HOSA Medical Terminology Practice Questions with Explanations
Free HOSA Medical Terminology practice questions with an explanation for every answer. Covers word roots, prefixes, suffixes, body systems, and common medical abbreviations used in healthcare settings.
Questions
The prefix brady- in bradycardia means:
- Weak
- Fast
- Slow
- Irregular
Tachypnea describes breathing that is:
- Completely absent
- Painful or labored
- Abnormally rapid
- Abnormally slow
Which prefix means below or deficient?
- supra-
- epi-
- hyper-
- hypo-
Hyperglycemia means:
- Breakdown of stored sugar in the liver
- Excessive sugar in the blood
- Deficient sugar in the blood
- Sugar spilling into the urine
The prefix dys- means:
- Two or double
- Across or through
- Without, absent, or lacking
- Bad, painful, or difficult
Apnea means:
- Rapid, shallow breathing
- Temporary absence of breathing
- Normal, quiet breathing
- Difficult or painful breathing
Pericarditis is inflammation of the membrane ___ the heart.
- beside
- around
- below
- within
Endoscopy is visual examination:
- Inside a body cavity or organ
- Using X-ray imaging only
- Of the outer skin surface
- Of tissue removed after surgery
Intercostal muscles are located:
- Within a single rib
- Between the ribs
- Across the sternum
- Below the ribs
Subcutaneous means:
- Above the skin
- Under the skin
- Through the skin
- Beside the skin
Polyuria means:
- Painful urination
- Blood present in the urine
- Excessive urination
- Scanty urination
Oliguria means:
- Excessive urine output
- Urination at night
- No urine output at all
- Scanty urine output
Hemiplegia is paralysis of:
- A single muscle
- All four limbs
- Both legs below the waist
- One side of the body
Postprandial means:
- After surgery
- During sleep
- After a meal
- Before a meal
Contralateral means:
- On the same side
- On both sides
- Toward the body's midline
- On the opposite side
A neonate is:
- A premature birth
- An unborn fetus
- A newborn infant
- A child under 3 years
Pancytopenia is a deficiency of:
- White blood cells only
- Platelets only
- All blood cell types
- Red blood cells only
The prefix meta- in metastasis means:
- Change or beyond
- New or recent
- Before or in front
- Within or inner
The prefix ab- in abduction means:
- Away from
- Toward
- Around
- Against
The prefixes ante- and pre- both mean before.
Which prefixes indicate a number or quantity?
- poly-
- bi-
- hemi-
- retro-
- peri-
The suffix -ectomy means:
- Creation of a new opening
- Surgical removal (excision)
- Surgical incision (cutting into)
- Surgical repair
A tracheotomy is:
- Repair of the trachea
- An incision into the trachea
- Abnormal narrowing of the trachea
- Removal of the trachea
A colostomy is:
- Surgical removal of all or part of the colon
- An opening from the colon to the skin
- An incision into the colon wall
- A visual exam of the colon interior
Rhinoplasty is:
- Removal of the nose
- Inflammation of the nasal lining
- Surgical repair of the nose
- Discharge from the nose
The suffixes -algia and -dynia both mean:
- Bleeding
- Hardening
- Swelling
- Pain
The suffix -scopy means:
- Crushing
- Process of recording
- Visual examination
- Surgical puncture
In electrocardiogram, the suffix -gram means:
- A visual examination
- A record
- An instrument for recording
- The process of recording
The suffix -penia means:
- Deficiency
- Formation
- Destruction
- Excess
Rhinorrhea is:
- Discharge from the nose
- Rupture of the nose
- Suture of the nose
- Heavy bleeding from the nose
Herniorrhaphy is:
- Suture repair of a hernia
- Surgical removal of a hernia sac
- Discharge from a hernia
- Rupture of a hernia
Hemolysis is:
- Clotting of the blood
- Stopping of bleeding
- Destruction of red blood cells
- Formation of new red blood cells
Arteriosclerosis is:
- Hardening of the arteries
- Narrowing of a heart valve
- Softening of the arteries
- Inflammation of an artery
Amniocentesis uses the suffix -centesis, which means:
- Surgical crushing of a stone
- Surgical fixation of a displaced organ
- Surgical puncture to remove fluid
- Surgical repair of a defect
Blepharoptosis is:
- Spasm of the eyelid
- Drooping of the eyelid
- Inflammation of the eyelid
- Repair of the eyelid
Nephropexy is:
- Surgical fixation of the kidney
- Suturing of the kidney
- Surgical removal of the whole kidney
- Crushing of kidney stones
Hematopoiesis means:
- Stoppage of blood flow
- Destruction of blood cells
- Formation of blood cells
- Deficiency of blood cells
Hemostasis means:
- Vomiting of blood
- Stopping or controlling bleeding
- Breaking down blood cells
- Producing new blood cells in marrow
Lithotripsy is:
- An X-ray of a stone
- Formation of a stone
- Crushing of a stone
- Removal of a stone by incision
In dysphagia, the suffix -phagia means:
- Digestion
- Speaking
- Desire or craving for food
- Eating or swallowing
The suffix -cele means:
- Stone or calculus
- Small cell or vessel
- Hernia or protrusion
- Fluid-filled sac
Atrophy means:
- Hardening of a tissue
- Wasting away of a tissue
- Abnormal development of a tissue
- Excessive growth of a tissue
The suffix -plegia means slight or partial paralysis.
Type the suffix that means inflammation.
Which suffixes describe a surgical procedure?
- -plasty
- -pexy
- -emia
- -ectomy
- -algia
The combining form hepat/o refers to the:
- Kidney
- Spleen
- Liver
- Pancreas
Which pair of combining forms both mean kidney?
- pyel/o and ur/o
- hepat/o and splen/o
- cyst/o and vesic/o
- nephr/o and ren/o
The combining form enter/o refers to the:
- Stomach
- Esophagus
- Large intestine
- Small intestine
Arthritis is inflammation of a:
- Joint
- Tendon
- Muscle
- Bone
The combining form my/o means:
- Tendon
- Muscle
- Nerve
- Cartilage