NUR 115 – Medical Terminology for Nursing
Complete Medical Terminology Study Guide,
Healthcare Vocabulary, Clinical Language, and
Examination Preparation
Q1. A nurse is reviewing a patient's chart and notes the term "hepatomegaly." The
suffix "-megaly" means:
A) Inflammation
B) Enlargement
C) Disease
D) Surgical removal
Answer: B — Enlargement
Rationale: The suffix "-megaly" means enlargement. Hepatomegaly = hepat/o
(liver) + -megaly (enlargement) = enlargement of the liver. Other common suffixes
include "-itis" (inflammation), "-pathy" (disease), and "-ectomy" (surgical
removal). Understanding common suffixes is essential for interpreting medical
terminology.
Q2. A nurse is documenting that a patient has "tachycardia." The prefix "tachy-"
means:
A) Slow
B) Fast
C) Pain
D) Difficult
Answer: B — Fast
Rationale: The prefix "tachy-" means fast or rapid. Tachycardia = tachy- (fast) +
cardia (heart) = rapid heart rate. The prefix "brady-" means slow (bradycardia =
slow heart rate). Prefixes are placed at the beginning of medical terms to modify
the meaning of the root word.
Q3. A patient has a diagnosis of "hypertension." The prefix "hyper-" means:
,A) Below
B) Above/Excessive
C) Normal
D) Slow
Answer: B — Above/Excessive
Rationale: The prefix "hyper-" means above, excessive, or high. Hypertension =
hyper- (above) + tension (pressure) = high blood pressure. The prefix "hypo-
" means below or low (hypotension = low blood pressure). Hyper- and hypo- are
commonly used prefixes in medical terminology.
Q4. A nurse is assessing a patient with "dysphagia." The prefix "dys-" means:
A) Good
B) Difficult/Abnormal
C) Fast
D) Slow
Answer: B — Difficult/Abnormal
Rationale: The prefix "dys-" means difficult, painful, or abnormal. Dysphagia =
dys- (difficult) + phagia (swallowing) = difficulty swallowing. Other examples
include dyspnea (difficulty breathing) and dysuria (painful urination). The
prefix "eu-" means good or normal (e.g., eupnea = normal breathing).
Q5. The suffix "-itis" means:
A) Enlargement
B) Inflammation
C) Disease
D) Surgical removal
Answer: B — Inflammation
Rationale: The suffix "-itis" means inflammation. Examples include appendicitis
(inflammation of the appendix), tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils), and
arthritis (inflammation of the joints). The suffix "-osis" means a condition or
disease process. Understanding suffixes helps identify the nature of the condition.
,Q6. A patient is diagnosed with "gastritis." The root "gastr/o" means:
A) Kidney
B) Stomach
C) Intestine
D) Liver
Answer: B — Stomach
Rationale: The root "gastr/o" means stomach. Gastritis = gastr/o (stomach) + -
itis (inflammation) = inflammation of the stomach. Other common roots include
nephr/o (kidney), enter/o (intestine), and hepat/o (liver). Knowing the root helps
identify the body part or system being affected.
Q7. The suffix "-ectomy" means:
A) Inflammation
B) Enlargement
C) Surgical removal
D) Surgical repair
Answer: C — Surgical removal
Rationale: The suffix "-ectomy" means surgical removal or excision. Examples
include appendectomy (removal of the appendix), cholecystectomy (removal of the
gallbladder), and nephrectomy (removal of the kidney). The suffix "-otomy" means
cutting into (incision), and "-ostomy" means creating an opening (stoma).
Q8. A patient is diagnosed with "nephritis." The root "nephr/o" means:
A) Liver
B) Kidney
C) Stomach
D) Bladder
Answer: B — Kidney
, Rationale: The root "nephr/o" means kidney. Nephritis = nephr/o (kidney) + -itis
(inflammation) = inflammation of the kidney. The root "ren/o" also means kidney.
Other urinary system roots include cyst/o (bladder), ureter/o (ureter), and urethr/o
(urethra).
Q9. The prefix "brady-" means:
A) Fast
B) Slow
C) Normal
D) Pain
Answer: B — Slow
Rationale: The prefix "brady-" means slow. Bradycardia = brady- (slow) +
cardia (heart) = slow heart rate. The prefix "tachy-" means fast. Brady- and tachy-
are commonly used prefixes for heart rate, respiratory rate, and other physiological
measurements.
Q10. A patient has a diagnosis of "hypoglycemia." The prefix "hypo-" means:
A) Above
B) Below
C) Normal
D) Excessive
Answer: B — Below
Rationale: The prefix "hypo-" means below or low. Hypoglycemia = hypo- (low)
+ glyc (sugar) + -emia (blood condition) = low blood sugar. The prefix "hyper-
" means above or high (hyperglycemia = high blood sugar). These prefixes are
essential for understanding metabolic and physiological conditions.
