HESI A2 Vocabulary flashcards
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How to work out an unfamiliar word from context clues
- What does concise mean?
- Brief and free of extra detail. Example: a concise explanation is short and to the point.
- What does verbose mean?
- Using more words than needed; wordy. It is the opposite of concise.
- What does coherent mean?
- Logically ordered and easy to understand or follow.
- What does ambiguous mean?
- Open to more than one meaning. Do not confuse it with ambivalent.
- What does ambivalent mean?
- Having mixed feelings. It is not the same as ambiguous, which means open to more than one meaning.
- What does deteriorate mean?
- To become worse in quality or condition. It does not mean deter, which means discourage.
- What does inevitable mean?
- Unable to be avoided. It is stronger than likely or probable.
- Name the five context clue types.
- Definition or restatement, synonym, contrast, example, and cause and effect.
- Which signal words point to a contrast clue?
- Unlike, but, however and although. The unknown word means roughly the opposite of the clue.
- Which signal words point to an example clue?
- Such as, for example and for instance.
- Which signal words point to a definition clue?
- Is defined as, means and refers to, or punctuation such as parentheses.
- Name the clue type: Because the instructions were ambiguous, nobody finished on time.
- Cause and effect. The signal word is because, and the result tells you the instructions were unclear.
- A sentence gives no clue to a word's meaning. What can you try?
- Break the word into prefix, root and suffix and define each part. Then use what you already know.
- Why should you match the answer to the word, not only the sentence?
- A choice can fit the sentence but miss the word. In "a concise explanation," friendly fits, but brief matches concise.
How to work out a word's meaning and avoid look-alike word mix-ups
- Name the four types of context clues.
- Definition, synonym, contrast, and example clues. Signal words such as means, or, but, and such as often point to the clue.
- Which signal words show a contrast clue?
- But, however, unlike, and even though. The unknown word means the opposite of something nearby, so check which side of the signal word it sits on.
- Adverse or averse: "The drug had few ___ effects."
- Adverse. Adverse means unfavorable (adverse effects). Averse means opposed to (averse to change). Choose by meaning, not by sound.
- What is the difference between precede and proceed?
- Precede means to come before. Proceed means to continue or go on. Example: A safety talk will precede the drill.
- Prescribe or proscribe: "The rules ___ smoking on campus, so smokers must leave."
- Proscribe, which means ban or forbid. Prescribe means to set a rule or recommend something, such as a treatment.
- What does exacerbate mean?
- To make an existing problem worse. The problem must already be there. Exacerbate does not mean to cause a new problem.
Health-care words for body position, location and direction
- What does anterior mean?
- Toward the front. Example: the kneecap sits on the anterior side of the knee.
- What does posterior mean?
- Toward the back. Example: the calf muscle is on the posterior leg.
- What does proximal mean?
- Nearer the trunk or point of attachment. The elbow is proximal to the wrist.
- What does distal mean?
- Farther from the trunk or point of attachment. The fingertips are distal to the knuckles.
- What does medial mean?
- Toward the midline of the body. The big toe is on the medial side of the foot.
- What does lateral mean?
- Toward the side, away from the midline. The ears are lateral to the eyes.
- What does bilateral mean?
- Affecting both the right and left sides, such as bilateral knee pain.
- What does supine mean?
- Lying on the back, face up. Remember that supine has "up" in it.
- What does prone mean when describing how a patient is lying?
- Lying face down, with the chest and stomach downward.
- What does dilate mean?
- To widen or open up. Eye drops can dilate the pupils.
- What does constrict mean?
- To narrow or squeeze together. It is the opposite of dilate.
- What does palpable mean?
- Able to be felt by touch. It says nothing about pain; a palpable lump can be painless.
- What does distended mean?
- Swollen or stretched out, as from pressure inside, such as a stomach after a large meal.
- What does superficial mean when describing a spot on the body?
- Near the surface, not deep, as in a superficial cut.
- What does peripheral mean?
- Away from the center, toward the outer parts, as in peripheral vision.
Health-care words for symptoms, condition and care
- What does acute mean when describing a health problem?
- Having a sudden onset and a short course.
- What does chronic mean?
- Lasting a long time or coming back often. It is about time, not severity; a chronic problem can be mild.
- What does benign mean?
- Mild and not a threat to health; especially, not cancerous.
- What does prognosis mean?
- The expected outcome, or chance of recovery.
- What does lethargic mean?
- Sluggish; lacking energy.
- What does malaise mean?
- A vague, overall feeling of being unwell.
- What does sedentary mean?
- Spending much time sitting; not physically active.
- What does alleviate mean?
- To relieve or lessen. A cool cloth helped alleviate the itching.
- What does adverse mean?
- Harmful or working against you, as in adverse effects.
- What does contraindicated mean?
- Made inadvisable. Said of a treatment or procedure, as when a test is contraindicated because of an allergy.
- What does potent mean?
- Powerful; strong in effect. It does not mean dangerous.
- What does ambulate mean?
- To walk.
- What does void mean in a care setting?
- To pass waste from the body, such as urine. It does not mean cancel here.
- What is the difference between discrete and discreet?
- Discrete means separate and distinct. Discreet means careful about what you say, or keeping things private.
How to decode a word from its roots, prefixes and suffixes
- What do hypo- and hyper- mean?
- Hypo- means under or deficient; hyper- means above or excessive. Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar; hyperglycemia is high blood sugar.
- What do brady- and tachy- mean?
- Brady- means slow; tachy- means fast. Bradycardia is a slow heart rate; tachycardia is a fast one.
- What do the suffixes -ectomy, -otomy, and -ostomy mean?
- -ectomy is removal. -otomy is an incision, or cutting into. -ostomy is making an opening. A gastrectomy removes part or all of the stomach.
- What is the difference between the suffixes -itis and -megaly?
- -itis means inflammation; -megaly means enlargement. Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, not an enlarged liver.
- What do peri- and endo- mean?
- Peri- means around; endo- means within. Pericarditis is inflammation around the heart, not inside it.
- Which body parts do cardi-, hepat-, gastr-, and nephr- name?
- Heart, liver, stomach, and kidney. Ren- also means kidney.
- What does a prefix do?
- It comes before the root and changes the meaning, often telling where, how much, or how fast. Example: brady- means slow.
- What does a root do?
- It carries the core meaning of the word, often a body part. Example: cardi- means heart.
- What does a suffix do?
- It comes at the end of the word and tells what kind of thing it is, such as a condition or procedure. Example: -itis means inflammation.
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