Praxis SLP Licensure Exam

According to the Boston classification system, which statement best describes a typical case of conduction aphasia?

1. Expressive aphasia is greater than comprehension problems

2. Broca's area damage is evident on a CT scan

3. Poor performance on a picture description task

4. Fluent output with impaired repetition ability

The correct answer is: Fluent output with impaired repetition ability

In a typical case of conduction aphasia, the hallmark characteristic is fluent speech output combined with a significant impairment in the ability to repeat spoken language. This occurs primarily due to damage in the arcuate fasciculus, the neural pathway that connects Broca's area and Wernicke's area in the brain. Patients often produce fluent, well-structured sentences but struggle to repeat phrases or sentences accurately, leading to noticeable paraphasias (errors in speech). This is why the statement indicating fluent output with impaired repetition ability accurately describes conduction aphasia. The other options highlight different aspects or types of aphasia. For example, a description of expressive aphasia being greater than comprehension problems or citing damage to Broca's area would typically align more closely with Broca's aphasia, where individuals have significant difficulties with speech production and limited fluency, alongside relatively preserved comprehension. Additionally, poor performance on a picture description task may suggest broader language impairments but does not specifically distinguish conduction aphasia from other forms. The defining feature of impaired repetition combined with fluent output distinctly identifies conduction aphasia within the Boston classification system.