Find the odd one out.

Appeared in: NIMHANS Nursing Officer - 2019

Explanation

A shirt is an item of personal clothing worn on the upper part of the body.
The other three items—bed sheets, curtains, and table cloths—are all types of linen or fabric furnishings used in a home or institutional setting.
The key differentiator is the item's primary function: personal apparel versus household/institutional furnishing.

Option A: Bed sheets are a type of bedding, falling into the category of household/institutional linen.
Option B: A curtain is a piece of material suspended in a window or opening, which is a type of furnishing linen.
Option C: A table cloth is a cloth spread over a table, categorizing it as a type of household/institutional linen.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Categorization and identifying the outlier in a set of common items as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
In nursing, proper management of linen is a fundamental aspect of infection control. Hospital linen (sheets, curtains) and personal clothing (shirts) are handled and laundered separately to prevent cross-contamination.
Separating personal items respects patient dignity and property, reducing the risk of loss or damage.
What if? If a patient's personal shirt is heavily soiled with blood or body fluids, it should be handled with the same precautions as contaminated hospital linen (using gloves, bagging in a leak-proof bag), but still kept separate to be returned to the family for laundering, with instructions if necessary.

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze all four options to identify a common theme or category that connects most of them.
In this case, 'Bed sheets,' 'Curtain,' and 'Table cloth' can all be categorized as types of linen or fabric furnishings.
Next, evaluate each option against this common category.
Identify the option that does not fit the established category. A 'Shirt' is personal clothing, not a furnishing.
Therefore, 'Shirt' is the odd one out.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Categorization and identifying the outlier in a set of common items.
Stem keywords: odd one out
Lead-in keywords: Find

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Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.