Health Vocabulary Challenge
Test your knowledge of essential health-related English vocabulary and medical terminology.
Build your own quiz video
Spin up an AI-assisted quiz with voiceover and video in minutes. No editing required — export-ready in a few clicks.
Create your quizQuiz Questions & Answers
Review every prompt, the correct responses, and helpful context to prep for your own run-through.
Question 1: What is another word for a 'medical examination'?
Prescription
Checkup
Surgery
Treatment
Show correct answer & explanationReveal
Checkup
The term 'checkup' became common in the 1920s as preventive medicine gained popularity.
Question 2: If someone is 'under the weather', they are:
Feeling slightly ill
Enjoying outdoor activities
Experiencing depression
Recovering from surgery
Show correct answer & explanationReveal
Feeling slightly ill
This phrase originated from sailing, where sailors who felt seasick would go below deck to recover, literally going 'under the weather'.
Question 3: Which term describes a doctor's written instructions for medication?
Receipt
Subscription
Prescription
Description
Show correct answer & explanationReveal
Prescription
The symbol 'Rx' used on prescriptions comes from the Latin word 'recipe', meaning 'take'.
Question 4: What's the medical term for a rapid increase in body temperature?
Fever
Chill
Warmth
Heat
Show correct answer & explanationReveal
Fever
A fever is actually a defense mechanism - the increased temperature helps fight infections by making the body less hospitable to harmful microorganisms.
Question 5: Someone who is 'recovering' is:
Getting worse
Getting better
Staying the same
Having surgery
Show correct answer & explanationReveal
Getting better
The recovery process often follows a predictable pattern called 'Kübler-Ross curve', similar to how people process other major life changes.
Question 6: What do you call a medical specialist who treats skin conditions?
Cardiologist
Dermatologist
Neurologist
Pediatrician
Show correct answer & explanationReveal
Dermatologist
The word 'dermatologist' comes from the Greek 'derma' meaning skin - the body's largest organ, covering about 20 square feet in adults.
Question 7: If something is 'chronic', it is:
Temporary
Severe
Long-lasting
Contagious
Show correct answer & explanationReveal
Long-lasting
The word 'chronic' comes from the Greek 'chronos' meaning time, the same root as in words like 'chronology' and 'chronicle'.
Question 8: What's the term for a medicine that fights bacteria?
Antibiotic
Antiviral
Antiseptic
Antifungal
Show correct answer & explanationReveal
Antibiotic
The first antibiotic, penicillin, was accidentally discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 when he noticed mold killing bacteria in a petri dish.