Foundational knowledge is 15 of the 150 scored items on the NHA CCMA. Answer 10 exam style questions on medical terminology word parts and see exactly which concepts would cost you points on test day.
Start the 10 questions →What does the suffix '-itis' mean?
These questions cover suffixes, prefixes, word roots, word building and plurals. Each one shows the correct answer and why every other option is wrong, so a miss tells you exactly what to review before the CCMA.
Prefer to read first? Every question from the practice set above, with the correct answer and why each wrong option is wrong.
Answer: A. '-itis' means inflammation, as in appendicitis (inflammation of the appendix) or dermatitis (inflammation of the skin).
Why not B: 'Study of' is '-logy'.
Why not C: Surgical removal is '-ectomy'.
Why not D: Enlargement is '-megaly'.
Exam tactic: -itis = inflamed. -ectomy = cut out. -megaly = big.
Answer: A. 'Hyper-' means above normal or excessive, as in hypertension (high blood pressure) and hyperglycemia (high blood glucose). 'Hypo-' means below or deficient.
Why not B: Between is 'inter-'.
Why not C: Around is 'peri-' or 'circum-'.
Why not D: Below or deficient is 'hypo-'.
Exam tactic: Hyper high, hypo low.
Answer: C. 'Cardi/o' means heart, as in cardiology and electrocardiogram.
Why not A: Stomach is 'gastr/o'.
Why not B: Brain is 'encephal/o'.
Why not D: Liver is 'hepat/o'.
Exam tactic: cardi heart, hepat liver, gastr stomach, encephal brain.
Answer: A. 'Arthr/o' is joint and '-itis' is inflammation.
Why not B: Tendinitis is inflammation of a tendon.
Why not C: Myositis is inflammation of muscle.
Why not D: Osteitis is inflammation of bone.
Exam tactic: Find the root, then the suffix.
Answer: D. Words ending in '-is' form the plural by changing to '-es': diagnosis becomes diagnoses, prognosis becomes prognoses.
Why not A: 'Diagnosises' is not a correct form.
Why not B: '-i' is the plural for words ending in '-us'.
Why not C: '-a' is the plural for words ending in '-um'.
Exam tactic: -is → -es. -us → -i. -um → -a.
Answer: B. 'Hx' means history. Related abbreviations: Dx (diagnosis), Tx (treatment), Rx (prescription), and Sx (symptoms).
Why not A: Hemorrhage is not abbreviated Hx.
Why not C: Hospital is not abbreviated Hx.
Why not D: Hypertension is HTN.
Exam tactic: Hx history, Dx diagnosis, Tx treatment, Rx prescription, Sx symptoms.
Answer: C. '-algia' means pain, as in myalgia (muscle pain), arthralgia (joint pain), and neuralgia (nerve pain).
Why not A: Tumor is '-oma'.
Why not B: Hardening is '-sclerosis'.
Why not D: Bleeding is '-rrhage' or '-rrhagia'.
Exam tactic: -algia and -dynia both mean pain.
Answer: D. 'Sub-' means below or beneath and 'cutane/o' means skin, so subcutaneous means beneath the skin.
Why not A: 'Trans-' means across.
Why not B: Within the muscle is intramuscular.
Why not C: 'Supra-' or 'epi-' means above or upon.
Exam tactic: sub under, intra within, trans across, epi upon.
Answer: A. 'Gastr/o' is stomach, 'enter/o' is intestine, and '-logy' is study of.
Why not B: Skin is dermatology.
Why not C: Bones and joints fall under orthopedics and rheumatology.
Why not D: Heart and vessels is cardiology or vascular medicine.
Exam tactic: gastr stomach, enter intestines.
Answer: C. 'Thorac/o' is chest and '-centesis' is a surgical puncture to remove fluid. Thoracentesis removes fluid from the pleural space.
Why not A: Throat examination is pharyngoscopy or laryngoscopy.
Why not B: Removing part of the chest wall would use '-ectomy' (e.g., thoracectomy), not '-centesis'.
Why not D: Chest wall repair would use '-plasty'.
Exam tactic: -centesis = puncture to drain fluid.
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