MoCA Sentence Repetition 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which MoCA sentence for repetition involves a cat hiding under the couch?
- The first sentence
- The second sentence (Correct answer)
- Neither sentence
- Both sentences
Correct answer: The second sentence
The second MoCA sentence is 'The cat always hid under the couch when dogs were in the room.'
Question 2: Why are the MoCA's sentence repetition stimuli intentionally long and syntactically complex?
- To make the task more engaging
- To increase sensitivity for mild cognitive impairment (Correct answer)
- To assess vocabulary breadth
- To test reading comprehension
Correct answer: To increase sensitivity for mild cognitive impairment
Longer, complex sentences stress working memory and auditory processing, improving sensitivity to subtle deficits.
Question 3: A clinician skips the sentence repetition task to save time. What is the effect on the MoCA total score?
- No effect; it is optional
- The score loses up to 2 possible points (Correct answer)
- The score loses up to 3 possible points
- The score must be prorated
Correct answer: The score loses up to 2 possible points
Skipping sentence repetition removes 2 scorable points from the total, affecting validity.
Question 4: In the context of MoCA scoring, what does 'verbatim' mean for the repetition task?
- Approximately the same meaning
- Word-for-word, exactly as stated (Correct answer)
- Using synonyms for difficult words
- Correct grammar even if words differ
Correct answer: Word-for-word, exactly as stated
Verbatim means every word must match the original sentence exactly for credit.
Question 5: Which patient population commonly shows deficits on the MoCA sentence repetition task even when other items are preserved?
- Patients with primary progressive aphasia (Correct answer)
- Patients with mild visuospatial decline only
- Patients with isolated amnesia
- Healthy older adults
Correct answer: Patients with primary progressive aphasia
Primary progressive aphasia often impairs sentence repetition while other cognitive domains remain relatively intact.
Question 6: On the MoCA, sentence repetition is worth a combined 2 points out of a total of how many points?
- 20
- 25
- 30 (Correct answer)
- 35
Correct answer: 30
The MoCA is scored out of 30 points total, with sentence repetition contributing 2.
Question 7: If a patient adds an extra word to an otherwise correct MoCA sentence, how is it scored?
- Full credit, since the meaning is intact
- No credit, because verbatim repetition is required (Correct answer)
- Half credit
- Credit at examiner's discretion
Correct answer: No credit, because verbatim repetition is required
Any deviation from the exact wording—including additions—results in no credit for that sentence.
MoCA Sentence Repetition 3
Which MoCA sentence for repetition involves a cat hiding under the couch?