CMAA Medical Terminology and Anatomy 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which suffix means 'surgical fixation' or 'to fix in place'?
- -pexy (Correct answer)
- -plasty
- -rrhaphy
- -tomy
Correct answer: -pexy
The suffix -pexy means surgical fixation, as in nephropexy (surgical fixation of the kidney).
Question 2: The term 'hepatomegaly' refers to enlargement of which organ?
- Liver (Correct answer)
- Spleen
- Kidney
- Pancreas
Correct answer: Liver
Hepato- is the prefix for liver, and -megaly means enlargement, so hepatomegaly is an enlarged liver.
Question 3: Which body cavity contains the heart and lungs?
- Thoracic cavity (Correct answer)
- Abdominal cavity
- Pelvic cavity
- Cranial cavity
Correct answer: Thoracic cavity
The thoracic (chest) cavity is enclosed by the ribcage and contains the heart and lungs.
Question 4: What does the prefix 'brady-' mean in medical terminology?
- Slow (Correct answer)
- Fast
- Irregular
- Absent
Correct answer: Slow
Brady- means slow; for example, bradycardia is a slower-than-normal heart rate.
Question 5: The anatomical term 'lateral' means toward which direction?
- The side, away from midline (Correct answer)
- Toward the midline
- Toward the front
- Toward the back
Correct answer: The side, away from midline
Lateral describes a position farther from the body's midline, as opposed to medial.
Question 6: Which medical term describes difficulty swallowing?
- Dysphagia (Correct answer)
- Dysphasia
- Dyspnea
- Dysuria
Correct answer: Dysphagia
Dysphagia combines dys- (difficulty) with -phagia (eating/swallowing) to describe difficulty swallowing.
Question 7: The term 'erythrocyte' refers to which type of blood cell?
- Red blood cell (Correct answer)
- White blood cell
- Platelet
- Plasma cell
Correct answer: Red blood cell
Erythro- means red and -cyte means cell, so erythrocyte is another term for a red blood cell.
CMAA Medical Terminology and Anatomy 4
Which suffix means 'surgical fixation' or 'to fix in place'?