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Quizzes > Health & Medicine

Medical Terminology Test: Check Your Knowledge

Quick medical terminology quiz with answers. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Aghwaretoma OkumagbaUpdated Aug 26, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
Questions: 20
Learning OutcomesStudy Material
Colorful paper art depicting elements related to a Medical Terminology Knowledge Test quiz

This medical terminology test helps you check your understanding of prefixes, suffixes, and roots with 15 multiple-choice questions. Get quick feedback, then try the medical terminology quiz with answers, focus on word parts in the medical prefixes and suffixes quiz, or explore a medical combining forms quiz.

Which prefix means "before" in medical terminology?
post-
pre-
anti-
peri-
The prefix pre- means "before" in time or position, as seen in terms like prenatal or preoperative. Anti- means against, post- means after, and peri- means around. This distinguishes pre- as indicating prior occurrence.
Which suffix means "surgical removal"?
-otomy
-plasty
-ectomy
-scopy
The suffix -ectomy denotes surgical removal of a structure, such as in appendectomy. -Otomy refers to cutting into, -plasty indicates surgical repair, and -scopy means visual examination. Thus, -ectomy is correct for removal.
What is the meaning of the root "cardi"?
lung
blood
muscle
heart
The root cardi- comes from the Greek kardia and means "heart," as used in cardiology. Pulmon- refers to lung, hemat- to blood, and my- or myo- to muscle. Cardi- is consistently associated with heart structures.
Which combining form refers to blood?
hem/o
neur/o
hepat/o
oste/o
Hem/o is the combining form for blood, derived from the Greek haima. Hepat/o means liver, neur/o means nerve, and oste/o means bone. Therefore, hem/o correctly refers to blood.
Which prefix means "excessive" or "above normal"?
tachy-
hyper-
brady-
hypo-
The prefix hyper- indicates excess or above normal, as in hypertension. Hypo- means below normal, brady- means slow, and tachy- means fast. Thus hyper- is the correct choice for excessive.
What does the term "dermatitis" mean?
Removal of skin
Study of skin
Infection of the hair
Inflammation of the skin
Dermatitis combines dermat- (skin) with -itis (inflammation) to mean inflammation of the skin. It does not denote infection, removal, or study. The suffix -itis specifically indicates inflammation.
What does "neurorrhaphy" refer to?
Pain in a nerve
Study of nerves
Inflammation of a nerve
Suture of a nerve
Neurorrhaphy uses neur/o (nerve) and -rrhaphy (suture) to mean surgical suturing of a nerve. It does not indicate inflammation (-itis), pain (-algia), or study (-logy). The double r arises from the combining form plus suffix.
The term "gastroenterology" is the study of what?
Heart and blood vessels
Kidneys and bladder
Stomach and intestines
Lungs and bronchi
Gastroenterology combines gastr/o (stomach) and enter/o (intestines) with -logy (study of). It is not about the cardiovascular, respiratory, or urinary system. Thus it specifically addresses the digestive organs.
Which term means "study of the kidneys"?
Hepatology
Renalalgia
Nephrology
Urology
Nephrology combines nephr/o (kidney) with -logy (study) for the study of kidneys. Renalalgia would mean kidney pain, urology covers urinary tract and male reproductive systems broadly, and hepatology is the study of the liver.
What does "hypoglycemia" denote?
High blood sugar
Low blood sugar
Inflammation of sugar cells
Excess glucose production
Hypoglycemia uses hypo- (low), glycem- (blood sugar), and -ia (condition) to mean low blood sugar. Hyperglycemia would be high sugar, not excess production or inflammation. Thus it specifically refers to a deficiency state.
The term "arthralgia" signifies what?
Joint removal
Joint pain
Joint study
Joint inflammation
Arthr/o means joint and -algia means pain, so arthralgia is joint pain. Arthritis would indicate inflammation (-itis), arthrectomy would be removal (-ectomy), and arthrology would be study (-logy).
The prefix "inter-" means:
Above
Below
Within
Between
Inter- means between or among structures, as seen in intercostal (between ribs). Intra- means within, supra- means above, and infra- or sub- mean below. Hence inter- is correctly defined.
What does the suffix "-pathy" denote?
Study
Disease
Pain
Surgical repair
The suffix -pathy means disease or disorder, as in neuropathy. -Algia indicates pain, -plasty indicates surgical repair, and -logy indicates study. Thus -pathy specifically refers to pathology.
The term "angioplasty" describes:
Removal of a blood clot
Visual examination of vessels
Inflammation of a vessel
Surgical repair of a blood vessel
Angioplasty combines angi/o (vessel) with -plasty (surgical repair) to indicate repair or dilation of a vessel, often by balloon. Thrombectomy removes clots, -itis denotes inflammation, and -scopy is examination.
Which condition refers to decreased bone density?
Osteoporosis
Osteomyelitis
Osteoarthritis
Osteomalacia
Osteoporosis combines oste/o (bone) and -porosis (porous) to indicate porous bones or low density. Osteomyelitis is bone infection, osteomalacia is softening of bones, and osteoarthritis is joint cartilage degeneration.
Which procedure involves visual examination of a joint?
Arthrotomy
Arthrogram
Arthroplasty
Arthroscopy
Arthroscopy uses -scopy (visual examination) with arthr/o (joint) to inspect a joint interior. Arthroplasty is joint replacement, arthrotomy is surgical incision into a joint, and an arthrogram is an imaging study.
Which term refers to ultrasound imaging of the heart?
Electrocardiogram
Cardiography
Echocardiogram
Cardiomegaly
An echocardiogram uses echo- (ultrasound) and cardi/o (heart) with -gram (recording). An electrocardiogram records electrical activity, cardiomegaly is enlarged heart, and cardiography is generic imaging of the heart's structure.
When constructing medical terms, a combining vowel is added before a suffix beginning with a consonant to:
Identify the root
Denote plurality
Ease pronunciation
Change word meaning
A combining vowel (often o) is used when joining a root to a suffix that begins with a consonant to make the term easier to pronounce. It does not alter meaning, indicate plurality, or serve to identify the root.
What does "hypercholesterolemia" mean?
Removal of cholesterol
Low cholesterol in the blood
Inflammation of cholesterol glands
High cholesterol in the blood
Hypercholesterolemia uses hyper- (high), cholester/o (cholesterol), and -emia (blood condition) to indicate an elevated blood cholesterol level. It does not imply inflammation, removal, or a deficiency.
What is the meaning of "pseudocyesis"?
Painful labor
Multiple births
Early childbirth
False pregnancy
Pseudocyesis combines pseudo- (false) with -cyesis (pregnancy) to denote the false belief of being pregnant. It does not describe actual childbirth, labor pain, or multiple births.
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Learning Outcomes