Q11. The suffix "-pathy" means:
A) Inflammation
B) Surgical removal
Complete Medical Terminology Study Guide,
Healthcare Vocabulary, Clinical Language, and
Examination Preparation
Q1. A nurse is reviewing a patient's chart and notes the term "hepatomegaly." The
suffix "-megaly" means:
A) Inflammation
B) Enlargement
C) Disease
D) Surgical removal
Answer: B — Enlargement
Rationale: The suffix "-megaly" means enlargement. Hepatomegaly = hepat/o
(liver) + -megaly (enlargement) = enlargement of the liver. Other common suffixes
include "-itis" (inflammation), "-pathy" (disease), and "-ectomy" (surgical
removal). Understanding common suffixes is essential for interpreting medical
terminology.
Q2. A nurse is documenting that a patient has "tachycardia." The prefix "tachy-"
means:
A) Slow
B) Fast
C) Pain
D) Difficult
Answer: B — Fast
Rationale: The prefix "tachy-" means fast or rapid. Tachycardia = tachy- (fast) +
cardia (heart) = rapid heart rate. The prefix "brady-" means slow (bradycardia =
slow heart rate). Prefixes are placed at the beginning of medical terms to modify
the meaning of the root word.
Q3. A patient has a diagnosis of "hypertension." The prefix "hyper-" means:
,A) Below
B) Above/Excessive
C) Normal
D) Slow
Answer: B — Above/Excessive
Rationale: The prefix "hyper-" means above, excessive, or high. Hypertension =
hyper- (above) + tension (pressure) = high blood pressure. The prefix "hypo-
" means below or low (hypotension = low blood pressure). Hyper- and hypo- are
commonly used prefixes in medical terminology.
Q4. A nurse is assessing a patient with "dysphagia." The prefix "dys-" means:
A) Good
B) Difficult/Abnormal
C) Fast
D) Slow
Answer: B — Difficult/Abnormal
Rationale: The prefix "dys-" means difficult, painful, or abnormal. Dysphagia =
dys- (difficult) + phagia (swallowing) = difficulty swallowing. Other examples
include dyspnea (difficulty breathing) and dysuria (painful urination). The
prefix "eu-" means good or normal (e.g., eupnea = normal breathing).
Q5. The suffix "-itis" means:
A) Enlargement
B) Inflammation
C) Disease
D) Surgical removal
Answer: B — Inflammation
Rationale: The suffix "-itis" means inflammation. Examples include appendicitis
(inflammation of the appendix), tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils), and
arthritis (inflammation of the joints). The suffix "-osis" means a condition or
disease process. Understanding suffixes helps identify the nature of the condition.
,Q6. A patient is diagnosed with "gastritis." The root "gastr/o" means:
A) Kidney
B) Stomach
C) Intestine
D) Liver
Answer: B — Stomach
Rationale: The root "gastr/o" means stomach. Gastritis = gastr/o (stomach) + -
itis (inflammation) = inflammation of the stomach. Other common roots include
nephr/o (kidney), enter/o (intestine), and hepat/o (liver). Knowing the root helps
identify the body part or system being affected.
Q7. The suffix "-ectomy" means:
A) Inflammation
B) Enlargement
C) Surgical removal
D) Surgical repair
Answer: C — Surgical removal
Rationale: The suffix "-ectomy" means surgical removal or excision. Examples
include appendectomy (removal of the appendix), cholecystectomy (removal of the
gallbladder), and nephrectomy (removal of the kidney). The suffix "-otomy" means
cutting into (incision), and "-ostomy" means creating an opening (stoma).
Q8. A patient is diagnosed with "nephritis." The root "nephr/o" means:
A) Liver
B) Kidney
C) Stomach
D) Bladder
Answer: B — Kidney
, Rationale: The root "nephr/o" means kidney. Nephritis = nephr/o (kidney) + -itis
(inflammation) = inflammation of the kidney. The root "ren/o" also means kidney.
Other urinary system roots include cyst/o (bladder), ureter/o (ureter), and urethr/o
(urethra).
Q9. The prefix "brady-" means:
A) Fast
B) Slow
C) Normal
D) Pain
Answer: B — Slow
Rationale: The prefix "brady-" means slow. Bradycardia = brady- (slow) +
cardia (heart) = slow heart rate. The prefix "tachy-" means fast. Brady- and tachy-
are commonly used prefixes for heart rate, respiratory rate, and other physiological
measurements.
Q10. A patient has a diagnosis of "hypoglycemia." The prefix "hypo-" means:
A) Above
B) Below
C) Normal
D) Excessive
Answer: B — Below
Rationale: The prefix "hypo-" means below or low. Hypoglycemia = hypo- (low)
+ glyc (sugar) + -emia (blood condition) = low blood sugar. The prefix "hyper-
" means above or high (hyperglycemia = high blood sugar). These prefixes are
essential for understanding metabolic and physiological conditions.
Q11. The suffix "-pathy" means:
A) Inflammation
B) Surgical removal
