WGU D574 Neuropsychology Objective Assessment OA
Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Complete Quiz with Detailed
Rationales | Pass Guaranteed – A+ Graded
Section 1: Neuroanatomy & Brain Structures
Q1: Which brain structure serves as the major commissural pathway connecting the two
cerebral hemispheres and allowing integration of information between them?
A. The fornix, which links the hippocampus to the hypothalamus
B. The corpus callosum [CORRECT]
C. The internal capsule, carrying projection fibers to and from the cortex
D. The anterior commissure, a much smaller interhemispheric tract
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B. The corpus callosum is that broad band of white matter
fibers connecting the left and right hemispheres, allowing them to share information.
What you'll want to remember for the OA is that damage here leads to split-brain
phenomena where each hemisphere operates more independently.
Q2: A 68-year-old patient presents with progressive memory loss, difficulty finding
words, and personality changes. Which neuroanatomical regions are most likely
affected in this presentation?
A. The occipital lobe and primary visual cortex
B. The hippocampus, temporal lobes, and prefrontal cortex [CORRECT]
C. The cerebellum and pons, producing ataxia and sleep disturbances
D. The primary motor cortex and basal ganglia, causing movement disorders
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B. This pattern of progressive memory loss, word-finding
difficulty, and personality change is classic for Alzheimer's disease, which primarily
affects medial temporal structures including the hippocampus, along with temporal and
prefrontal association areas. The hippocampus is essential for memory consolidation,
,while prefrontal and temporal regions support language and executive aspects of
personality.
Q3: A patient sustains a closed head injury and develops significant difficulties with
balance, coordination, and fine motor movements. Which structure has most likely been
damaged?
A. The basal ganglia, producing rigidity and bradykinesia
B. The cerebellum [CORRECT]
C. The thalamus, causing sensory loss and neglect
D. The hypothalamus, producing autonomic and endocrine dysfunction
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B. The cerebellum is your coordination and balance
center—it's not just about movement execution but about making movements smooth
and accurate. Damage here produces ataxia, intention tremor, and dysmetria. While the
basal ganglia are involved in movement initiation, they don't primarily govern
coordination and balance the way the cerebellum does.
Q4: During a neurosurgical procedure, a patient's left amygdala is accidentally lesioned.
Which behavioral change would the neuropsychologist most expect to observe?
A. Inability to recognize familiar faces, known as prosopagnosia
B. Flattened emotional responses and impaired fear conditioning [CORRECT]
C. Complete loss of verbal memory and anterograde amnesia
D. Inability to comprehend spoken language or follow commands
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B. The amygdala sits in the medial temporal lobe and is
essentially your brain's emotional sentinel—it's critical for fear conditioning, emotional
memory, and attaching emotional significance to stimuli. This aligns with the
neuroanatomical evidence that bilateral amygdala damage produces the famous
Kluver-Bucy syndrome, but even unilateral lesions can blunt emotional processing.
Q5: The basal ganglia are primarily involved in which of the following functions?
A. Relaying sensory information to the cortex via thalamic projections
B. Regulating movement initiation, procedural learning, and habit formation [CORRECT]
C. Producing cerebrospinal fluid within the ventricular system
D. Controlling heart rate and respiration through autonomic nuclei
, Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B. The basal ganglia—your caudate, putamen, globus
pallidus, and substantia nigra—form a complex circuit with the cortex and thalamus
that's essential for starting and stopping movements, learning motor skills, and
developing habits. This is why Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, which affect
different parts of this system, produce such dramatic movement disorders.
Q6: A 45-year-old man suffers a brainstem stroke affecting his pons. Which of the
following clinical presentations would be most consistent with this lesion?
A. Complete locked-in syndrome with preserved consciousness and vertical eye
movements [CORRECT]
B. Coma with no brainstem reflexes and loss of autonomic function
C. Pure motor hemiparesis without sensory loss or cranial nerve findings
D. Visual field defects and memory impairment from posterior circulation involvement
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The best answer is A. A pontine stroke can damage the corticospinal tracts
while sparing the reticular activating system and certain cranial nerve nuclei, producing
locked-in syndrome. The patient is fully awake and aware but essentially paralyzed, able
to communicate only through eye movements—typically vertical gaze and blinking. It's
one of the most devastating presentations you'll see in neuropsychology.
Q7: A patient with a tumor in the right parietal lobe is referred for neuropsychological
evaluation. Which pattern of deficits would the examiner most likely document?
A. Expressive aphasia and right-sided weakness from corticobulbar involvement
B. Left hemineglect, visuospatial disorganization, and anosognosia [CORRECT]
C. Pure word deafness and memory loss from temporal lobe extension
D. Bilateral motor impairment and emotional lability from diffuse involvement
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B. The right parietal lobe is heavily involved in spatial
attention and awareness of the left side of space. This aligns with the neuroanatomical
evidence that right hemisphere lesions, particularly parietal ones, frequently produce
hemineglect—where patients ignore the left side of space, their own body, and
Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Complete Quiz with Detailed
Rationales | Pass Guaranteed – A+ Graded
Section 1: Neuroanatomy & Brain Structures
Q1: Which brain structure serves as the major commissural pathway connecting the two
cerebral hemispheres and allowing integration of information between them?
