Problem
flashcard:
Q: To prepare for a more accurate WBC count, patients should
be told to _______. A: avoid strenuous
exercise for 24 hours prior to the test
and to avoid eating a large meal before
the test
This question requires two answers and should be broken down as follows:
Q: To prepare for a more accurate WBC count, patients should
be told to avoid strenuous exercise for how long prior to the test?
A: Twenty-four hours.
And:
Q: To prepare for a more accurate WBC, what should patients
be told about eating before the test?
A: To avoid eating a large meal.
Problem flashcard:
Q: The normal range for a WBC count is what?
A: From 4000 to 10,000/µl (SI, 4 to 10 x 109/L).
Here SI and µl require definition flashcards prior to this flashcard.
Problem flashcard:
Q: WBC counts may vary due to what?
A: Stress, strenuous exercise, or
certain diseases.Here the
question is unclear. It could be
phrased:
Q: WBC counts may vary daily due to
_______.
A: stress, strenuous exercise, or
certain diseases. But we have
several fact units in the answer. It
would be best to write several
flashcards, one for each fact unit of
information, as well as a "backwards"
flashcard:
Q: Daily stress, strenuous exercise, digestion of a meal, or
certain diseases may cause what to
happen to a WBC count?
A: Daily variations.
Problem flashcard:
Q: WBC counts may vary as much as _______.
Here the flashcard is incomplete. It should be written:
Q: WBC counts may vary as much as _______ each day.
Problem flashcard:
Q: What are tonsils?
A: Small masses of lymphoid tissue located in several different areas on either
side of the throat.
This flashcard is ok, provided the fact units of information in the answer
also appear as their own answers. Two additional flashcards should be used:
Q: What are tonsils composed of?
A: Small masses of lymphoid tissue.
Q: Where are the tonsils located?
A: In several different areas on either side of the throat.
Problem flashcard:
Q: _______ is the science that deals with the origin, nature,
chemistry, effects and uses of drugs.
A: Pharmacology
In a series of items, modern usage favors that the item directly before the
conjunction not have a comma after it. However, instances in flashcards have
arisen where the omission of this comma creates confusion. For purposes of
clarity, commas in lists before conjunctions (such as "and" and "or") should be
used. The best punctuation would be:
Q: _______ is the science that deals with the origin,
nature, chemistry, effects, and uses of drugs.
Problem flashcard:
Q: What is the derivation of pathology?
A: From the Greek "pathos," meaning pain, and "logy," meaning discourse.
We have a standard for derivation flashcards. This one should be
divided into two flashcards, one for "patho-" and one for "-ology." It is
important to actually name the foreign root words "pathos" and "logy" because
they have English significance ("pathos" is a word used in English although it
originates in Greek, and "-ology" appears with great frequency). One of the
divided flashcards would be:
Q: In the word pathology, what is the derivation of patho-?
A: From the Greek "pathos," meaning pain.
Finally, in medical terminology, some whole words are used separately or in
other words. If you encounter this, follow this example:
For the whole word: What is the derivation of plasma?
For part of the word: From cytoplasm, what is the
derivation of -plasm?
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