To assess a patient's ability to think abstractly, a nurse practitioner could ask the patient: A. The meaning of a common proverb B. What action the patient would take if there was a fire in the house C. To count backwards from 100 by 7s D. To spell a word backward? 1) The meaning of a common proverb 2) What action the patient would take if there was a fire in the house 3) To count backwards from 100 by 7s 4) To spell a word backward