There are four major types of bones found in the human body (long, short, flat, and irregular), with two minor types of bones (sesamoid and sutural bones). Before taking quiz, you might want to review our types of bones anatomy notes, or watch our YouTube video over the bone types.
This bone classification quiz will test your knowledge on the different bone types that anatomists use. Note: some anatomists do classify bones differently, so some answers may vary. However, this quiz should follow what most textbooks or classes teach regarding the types of bones and their classification.
Bone Types Quiz for Anatomy
This anatomy quiz will test your knowledge on the types of bones.
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Bone Types Quiz for Anatomy
1. Which of the following is not a flat bone?
a. Scapula
b. Sternum
c. Mandible
d. Frontal bone
The answer is C, Mandible. The mandible (lower jaw bone) is classified as an irregular bone.
2. Which of the following is not a characteristic of long bones?
a. They are always long in length.
b. They are longer than they are wide.
c. They sometimes contain spongy bone at the ends.
d. They are more numerous than any other bone type.
The answer is A: They are always long in length, which is incorrect. Long bones are longer than they are wide, but they can be relatively short in overall length. For example, the finger bones (phalanges) are classified as long bones, but they are very short in size.
3. Anatomists classify the tarsals as what type of bone?
a. Long bone
b. Short bone
c. Irregular bone
d. Sesamoid bone
The answer is B, short bone. The tarsals are the bones in the foot, and they have a cube shape to them, making them short bones.
4. Which of the following is not an irregular bone?
a. Vertebrae
b. Sphenoid bone
c. Hyoid bone
d. Scapula bone
The answer is D, scapula bone. Most anatomists classify the scapula as a flat bone, though it does have some irregular looking structures on it.
5. What is a sesamoid bone?
a. A short bone embedded in a tendon that has a sesame seed shape
b. A bone that has an irregular shape
c. A bone that is longer than it is wide.
d. A bone that is found in the sutures of the skull.
The answer is A. Sesamoid bones include bones such as the pisiform of the wrist, as well as the patella bone of the knee.
6. True or false: Sutural bones serve an important physical function.
a. True
b. False
The answer is b, false. Sutural bones do not seem to serve an important function in the skull. Nevertheless, they can sometimes serve as markers for certain diseases, but not always.
7. What type of bone is the radius bone?
a. Short bone
b. Irregular bone
c. Long bone
d. Sesamoid bone
The answer is C, long bone. The radius is longer than it is wide, which makes it a long bone. Most of the bones in the upper and lower extremities are long bones, except for the tarsals and carpals.
8. Which of the following bones is a sesamoid bone type?
a. Triquetral bone
b. Malleus bone
c. Patella bone
d. Calcaneus bone
The answer is c, Patella. The patella bone is the kneecap bone. It is classified as a sesamoid bone. The pisiform of the wrist is also classified as a sesamoid bone.
9. Which of the following is a characteristic of a short bone?
a. It is generally going to be flat.
b. It is going to be approximately as long as it is wide.
c. They are most commonly found in the skull.
d. It is the most common type of bone found in the body.
The answer is B. Short bones are a cuboid shape, meaning they are roughly as long as they are wide.
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