  1. Identify common medical prefixes, suffixes, and root words.
  2. Analyse complex clinical terms in real-world contexts.
  3. Apply proper term usage in anatomical and pathological scenarios.
  4. Demonstrate understanding of word construction rules.
  5. Evaluate term definitions for accurate interpretation.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Break Down Medical Terms - Every medical word is built from three building blocks: prefixes, roots, and suffixes. Imagine you're decoding a secret message - once you know each piece, you can tackle any term with confidence!
  2. Master Common Prefixes - Prefixes like "hyper-" (excessive) and "hypo-" (deficient) flip the meaning of root words, turning "tension" into high blood pressure or "glycemia" into low blood sugar. Spotting these shortcuts saves time and helps you ace quizzes!
  3. Conquer Key Suffixes - Suffixes such as "-ectomy" (surgical removal) and "-itis" (inflammation) reveal what's happening in the body. Once you see "appendectomy," you instantly know it's the appendix being removed - no second guessing required!
  4. Get Comfortable with Roots - Roots give you the core meaning - "cardi-" for heart, "gastr-" for stomach, and so on. Think of them as the heart of each term; they'll never change and always guide you to the right definition.
  5. Combine to Create Terms - Practice piecing together prefixes, roots, and suffixes - "brady-" (slow) + "cardi-" (heart) + "-ia" (condition) instantly becomes "bradycardia," a slow heartbeat. It's like assembling a word puzzle where every piece has its perfect spot!
  6. Spot Multiple Roots - Some words have more than one root, like "gastroenterology," blending "gastr-" (stomach) and "enter-" (intestine) with "-ology" (study of). Recognizing each root helps you navigate complex terms without breaking a sweat.
  7. Decode Abbreviations - Abbreviations like "BP" for blood pressure or "HR" for heart rate are everywhere in clinics. Learning these shorthand codes is like having a backstage pass to real medical conversations.
  8. Perfect Pronunciation & Spelling - Nail your pronunciations ("ileum" vs. "ilium") to avoid mix-ups in the clinic. Clear speech and accurate spelling keep everyone on the same page - and might just earn you extra credit!
  9. Learn Plural Rules - Medical plurals often break English rules: "diagnosis" becomes "diagnoses," and "bacterium" turns into "bacteria." Master these quirky transformations to write flawlessly every time.
  10. Create Clever Mnemonics - Use fun memory tricks to lock in tricky roots and endings - picture "osteoporosis" as "brittle bones party" whenever you see "oste-." Mnemonics turn rote learning into a creative game.
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