MoCA Naming 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the term for an acquired inability to name objects that the MoCA naming section can detect?
- Aphasia
- Anomia (Correct answer)
- Apraxia
- Agnosia
Correct answer: Anomia
Anomia refers specifically to difficulty naming objects or people and is a common symptom in dementia and aphasia.
Question 2: If a patient says 'rhino' instead of 'rhinoceros' on the MoCA naming task, how is this typically scored?
- 0 points — the full name must be said
- 1 point — it is an acceptable shortened form (Correct answer)
- 0.5 points — partial credit is given
- Requires clinician judgment on a case-by-case basis only
Correct answer: 1 point — it is an acceptable shortened form
'Rhino' is generally accepted as a correct response since it is a commonly recognized, standard nickname for the animal.
Question 3: Which neurological condition is most strongly associated with progressive confrontation naming difficulties?
- Major depressive disorder
- Alzheimer's disease (Correct answer)
- Schizophrenia
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Correct answer: Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease commonly causes progressive anomia due to degeneration of temporal lobe structures involved in semantic memory.
Question 4: How does the MoCA naming task differ from a verbal fluency task?
- Naming uses recall; fluency uses recognition
- Naming requires identifying a picture; fluency requires generating words independently (Correct answer)
- Naming is timed; fluency is untimed
- Naming assesses memory consolidation; fluency assesses attention span
Correct answer: Naming requires identifying a picture; fluency requires generating words independently
In confrontation naming, the patient identifies a pictured object; in verbal fluency, the patient independently generates words from a category without visual cues.
Question 5: Which of the following is NOT one of the animals used in the standard MoCA naming section?
- Lion
- Rhinoceros
- Elephant (Correct answer)
- Camel
Correct answer: Elephant
The MoCA uses a lion, rhinoceros, and camel — not an elephant — in its naming task.
Question 6: What does a score of 0 out of 3 on the MoCA naming section most likely suggest?
- Normal cognitive aging
- Severe naming impairment requiring further evaluation (Correct answer)
- Test-taking anxiety without clinical significance
- Superior cognitive reserve
Correct answer: Severe naming impairment requiring further evaluation
A score of 0/3 indicates severe difficulty with confrontation naming and warrants further neurological or neuropsychological evaluation.
Question 7: Which dementia subtype, besides Alzheimer's disease, is particularly known for early and severe naming deficits?
- Vascular dementia
- Lewy body dementia
- Semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (Correct answer)
- Huntington's disease
Correct answer: Semantic variant primary progressive aphasia
Semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) causes early, profound naming deficits due to selective degeneration of the anterior temporal lobes.
MoCA Naming 2
What is the term for an acquired inability to name objects that the MoCA naming section can detect?