WA HOSA Medical Terminology Exam 2026/2027 | Complete
Practice Questions, Correct Answers & Detailed Rationales
Section 1: Medical Terminology Foundations — Questions 1–25
1. What is the primary purpose of a medical word root?
A. To indicate grammatical tense
B. To provide the basic meaning of the term
C. To identify the plural form
D. To indicate pronunciation
Correct Answer: B. To provide the basic meaning of the term
Rationale: The word root usually contains the fundamental meaning of
a medical term, often referring to an organ, tissue, or body system.
2. Which word part is commonly placed at the beginning of a medical
term?
A. Suffix
B. Combining vowel
C. Prefix
D. Word root
Correct Answer: C. Prefix
Rationale: A prefix appears before the word root and modifies its
meaning, often indicating location, number, size, or direction.
3. Which word part is usually located at the end of a medical term?
A. Prefix
B. Suffix
,C. Root
D. Combining form
Correct Answer: B. Suffix
Rationale: A suffix is attached to the end of a medical term and
frequently indicates a condition, procedure, disease, or specialty.
4. What is a combining vowel most commonly used for?
A. Changing a noun into an adjective
B. Connecting word parts
C. Indicating a disease
D. Creating an abbreviation
Correct Answer: B. Connecting word parts
Rationale: Combining vowels, especially “o,” make medical terms easier
to pronounce and connect roots to suffixes or other roots.
5. Which combining vowel is most commonly used in medical
terminology?
A. A
B. E
C. I
D. O
Correct Answer: D. O
Rationale: The letter “o” is the most frequently used combining vowel
in medical terms.
6. The term “cardiology” refers to the study of the:
A. Kidneys
B. Heart
,C. Lungs
D. Liver
Correct Answer: B. Heart
Rationale: Cardi/o means heart, and -logy means study of. Cardiology is
the study of the heart.
7. What does the suffix “-itis” mean?
A. Surgical removal
B. Inflammation
C. Tumor
D. Enlargement
Correct Answer: B. Inflammation
Rationale: The suffix -itis indicates inflammation, as in gastritis or
arthritis.
8. What does the suffix “-ectomy” mean?
A. Surgical removal
B. Visual examination
C. Incision
D. Surgical repair
Correct Answer: A. Surgical removal
Rationale: An -ectomy is the surgical removal of a body structure, such
as appendectomy.
9. What does “-algia” indicate?
A. Blood condition
B. Pain
, C. Inflammation
D. Enlargement
Correct Answer: B. Pain
Rationale: -algia means pain, as in neuralgia or myalgia.
10. What does the prefix “hyper-” mean?
A. Below
B. Excessive or above normal
C. Within
D. Around
Correct Answer: B. Excessive or above normal
Rationale: Hyper- indicates excessive, increased, or above-normal
conditions.
11. What does the prefix “hypo-” mean?
A. Below or deficient
B. Above normal
C. Around
D. Between
Correct Answer: A. Below or deficient
Rationale: Hypo- indicates below normal, deficient, or decreased.
12. The prefix “brady-” means:
A. Fast
B. Slow
C. Large
D. Painful
Practice Questions, Correct Answers & Detailed Rationales
Section 1: Medical Terminology Foundations — Questions 1–25
1. What is the primary purpose of a medical word root?
A. To indicate grammatical tense
B. To provide the basic meaning of the term
C. To identify the plural form
D. To indicate pronunciation
Correct Answer: B. To provide the basic meaning of the term
Rationale: The word root usually contains the fundamental meaning of
a medical term, often referring to an organ, tissue, or body system.
2. Which word part is commonly placed at the beginning of a medical
term?
A. Suffix
B. Combining vowel
C. Prefix
D. Word root
Correct Answer: C. Prefix
Rationale: A prefix appears before the word root and modifies its
meaning, often indicating location, number, size, or direction.
3. Which word part is usually located at the end of a medical term?
A. Prefix
B. Suffix
,C. Root
D. Combining form
Correct Answer: B. Suffix
Rationale: A suffix is attached to the end of a medical term and
frequently indicates a condition, procedure, disease, or specialty.
4. What is a combining vowel most commonly used for?
A. Changing a noun into an adjective
B. Connecting word parts
C. Indicating a disease
D. Creating an abbreviation
Correct Answer: B. Connecting word parts
Rationale: Combining vowels, especially “o,” make medical terms easier
to pronounce and connect roots to suffixes or other roots.
5. Which combining vowel is most commonly used in medical
terminology?
A. A
B. E
C. I
D. O
Correct Answer: D. O
Rationale: The letter “o” is the most frequently used combining vowel
in medical terms.
6. The term “cardiology” refers to the study of the:
A. Kidneys
B. Heart
,C. Lungs
D. Liver
Correct Answer: B. Heart
Rationale: Cardi/o means heart, and -logy means study of. Cardiology is
the study of the heart.
7. What does the suffix “-itis” mean?
A. Surgical removal
B. Inflammation
C. Tumor
D. Enlargement
Correct Answer: B. Inflammation
Rationale: The suffix -itis indicates inflammation, as in gastritis or
arthritis.
8. What does the suffix “-ectomy” mean?
A. Surgical removal
B. Visual examination
C. Incision
D. Surgical repair
Correct Answer: A. Surgical removal
Rationale: An -ectomy is the surgical removal of a body structure, such
as appendectomy.
9. What does “-algia” indicate?
A. Blood condition
B. Pain
, C. Inflammation
D. Enlargement
Correct Answer: B. Pain
Rationale: -algia means pain, as in neuralgia or myalgia.
10. What does the prefix “hyper-” mean?
A. Below
B. Excessive or above normal
C. Within
D. Around
Correct Answer: B. Excessive or above normal
Rationale: Hyper- indicates excessive, increased, or above-normal
conditions.
11. What does the prefix “hypo-” mean?
A. Below or deficient
B. Above normal
C. Around
D. Between
Correct Answer: A. Below or deficient
Rationale: Hypo- indicates below normal, deficient, or decreased.
12. The prefix “brady-” means:
A. Fast
B. Slow
C. Large
D. Painful
