Negative ability

Negative ability

• A. Handicap
• B. Inability
• C. Disability
• D. Impairment

Answer: (C)

Understanding how health terms describe what a person can or cannot do helps you pick the right word. A disability is the term that best captures a reduced or absent ability to perform activities in daily life due to a health condition. It’s the broad category used in modern health language to describe functional limitations, often framed within the broader ICF model that separates impairments (body functions or structures) from activity limitations and participation restrictions. Impairment refers specifically to the problem with body structure or function, like reduced vision or limited joint movement—it's the medical condition rather than the effect on everyday activities. Handicapped is an older term that described social disadvantages and is generally avoided today because it can be stigmatizing. Inability is a general description of a lack of ability, but it doesn’t align with the formal terminology used to classify functioning and participation in health contexts. So, the best fit for “negative ability” in this context is disability, since it denotes the functional limitation in activities arising from health-related factors.

Understanding how health terms describe what a person can or cannot do helps you pick the right word. A disability is the term that best captures a reduced or absent ability to perform activities in daily life due to a health condition. It’s the broad category used in modern health language to describe functional limitations, often framed within the broader ICF model that separates impairments (body functions or structures) from activity limitations and participation restrictions.

Impairment refers specifically to the problem with body structure or function, like reduced vision or limited joint movement—it's the medical condition rather than the effect on everyday activities. Handicapped is an older term that described social disadvantages and is generally avoided today because it can be stigmatizing. Inability is a general description of a lack of ability, but it doesn’t align with the formal terminology used to classify functioning and participation in health contexts.

So, the best fit for “negative ability” in this context is disability, since it denotes the functional limitation in activities arising from health-related factors.