MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY MID term Questions and Correct Answers.pdf

MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY MID-TERM EXAM (LATEST
2026/2027 UPDATE) | Q&A WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS AND DETAILED RATIONALES | WORD
PARTS, BODY SYSTEMS, ANATOMICAL
TERMINOLOGY, DISEASE PROCESSES | A+ GRADED


MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY MID-TERM EXAM (LATEST 2026/2027 UPDATE)
COMPLETE Q&A WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS AND DETAILED RATIONALES | WORD
PARTS, BODY SYSTEMS, ANATOMICAL TERMINOLOGY, DISEASE PROCESSES | A+
GRADED


SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS – WORD PARTS


Question 1: What is a word root?
Answer: The foundation of a medical term that contains its primary meaning.
Most word roots are derived from Greek or Latin language .
Rationale: The word root is the core of the medical term and typically refers to a
body part or body system. For example, "cardi" is the word root for heart, and
"hepat" is the word root for liver. Understanding word roots is essential for
constructing and deciphering medical terms .


Question 2: What is a prefix in medical terminology?

,Answer: A word element attached to the beginning of a word or word root that
modifies its meaning. Not all medical terms have a prefix .
Rationale: Prefixes usually indicate number, time, position, direction, or negation.
For example, "hyper-" means above or excessive, "hypo-" means under or
deficient, and "intra-" means within. The prefix comes before the word root to
change its meaning .


Question 3: What is a suffix in medical terminology?
Answer: A word element placed at the end of a word that changes the meaning of
the word .
Rationale: In medical terminology, a suffix usually describes a pathology (disease
or abnormality), symptom, surgical or diagnostic procedure, or part of speech. For
example, "-itis" means inflammation, "-ectomy" means surgical removal, and "-
pathy" means disease .


Question 4: What is a combining vowel?
Answer: The vowel that is combined with a word root to create a combining form.
It is usually an "o" but sometimes an "i" .
Rationale: A combining vowel has no meaning of its own but enables two or more
word elements to be connected and eases word pronunciation. A combining
vowel is used to join a root to any suffix beginning with a consonant and to join
two roots together .


Question 5: What is a combining form?
Answer: A combining form is created when a word root is combined with a
vowel .

, Rationale: For example, "hepat" (word root meaning liver) + "o" (combining
vowel) = "hepato" (combining form). Combining forms are used to build medical
terms and link with suffixes or other roots .


Question 6: What is a compound word in medical terminology?
Answer: A medical term with two or more word roots .
Rationale: Example: "Osteoarthritis" contains two roots: "oste" (bone) and "arthr"
(joint). The combining vowel "o" connects these roots, and the suffix "-itis"
indicates inflammation .


Question 7: Medical language includes terms built from which languages?
Answer: Greek and Latin .
Rationale: Medical terminology is primarily built from Greek and Latin word parts.
Terms can be divided into those built from word components of Greek and Latin
origin, eponyms (named for people), acronyms, and modern language terms .


Question 8: A term named for a person or a place is called what?
Answer: An eponym .
Rationale: Eponyms are terms named for the person who discovered or first
described a condition. For example, Alzheimer disease is named for the physician
who first described the symptoms, and Parkinson's disease is named after James
Parkinson .


Question 9: When defining a medical term, where does one usually begin the
definition?
Answer: With the suffix .