MoCA Abstract Thinking 2

Question 1

In the MoCA similarity task, a patient says 'a train and a bicycle are both fast.' What score does this receive?

Accepted Answer

0 points — concrete response

Answer

Describing an attribute (fast) rather than a category (vehicles/modes of transport) is a concrete response and earns 0 points.

Question 2

Which cognitive domain does the MoCA abstract thinking subtest PRIMARILY assess?

Accepted Answer

Executive and conceptual reasoning

Answer

The abstraction subtest targets executive and conceptual reasoning by requiring the patient to identify categorical similarities.

Question 3

A patient groups 'ruler and clock' as 'both have numbers.' How is this scored?

Accepted Answer

0 points — concrete feature, not a category

Answer

Identifying a shared feature (numbers) rather than a superordinate category (measurement instruments) scores 0 points.

Question 4

What does it indicate when a patient consistently gives concrete responses on the MoCA abstraction task?

Accepted Answer

Possible frontal lobe dysfunction

Answer

Consistent concrete thinking on abstraction tasks is a marker of frontal-executive dysfunction, which the MoCA is designed to detect.

Question 5

If a patient answers 'orange and banana — both are yellow,' the examiner should:

Accepted Answer

Prompt once with 'how else are they alike?'

Answer

The MoCA administration guidelines allow one prompt if the first response is incorrect or concrete.

(MoCA) Montreal Cognitive Assessment Practice Test