Stroke: act FAST

Every question, with the answer explained

The full set, for revision or for reading straight through. The correct answer is marked, and the explanation says why.

1. 1. What does the F in the FAST stroke test stand for?

   • Fever
   • Face — has one side of the face dropped?
   • Fatigue
   • Fingers

   Face — has one side of the face dropped?. Face, Arms, Speech, Time. Ask them to smile: a drooped side is the first check.

   What does “stroke” mean?

2. 2. The A in FAST asks you to:

   • Check their appetite
   • Ask them to raise both arms and see if one drifts down
   • Take their pulse
   • Check their age

   Ask them to raise both arms and see if one drifts down. Ask them to raise both arms and hold. One arm drifting down or not lifting at all is a positive sign.

3. 3. What should you do the moment you suspect a stroke?

   • Wait an hour to see if it passes
   • Call an ambulance immediately
   • Give aspirin and go to bed
   • Give food and water

   Call an ambulance immediately. Clot-busting treatment has a narrow time window measured in hours from symptom onset. Every minute of delay costs brain tissue.

4. 4. Should you give food, drink or medicine to someone having a stroke?

   • Yes, aspirin and water
   • No — swallowing may be impaired and it risks choking
   • Only water
   • Only sugar

   No — swallowing may be impaired and it risks choking. Stroke often impairs swallowing, so anything by mouth risks going into the lungs. Unlike a heart attack, do not give aspirin: the stroke may be a bleed, which aspirin would worsen.

5. 5. What is a TIA or 'mini-stroke'?

   • A harmless event to ignore
   • Stroke symptoms that resolve within 24 hours — an urgent warning of a full stroke
   • A type of migraine
   • A heart problem

   Stroke symptoms that resolve within 24 hours — an urgent warning of a full stroke. A TIA means the blockage cleared itself. It carries a high short-term risk of a completed stroke and needs urgent assessment, even though the person now feels normal.

   What does “stroke” mean?

6. 6. Which is a stroke symptom people commonly dismiss?

   • Sudden severe headache with no cause, or sudden loss of vision in one eye
   • A gradual ache over a week
   • Mild neck stiffness after sleeping awkwardly
   • Tingling after sitting cross-legged

   Sudden severe headache with no cause, or sudden loss of vision in one eye. Sudden severe headache, sudden visual loss, sudden vertigo with imbalance, or sudden confusion are all stroke presentations. The word that matters is sudden.

7. 7. Which is the single biggest modifiable risk factor for stroke?

   • High blood pressure
   • Eating late
   • Drinking tea
   • Sleeping on one side

   High blood pressure. Hypertension is the leading modifiable cause, followed by smoking, diabetes, atrial fibrillation and high cholesterol. Controlling blood pressure prevents more strokes than anything else.

   What does “hypertension” mean?

8. 8. While waiting for the ambulance, how should you position the person?

   • Sitting upright in a chair
   • Lying on their side with the head slightly raised, if unconscious but breathing
   • Standing and walking
   • Face down

   Lying on their side with the head slightly raised, if unconscious but breathing. If they are unresponsive but breathing, the recovery position protects the airway. Note the exact time symptoms started — the hospital will need it.