Endocarditis is inflammation of the inner lining of the heart.

• A. Osteogenesis imperfecta
• B. Endocarditis
• C. Scoliosis
• D. Hypertension

Answer: (B)

Endo- means inner, cardio refers to the heart, and -itis signals inflammation. Putting those parts together, endocarditis means inflammation of the inner lining of the heart (the endocardium). The other terms describe entirely different conditions—osteogenesis imperfecta is a brittle bone disease, scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine, and hypertension is high blood pressure—so they don’t fit the definition.