12-Letter Word
A kleptomaniac compulsively does what?
A. lie
B. steal
C. bite fingernails
Kleptomania often involves stealing things of little monetary value or use. Physicians have diagnosed people with kleptomania since the early 19th century.
Acute pain is usually characterized as being…
A. unexplained
B. sudden and quick
B. sudden and quick
What is the name of the dormant state in which an animal’s body temperature decreases and heartbeat and breathing rate slow down?
A. hidrosis
B. hibernation
B. hibernation
Which of these maladies is a contusion?
A. a bruise
B. a cut
A. a bruise
The stomach absorbs most of the nutrients in the food we eat.
Fact OR Fiction
Fiction
The stomach does not absorb much at all of the food, water, and electrolytes that pass through it, though it does absorb some substances, including iron, alcohol, and some drugs.
Which of these words can be traced to a Latin word meaning “boil”?
A. effervescent
B. concordantly
A. effervescent
Used to describe fizzy drinks, such as champagne or soda, or similarly bubbly personalities, effervescent comes from the Latin fervescere, meaning “to begin to boil.”
A person undergoing rhinoplasty is having what part of the body worked on?
A. the nose
B. the lips
A. the nose
How many pairs of chromosomes are found in the human body?
A. 24 pairs
B. 23 pairs
B. 23 pairs
Blood has high viscosity if which of the following is true?
A. it doesn’t flow easily
B. it has little oxygen
A. it doesn’t flow easily
Viscous fluids have a resistance to flow and can be sticky. Hyperviscosity syndrome happens when blood thickens and has trouble reaching vital organs.
Humans have two sets of teeth in their lives.
Fact or Fiction
Fact!
Humans have two sets of teeth during their lives. The first consists of 20 teeth. These are called primary teeth. Then 28 permanent teeth replace them, along with four molars commonly called wisdom teeth.
A person who vociferously supports a political candidate will do which of the following?
A. enthusiastically advocate for them
B. donate a small amount of money to them
A. enthusiastically advocate for them
The patella is more commonly known as what?
A. the collarbone
B. the kneecap
B. the kneecap
Patella comes from the Latin patina, meaning “shallow dish.”
What are produced in response to foreign substances called antigens?
A. antibodies
B. antiglobulin
A. antibodies
Angina is typically associated with pain in what body part?
A. the chest
B. the feet
A. the chest
The femur is the longest bone in the human body.
Fact or Fiction
Fact
Which of these activities should you expect a somnambulist to do?
A. play multiple instruments
B. sleepwalk
B. sleepwalk
Somnambulism is generally synonymous with sleepwalking but can also refer to other motor actions while asleep.
A nephrologist is a doctor who specializes in what body part?
A. the throat
B. the kidney
B. the kidney
The prefix nephro- comes from the Greek word for “kidney.”
What is a cowrie?
A. a marine snail
B. a flower
A. a marine snail
Doctors observe what body part using otoscopes?
A. the colon
B. the ear
B. the ear
The human appendix is attached to the heart.
Fact or Fiction
Fiction
The appendix is attached to the large intestine.
Mithridatism involves which of these risky activities?
A. walking on hot coals
B. ingesting poison
B. ingesting poison
When a doctor makes a prognosis, what have they done?
A. ordered drugs from a pharmacy
B. made a prediction about recovery
B. made a prediction about recovery
Similar to how meteorologists make prognostications about the weather, doctors often offer a prognosis about how certain illnesses will work out.
A squid and an octopus are both cephalopods with eight arms, but how is a squid different from an octopus?
A. a squid has two long tentacles in addition to the eight arms
B. a squid has no mouth
A. a squid has two long tentacles in addition to the eight arms
An EEG measures activity in what organ?
A. the brain
B. the heart
A. the brain
The lymphatic system helps fight disease.
Fact or Fiction
Fact!
The lymphatic system is part of the body’s defense system. It removes bacteria from tissues and produces lymphocytes, or white blood cells, macrophages, and antibodies.