Which statement best contrasts Broca's and Wernicke's aphasia?

• A. Broca's aphasia involves nonfluent speech and relatively preserved comprehension; Wernicke's involves fluent speech with poor comprehension.
• B. Broca's aphasia involves fluent speech with poor comprehension; Wernicke's involves nonfluent speech with good comprehension.
• C. Both have fluent speech and intact comprehension.
• D. Broca's aphasia affects auditory areas; Wernicke's affects motor areas.

Answer: (A)

The key distinction being tested is how speech production and language comprehension dissociate across two classic aphasia syndromes, which ties to where in the brain the damage lies. In Broca’s aphasia, speech is nonfluent and effortful, producing short, agrammatic phrases, while comprehension remains relatively intact. In Wernicke’s aphasia, speech tends to be fluent and effortless in rhythm, but the content is often nonsensical or inappropriate, and comprehension is severely impaired. This creates a clear contrast: nonfluent production with preserved comprehension versus fluent production with poor comprehension. The underlying anatomy supports this, with Broca’s area in the inferior frontal gyrus supporting speech production and Wernicke’s area in the posterior temporal/parietal regions supporting language comprehension. The other statements either swap fluency and comprehension roles or misattribute the affected brain areas, making them inconsistent with the established patterns.