Abduction is movement ___ the midline.

• A. away from
• B. toward
• C. around
• D. past

Answer: (A)

Abduction means movement away from the midline. The midline is an imaginary vertical line that divides the body into left and right halves. When you lift a limb out to the side from the anatomical position, you are moving it away from that midline, which is abduction. The opposite motion is adduction, which brings the limb toward the midline. Abduction typically occurs in the frontal (coronal) plane, as seen when you raise your arm laterally or spread your fingers apart. The other terms describe different movements—for example, rotating around an axis or moving past the midline—but they do not define abduction.