MoCA Naming 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the MoCA Naming task, what is the primary cognitive domain being assessed when a patient labels pictures of animals?
- Language and lexical retrieval (Correct answer)
- Visual attention and scanning
- Executive planning
- Working memory capacity
Correct answer: Language and lexical retrieval
The Naming task specifically targets language function and the ability to retrieve words from long-term semantic memory.
Question 2: A patient correctly identifies the lion and camel on the MoCA but calls the rhinoceros a 'hippo.' How should this be scored?
- 2 out of 3 points (Correct answer)
- 1 out of 3 points
- 0 out of 3 points
- 3 out of 3 points with a note
Correct answer: 2 out of 3 points
Each animal is scored independently, so two correct responses earn 2 points even if one is wrong.
Question 3: Which neurological condition most commonly produces anomia (inability to name objects) that would impair MoCA Naming performance?
- Aphasia due to left hemisphere lesion (Correct answer)
- Apraxia due to right hemisphere lesion
- Cerebellar ataxia
- Peripheral neuropathy
Correct answer: Aphasia due to left hemisphere lesion
Anomia is most often caused by lesions in left-hemisphere language areas, such as those seen in aphasic syndromes.
Question 4: If a patient says 'that big animal with the horn' instead of 'rhinoceros,' how should the MoCA administrator respond?
- Prompt once by asking 'What is it called?'
- Accept the description as a correct answer
- Mark it incorrect immediately (Correct answer)
- Show a second image as a cue
Correct answer: Mark it incorrect immediately
The MoCA requires the exact name; circumlocutions (descriptions) do not earn credit and no additional prompting is specified in the standard protocol.
Question 5: Why are low-frequency, less common animals like the rhinoceros and camel chosen for the MoCA Naming task rather than common animals like a dog?
- To increase sensitivity for detecting mild naming deficits (Correct answer)
- To test visual acuity rather than naming
- Because they are easier to draw accurately
- To assess cultural knowledge of exotic animals
Correct answer: To increase sensitivity for detecting mild naming deficits
Less common animals require more precise lexical retrieval, making the task sensitive to mild word-finding difficulties that a simple, high-frequency item might miss.
Question 6: A 78-year-old scores 2/3 on MoCA Naming. Which finding would most help distinguish a language disorder from a visual agnosia?
- The patient can describe the animal's features but not name it (Correct answer)
- The patient refuses to look at the cards
- The patient correctly names animals heard but not seen
- The patient scores poorly on all MoCA subtests
Correct answer: The patient can describe the animal's features but not name it
Intact feature description with failed naming suggests anomia (language deficit), while failure to recognize features at all suggests visual agnosia.
Question 7: Which score on the MoCA Naming subtest (out of 3) is considered a perfect performance?
- 3 (Correct answer)
- 2
- 4
- 1
Correct answer: 3
A perfect score on the three-item Naming subtest is 3 points, one for each correctly named animal.
MoCA Naming 4
In the MoCA Naming task, what is the primary cognitive domain being assessed when a patient labels pictures of animals?