MoCA Abstract Thinking 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the MoCA similarity task, a patient says 'a train and a bicycle are both fast.' What score does this receive?
- 0 points — concrete response (Correct answer)
- 1 point — partially correct
- 2 points — fully correct
- Not scored in MoCA
Correct answer: 0 points — concrete response
Describing an attribute (fast) rather than a category (vehicles/modes of transport) is a concrete response and earns 0 points.
Question 2: Which cognitive domain does the MoCA abstract thinking subtest PRIMARILY assess?
- Memory consolidation
- Executive and conceptual reasoning (Correct answer)
- Visuospatial processing
- Language fluency
Correct answer: Executive and conceptual reasoning
The abstraction subtest targets executive and conceptual reasoning by requiring the patient to identify categorical similarities.
Question 3: A patient groups 'ruler and clock' as 'both have numbers.' How is this scored?
- 2 points — correct category
- 1 point — partial credit
- 0 points — concrete feature, not a category (Correct answer)
- Not a standard MoCA pair
Correct answer: 0 points — concrete feature, not a category
Identifying a shared feature (numbers) rather than a superordinate category (measurement instruments) scores 0 points.
Question 4: What does it indicate when a patient consistently gives concrete responses on the MoCA abstraction task?
- Superior memory
- Possible frontal lobe dysfunction (Correct answer)
- Normal aging only
- Preserved language skills
Correct answer: Possible frontal lobe dysfunction
Consistent concrete thinking on abstraction tasks is a marker of frontal-executive dysfunction, which the MoCA is designed to detect.
Question 5: If a patient answers 'orange and banana — both are yellow,' the examiner should:
- Accept it as correct
- Give 1 point for partial credit
- Prompt once with 'how else are they alike?' (Correct answer)
- Mark 0 and move on immediately
Correct answer: Prompt once with 'how else are they alike?'
The MoCA administration guidelines allow one prompt if the first response is incorrect or concrete.
Question 6: Which pair is NOT one of the two standard MoCA similarity pairs?
- Train and bicycle
- Watch and ruler
- Table and chair (Correct answer)
- Orange and banana
Correct answer: Table and chair
The two standard MoCA abstraction pairs are train/bicycle and watch/ruler; table and chair is not used.
Question 7: The maximum score possible on the MoCA abstraction subtest is:
- 1
- 2 (Correct answer)
- 3
- 4
Correct answer: 2
The abstraction subtest contains two pairs worth 1 point each, for a maximum of 2 points.
MoCA Abstract Thinking 2
In the MoCA similarity task, a patient says 'a train and a bicycle are both fast.' What score does this receive?