MCAT Behavioral Sciences Question 14: Answer and Explanation

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Test Information

Question: 14

14. During a physical examination, a physician brushes the bottom of the foot of a fifty-year-old patient with multiple sclerosis. Her toes are observed to curl toward the bottom of her foot, with no fanning of the toes. This response is:

  • A. abnormal, and evidence that she is exhibiting a primitive reflex.
  • B. normal, and evidence that she is exhibiting a primitive reflex.
  • C. abnormal, and evidence that she is not exhibiting a primitive reflex.
  • D. normal, and evidence that she is not exhibiting a primitive reflex.

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

The Babinski reflex is a primitive reflex that refers to an extension of the big toe accompanied by fanning of the other toes. It is normal in infants, but should disappear with time—certainly by the time a child begins to walk. In a fifty-year-old woman, the Babinski reflex would be abnormal. However, despite her neurologic illness, this patient is exhibiting a normal response to the brushing of her foot; that is, she is not showing the Babinski reflex.

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