A. The fornix, which links the hippocampus to the hypothalamus
B. The corpus callosum [CORRECT]
C. The internal capsule, carrying projection fibers to and from the cortex
D. The anterior commissure, a much smaller interhemispheric tract
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B. The corpus callosum is that broad band of white matter
fibers connecting the left and right hemispheres, allowing them to share information.
What you'll want to remember for the OA is that damage here leads to split-brain
phenomena where each hemisphere operates more independently.
Q2: A 68-year-old patient presents with progressive memory loss, difficulty finding
words, and personality changes. Which neuroanatomical regions are most likely
affected in this presentation?
A. The occipital lobe and primary visual cortex
B. The hippocampus, temporal lobes, and prefrontal cortex [CORRECT]
C. The cerebellum and pons, producing ataxia and sleep disturbances
D. The primary motor cortex and basal ganglia, causing movement disorders
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B. This pattern of progressive memory loss, word-finding
difficulty, and personality change is classic for Alzheimer's disease, which primarily
affects medial temporal structures including the hippocampus, along with temporal and
prefrontal association areas. The hippocampus is essential for memory consolidation,
,while prefrontal and temporal regions support language and executive aspects of
personality.
Q3: A patient sustains a closed head injury and develops significant difficulties with
balance, coordination, and fine motor movements. Which structure has most likely been
damaged?
A. The basal ganglia, producing rigidity and bradykinesia
B. The cerebellum [CORRECT]
C. The thalamus, causing sensory loss and neglect
D. The hypothalamus, producing autonomic and endocrine dysfunction
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B. The cerebellum is your coordination and balance
center—it's not just about movement execution but about making movements smooth
and accurate. Damage here produces ataxia, intention tremor, and dysmetria. While the
basal ganglia are involved in movement initiation, they don't primarily govern
coordination and balance the way the cerebellum does.
Q4: During a neurosurgical procedure, a patient's left amygdala is accidentally lesioned.
Which behavioral change would the neuropsychologist most expect to observe?
A. Inability to recognize familiar faces, known as prosopagnosia
B. Flattened emotional responses and impaired fear conditioning [CORRECT]
C. Complete loss of verbal memory and anterograde amnesia
D. Inability to comprehend spoken language or follow commands
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B. The amygdala sits in the medial temporal lobe and is
essentially your brain's emotional sentinel—it's critical for fear conditioning, emotional
memory, and attaching emotional significance to stimuli. This aligns with the
neuroanatomical evidence that bilateral amygdala damage produces the famous
Kluver-Bucy syndrome, but even unilateral lesions can blunt emotional processing.
Q5: The basal ganglia are primarily involved in which of the following functions?
A. Relaying sensory information to the cortex via thalamic projections
B. Regulating movement initiation, procedural learning, and habit formation [CORRECT]
C. Producing cerebrospinal fluid within the ventricular system
D. Controlling heart rate and respiration through autonomic nuclei
, Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B. The basal ganglia—your caudate, putamen, globus
pallidus, and substantia nigra—form a complex circuit with the cortex and thalamus
that's essential for starting and stopping movements, learning motor skills, and
developing habits. This is why Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, which affect
different parts of this system, produce such dramatic movement disorders.
Q6: A 45-year-old man suffers a brainstem stroke affecting his pons. Which of the
following clinical presentations would be most consistent with this lesion?
A. Complete locked-in syndrome with preserved consciousness and vertical eye
movements [CORRECT]
B. Coma with no brainstem reflexes and loss of autonomic function
C. Pure motor hemiparesis without sensory loss or cranial nerve findings
D. Visual field defects and memory impairment from posterior circulation involvement
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The best answer is A. A pontine stroke can damage the corticospinal tracts
while sparing the reticular activating system and certain cranial nerve nuclei, producing
locked-in syndrome. The patient is fully awake and aware but essentially paralyzed, able
to communicate only through eye movements—typically vertical gaze and blinking. It's
one of the most devastating presentations you'll see in neuropsychology.
Q7: A patient with a tumor in the right parietal lobe is referred for neuropsychological
evaluation. Which pattern of deficits would the examiner most likely document?
A. Expressive aphasia and right-sided weakness from corticobulbar involvement
B. Left hemineglect, visuospatial disorganization, and anosognosia [CORRECT]
C. Pure word deafness and memory loss from temporal lobe extension
D. Bilateral motor impairment and emotional lability from diffuse involvement
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best answer is B. The right parietal lobe is heavily involved in spatial
attention and awareness of the left side of space. This aligns with the neuroanatomical
evidence that right hemisphere lesions, particularly parietal ones, frequently produce
hemineglect—where patients ignore the left side of space, their own body, and
