Certified Paraoptometric (CPO) Practice Exam 2025

Which term describes a position farther away from the midline of the body?

1. Lateral

2. Medial

3. Inferior

4. Superior

The correct answer is: Lateral

The term that accurately describes a position farther away from the midline of the body is indeed lateral. In anatomical terminology, lateral refers to structures that are positioned on the outer side of the body, away from the center or midline. This is crucial for understanding the relative locations of various body parts. For example, the arms are lateral to the torso. On the other hand, medial describes a position closer to the midline of the body, which is the opposite of the lateral position. Inferior and superior refer to vertical positioning, with inferior meaning below and superior meaning above. Thus, they do not appropriately describe the horizontal relationship to the midline. Therefore, lateral is the correct term to indicate a position farther from the midline.