Proximal vs Distal meaning.

• A. Proximal means limbs are close to where they join the body.
• B. Proximal means limbs are away from where they join the body.
• C. Proximal means toward the tips of the fingers.
• D. Proximal means toward the head.

Answer: (A)

Proximal vs distal describes positions along a limb relative to where it attaches to the body. Proximal means closer to the point of attachment (the trunk). So, for the arm, the shoulder and elbow are closer to the body's core, while the wrist and fingers are farther away. The correct meaning is that limbs are close to where they join the body.

The other ideas describe being farther from that attachment (distal), or toward the tips of the fingers (distal), or toward the head (superior). These correspond to different directional terms and don’t capture proximal.