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Quiz about Medical Terminology for Malingerers
Quiz about Medical Terminology for Malingerers

Medical Terminology for Malingerers Quiz


No malingerer can get along without some impressive medical terms in his/her vocabulary. Just make sure the boss doesn't know what they really mean!

A multiple-choice quiz by MotherGoose. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
MotherGoose
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
147,620
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
24685
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 173 (6/10), rhr1 (5/10), MayaS1 (6/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Bruce Bludger wishes to take the day off work, so he phones his boss to say he has ecchymosis. The boss is quite impressed as it sounds serious. But what is ecchymosis? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. A week later Bruce decides to have another day off, so he phones the boss to say he has borborygmi. The boss tells him to stay at home because it sounds contagious. What is/are borborygmi? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The following week, Bruce decides to go for a "hat trick". He phones the boss to say he can't come to work because he has alopecia. Unfortunately, the boss knows what this means. What is alopecia? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The boss gives Bruce a hard time about the number of sick days he has been having, so he decides to keep a low profile for a while. However, after a couple of weeks, Bruce thinks he needs another day off. This time he claims to have cerumen. The boss replies "everybody does". What is cerumen?

Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The boss warns Bruce that such flimsy excuses for taking time off work are not acceptable, so the next time he calls in sick, Bruce tells the boss he has varicella. This time he really is sick and has a medical certificate to prove it - another two weeks off work! What is another name for varicella? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The next time Bruce phones in sick, he tells the boss he has a cicatrix. The boss doesn't know what this means so he looks it up in the medical dictionary. What does cicatrix mean? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. The boss decides it's time he had a day off, so he calls in sick before Bruce does. Actually he has decided to stay home and spend some quality time with his wife but she declines his attentions because she has cephalalgia. What is her problem? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The boss wants to fire Bruce. The only reason he keeps Bruce on is because he can't wait to hear what the next excuse will be. He doesn't have long to wait before Bruce calls in claiming that he woke up with pandiculation. What is pandiculation? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The boss decides Bruce is well-named and fires him for malingering. Bruce goes to the pub (bar or hotel, depending upon where you live). This causes Bruce to become crapulent. What is Bruce suffering from now? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Bruce's wife nags him to apply for another job but his prospective employer calls his old boss to check out Bruce's references. The ex-boss advises him not to hire Bruce because the only medical excuse he hasn't used is hypochondria! What does hypochondria mean? Hint



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Bruce Bludger wishes to take the day off work, so he phones his boss to say he has ecchymosis. The boss is quite impressed as it sounds serious. But what is ecchymosis?

Answer: a bruise

An ecchymosis is a bruise. This medical term comes from two Greek words "ek" (meaning out) and "chymos" (meaning juice). The "juice" being referred to is the blood which is "out" of the blood vessel and causing discolouration of the skin. In Australian terminology, a "bludger" is someone who is lazy, imposes on others and avoids work wherever possible. According to Monty Python, Bruce is a very popular first name in Australia ("Mind if we call you Bruce, just to keep it clear").
2. A week later Bruce decides to have another day off, so he phones the boss to say he has borborygmi. The boss tells him to stay at home because it sounds contagious. What is/are borborygmi?

Answer: "tummy rumbles"

Borborygmi are "tummy rumbles" or the audible gurgling sounds made in the abdomen by the passage of gas through the liquid contents of the intestine. They are quite normal. This medical term comes from the Greek word "borborygmos" which means "growling bowels".
3. The following week, Bruce decides to go for a "hat trick". He phones the boss to say he can't come to work because he has alopecia. Unfortunately, the boss knows what this means. What is alopecia?

Answer: hair loss

Alopecia comes from the Greek word "alopekia" which means "fox mange", because mangy foxes lose their fur, leaving bald patches.
4. The boss gives Bruce a hard time about the number of sick days he has been having, so he decides to keep a low profile for a while. However, after a couple of weeks, Bruce thinks he needs another day off. This time he claims to have cerumen. The boss replies "everybody does". What is cerumen?

Answer: ear wax

Cerumen comes from the Latin "cera" and the Greek "keros", both meaning wax. Ear wax is secreted by glands located at the outer third of the ear canal.
5. The boss warns Bruce that such flimsy excuses for taking time off work are not acceptable, so the next time he calls in sick, Bruce tells the boss he has varicella. This time he really is sick and has a medical certificate to prove it - another two weeks off work! What is another name for varicella?

Answer: chicken pox

Varicella is another name for chickenpox. It is Latin for "tiny spot". You don't catch chickenpox from chickens (although you do catch cowpox from cows). This relatively mild disease was given the name chickenpox in the 18th century to distinguish it from the more serious disease smallpox. "Chicken" was meant to imply weak or petty (such as in expressions like chicken out, chicken-hearted or chicken-feed).
6. The next time Bruce phones in sick, he tells the boss he has a cicatrix. The boss doesn't know what this means so he looks it up in the medical dictionary. What does cicatrix mean?

Answer: a scar

The medical term "cicatrix" is Latin for scar. The English word "scar" is derived from the Greek "eskhara" meaning "scab".
7. The boss decides it's time he had a day off, so he calls in sick before Bruce does. Actually he has decided to stay home and spend some quality time with his wife but she declines his attentions because she has cephalalgia. What is her problem?

Answer: a headache

Cephalalgia is a headache, as in "not tonight dear, I have cephalalgia". It is derived from two Greek words "kephale" (meaning head) and "algos" (meaning pain).
8. The boss wants to fire Bruce. The only reason he keeps Bruce on is because he can't wait to hear what the next excuse will be. He doesn't have long to wait before Bruce calls in claiming that he woke up with pandiculation. What is pandiculation?

Answer: yawning and stretching

Pandiculation is yawning and the associated stretching of the limbs upon waking from sleep. It comes from the Latin "pandiculari" meaning "to stretch oneself".
9. The boss decides Bruce is well-named and fires him for malingering. Bruce goes to the pub (bar or hotel, depending upon where you live). This causes Bruce to become crapulent. What is Bruce suffering from now?

Answer: intoxication

Yes, there really is such a word! Crapulent means suffering from the effects of excessive drinking and is related to intoxication. From the Latin "crapula" meaning excessive drinking. It is a socially acceptable medical term. (I'll bet you can't wait to drop this word into a conversation!)
10. Bruce's wife nags him to apply for another job but his prospective employer calls his old boss to check out Bruce's references. The ex-boss advises him not to hire Bruce because the only medical excuse he hasn't used is hypochondria! What does hypochondria mean?

Answer: all of these choices are correct

All of the above statements are true. The medical term "hypochondria" does literally translate as "condition under the cartilage", referring to the rib cartilage. The ancient Greeks believed that this was where your "sense of wellbeing" was located. So if you were the type of person who was abnormally concerned about your health or if you believed you were sick, despite medical evidence to the contrary, they reasoned that there was something wrong with you "under the rib cartilage". Bruce isn't a hypochondriac - just a bludger!
Source: Author MotherGoose

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