular content and critical thinking skills that will result in practitioners who are appropriately trained to meet the respiratory care needs of the population.

To foster critical thinking, educators must create learning environments that put emphasis on having the ability to: (1) pose clear and precise questions; (2) identify assumptions; (3) detect ambiguities; (4) use credible sources of information; (5) remain relevant to the issue; (6) look for viable alternatives; (7) withhold judgment; (8) deal with parts of a complex whole; (9) develop criteria for an answer; and (10) analyze arguments to come to appropriate conclusions. 4 The educational environment must also place added value on creative problem-solving strategies rather than on simply knowing the “right” answers.

In this issue of the Journal, Wettstein et al present the findings of a single program's study of critical thinking ability in respiratory care students and its correlation with age, educational background, and performance on national board examinations. 5 The study was well done and adds to the small body of literature on the factors that promote critical thinking in respiratory care students.

Wettstein et al found a significant positive association between a strong educational science course background and the critical thinking ability of senior respiratory care students, as measured with the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal short form (WGCTA-S). A strong science course background was defined as completion of ≥ 10 credits in science courses in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, physics, and/or microbiology. No significant relationship was found between WGCTA-S score and age, or WGCTA-S score and scores for the clinical simulation component of the National Board for Respiratory Care examinations.

The findings of the Wettstein et al study are interesting, but the generalizability of the findings to other respiratory care programs is limited by the study's small sample size, that was comprised of subjects from one educational program at the baccalaureate level. However, assessment of critical thinking ability might be useful as one of many criteria for admission selection, if and when a larger pool of qualified candidates from more than one institution is studied. Other criteria that may be evaluated in students on admission might include basic competencies such as communication skills, ability for self-reflection, problem-solving skills, ethics, and professionalism. 6 In the interim it would stand to reason that selecting candidates with a stronger educational background, not only in the sciences but also the arts and humanities, will enable educators to increase the academic rigor of their programs and improve the credentialing success of graduates. Moreover, selection of appropriate candidates for admission will be more likely to result in a pool of graduate RTs needed to begin RT practice with the excellent critical thinking skills required to assimilate the complex technology and protocols of the future.

It also stands to reason that the ability to think critically may develop over time and with practice and/or encouragement from the learning environment. Thus, longitudinal studies are needed to quantify the critical thinking skills of students from program entry to exit, and perhaps one and 5 years after entry into practice. While one might assume that improving critical thinking will enhance competence, there is no evidence to prove or disprove that assumption. Thus, there is a need for studies with rigorous designs that will allow respiratory care educators to evaluate the effect of different teaching and learning strategies to cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving skills of RT students. Future studies are also needed to answer the following questions with regard to critical thinking. Does critical thinking alter RTs' clinical behavior? Does critical thinking improve patient care?

In my opinion, RTs who think critically will be more apt to search for answers to patient care issues and identify alternate solutions to problems. I believe that critical thinking is central to excellence in respiratory care education, practice, and research.

• Correspondence: Kathy Jones-Boggs Rye EdD RRT, Department of Respiratory and Surgical Technologies, College of Health Related Professions, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham Street, Slot 737, Little Rock AR 72205-7199. E-mail: ryekathyj{at}uams.edu .

The author has disclosed no conflicts of interest.

See the Original Study on Page 284

• Copyright © 2011 by Daedalus Enterprises Inc.
• Shelledy DC ,
• Gardner DD ,
• Carpenter ME ,
• Barnes TE ,
• Kacmarek RM ,
• Wettstein RB ,
• Wilkins RL ,
• Restrepo RD
• Mouradian W ,

In this issue

• Table of Contents
• Table of Contents (PDF)
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Critical Thinking Questions

Plasma contains more sodium than chloride. How can this be if individual ions of sodium and chloride exactly balance each other out, and plasma is electrically neutral?

How is fluid moved from compartment to compartment?

Describe the effect of ADH on renal collecting tubules.

Why is it important for the amount of water intake to equal the amount of water output?

Explain how the CO 2 generated by cells and exhaled in the lungs is carried as bicarbonate in the blood.

How can one have an imbalance in a substance, but not actually have elevated or deficient levels of that substance in the body?

Describe the conservation of bicarbonate ions in the renal system.

Describe the control of blood carbonic acid levels through the respiratory system.

Case Study: Bob is a 64-year-old male admitted to the emergency room for asthma. His laboratory results are as follows: pH 7.31, pCO 2 higher than normal, and total HCO 3 – also higher than normal. Classify his acid-base balance as acidosis or alkalosis, and as metabolic or respiratory. Is there evidence of compensation? Propose the mechanism by which asthma contributed to the lab results seen.

Case Study: Kim is a 38-year-old women admitted to the hospital for bulimia. Her laboratory results are as follows: pH 7.48, pCO 2 in the normal range, and total HCO 3 – higher than normal. Classify her acid-base balance as acidosis or alkalosis, and as metabolic or respiratory. Is there evidence of compensation? Propose the mechanism by which bulimia contributed to the lab results seen.

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The students critical thinking skill profile on respiratory system material through natural disaster and COVID-19 pandemic

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Dwi Astuti , Mohammad Masykuri , Maridi Maridi; The students critical thinking skill profile on respiratory system material through natural disaster and COVID-19 pandemic. AIP Conf. Proc. 2 March 2021; 2330 (1): 030044. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0043402

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The comprehension of respiratory system material needs critical thinking skills as the important competence to facing challenge of 21 st century. The natural disaster and COVID-19 pandemic become a media for teachers to build students critical thinking skills. The purpose of this research is to analyze students critical thinking skills on respiratory system material by utilizing natural disaster and COVID-19 pandemic as the media. The subjects of this research were 30 students of class VIII A2 MTs N 2 Surakarta in 2019/2020 school year. The data on the critical-thingking were collected through interviews and tests. The test instrument development of critical thinking skills referred to Ennis which consist of 5 indicators with 13 essay question items. The data analysis technique used descriptive qualitative. The results of the acquisition of each indicator of critical thinking skills are providing basic explanations indicator by 64%, indicator of building basic skill by 56%, indicator of concluding by 60%, indicator of providing further explanation by 67%, indicator of strategy and tactics 56%. The conclusion of this research is students have a low category of critical thinking skills in Respiratory system materials through natural disaster and COVID-19 pandemic.

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