Which seizure type involves only one cerebral hemisphere, lasts 1-2 minutes, and the patient remains awake but unaware of surroundings?

• A. Absence seizure
• B. Tonic-clonic seizure
• C. Complex partial seizure
• D. Febrile seizure

Answer: (C)

This item is about recognizing a focal impaired-awareness seizure. It starts in a single cerebral hemisphere and disrupts consciousness, so the person is awake but not fully aware of their surroundings. The duration is typically around 1–2 minutes, and during the event the person may perform repetitive automatic activities (automatisms) and be unresponsive or confused, with memory of the event often impaired afterward. That combination—unilateral onset, preserved wakefulness but reduced awareness, and a 1–2 minute duration—best fits a complex partial (focal impaired-awareness) seizure.

Absence seizures are brief lapses of awareness that are generalized and very short, without focal onset. Tonic-clonic seizures involve generalized activity with full loss of consciousness and body stiffening followed by jerking. Febrile seizures occur in children and are usually generalized rather than focal.