MLT GlobeAnatomy: Skeletal system & joints – page 2
68 Anatomy MCQs on Skeletal system & joints with answers and explanations.
Which region of the spine carries costal facets for rib articulation, and how many vertebrae does it have?
Only thoracic vertebrae bear costal facets, one region of 12 vertebrae matching the 12 rib pairs.
Which group lists the components that make up the skeletal system?
The skeletal system comprises bones, cartilage, joints and the ligaments binding bone to bone. Tendons connect muscle to bone and belong to the muscular system.
Most joints of the limbs and girdles (appendicular skeleton) belong to which category?
Limb joints such as the shoulder, elbow, hip and knee are freely movable synovial joints. Fibrous and cartilaginous joints predominate in the skull and vertebral column.
A student holds the arm straight forward and traces a circle in the air with the fingertip. Which arm movement is this?
Circumduction combines flexion, abduction, extension and adduction so the limb traces a cone. Rotation turns a bone about its own long axis.
A fracture in a child that crosses which region is most likely to stop lengthwise growth of a long bone?
Longitudinal growth occurs at the epiphyseal (growth) plate cartilage. Injury here can cause premature closure and a shortened limb.
Lengthwise growth of long bones normally ends at about what age?
Epiphyseal plates ossify in late adolescence, typically by about 18–20 years, after which bones can thicken but not lengthen.
Which movement do the interphalangeal joints of the fingers allow?
Interphalangeal joints are hinge joints permitting only flexion and extension. Abduction occurs at the metacarpophalangeal joints.
Which paired bones form most of the roof and sides of the cranial vault?
The two parietal bones meet at the sagittal suture and form most of the skull roof. The occipital bone forms the back and part of the base.
Which suture lies in the midline where the two parietal bones meet?
The sagittal suture joins the two parietal bones. The coronal suture joins frontal to parietal bones and the lambdoid joins parietal to occipital.
Which joint contains two C-shaped fibrocartilage menisci within its cavity?
The knee has medial and lateral menisci that deepen the tibial surfaces and absorb shock. The TMJ contains a single articular disc.
The acetabulum of the hip bone forms a socket for which structure?
The femoral head fits into the acetabulum to form the ball-and-socket hip joint; the ligament of the head of the femur also attaches within it.
Which bones form the talocrural (ankle) joint?
The tibia and fibula form a mortise that holds the talus. The calcaneus articulates below the talus at the subtalar joint.
Which carpal bone belongs to the proximal row?
The proximal row is scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum and pisiform. Trapezium, trapezoid, capitate and hamate form the distal row.
Turning the palm up and down involves which pivot-type synovial joint?
At the proximal radioulnar joint the radial head rotates within the annular ligament, allowing pronation and supination.
Which movements occur at the humero-ulnar elbow joint?
The elbow proper is a hinge allowing flexion and extension. Pronation and supination occur at the radioulnar joints.
Which feature belongs to the scapula?
The glenoid cavity of the scapula forms the socket of the shoulder joint. The acetabulum and iliac fossa belong to the hip bone; the greater trochanter to the femur.
The distal radioulnar joint is classified as which joint type?
At the distal radioulnar joint the radius rotates around the ulnar head, a pivot movement used in pronation and supination.
Which carpal bone articulates with the base of the thumb metacarpal?
The trapezium forms a saddle joint with the first metacarpal, allowing thumb opposition.
In a developing long bone, the primary centre of ossification appears in the:
The primary centre forms in the shaft (diaphysis) during fetal life; secondary centres appear later in the epiphyses.
On a skull radiograph you see an opening that passes completely through the bone and carries a nerve. Anatomically this opening is a:
A foramen is a hole running right through a bone for nerves or vessels. A sulcus is only a groove, a fossa a shallow depression, and a tubercle a raised bump.