Master the skeletal system with bone quizzes

Author: Molly Smith DipCNM, mBANT

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Reviewer: Dimitrios Mytilinaios MD, PhD

Last reviewed: June 15, 2023

Reading time: 5 minutes

How many bones exist within the human body? When it comes to muscles, there remains no universal consensus on the answer to this question. Fortunately, bones offer a greater degree of reliability. Robust, if you will. A grand total of 206 bones comprise the human body, with sizes ranging from minuscule entities like the stapes (found within the middle ear) to impressive specimens such as the femur (the largest bone within the body).

In the pursuit of acquiring knowledge concerning all 206 bones, we are elated that you have posed this question. In this piece, we shall disclose our preferred and time-tested methods for learning these bones. Additionally, we will provide instruction on how to classify human bones in common ways. Let us proceed!

Evaluate your familiarity with the key bones of the body by utilizing our diagram without labels (download accessible below)

Guidelines for mastering human bones

Multiple methods exist for categorizing the bones present within the human body. Two of the most apparent approaches involve their shape (or type) and location. Let us examine these distinctions in brief.

Shapes

A method for acquiring knowledge about each bone in the human body involves categorizing them based on their shape. This strategy serves to break down the considerable amount of content into smaller, logical units, thus facilitating their unique identification. Five distinct types of bones exist within the human body:

• Pancake-like (Flat)
• Extended (Long)
• Compact (Short)
• Seed-like (Sesamoid)
• Atypical (Irregular)

Detailed information pertaining to each shape is available within this comprehensive article on bones. 

Do you desire a swift approach to assimilating knowledge regarding the bones of the human body? Our online anatomy courses and classes represent an optimal point of embarkation.

Locations

Another method for classifying bones involves determining their place within either the axial or appendicular skeleton.

The axial skeleton constitutes a primary structure within the human body, encompassing the bones of the head and trunk. In entirety, the axial skeleton comprises:

• Cranial bones (including the frontal, occipital, sphenoid, ethmoid, 2 parietal, and 2 temporal bones)
• Auditory ossicles (including 2 malleus, 2 incus, and 2 stapes)
• Facial bones (including 2 maxilla, 2 zygomatic, the mandible, 2 nasal, 2 palatine, 2 inferior nasal concha, 2 lacrimal, and vomer bones)
• Hyoid bone
• Vertebral column (consisting of 7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, 5 lumbar vertebrae, and the sacrum and coccyx)
• Thoracic cage (including the sternum and 24 ribs)

The appendicular skeleton consists of bones that essentially serve as appendages extending from the axial skeleton. Elements of the appendicular skeleton encompass:

• Shoulder girdles (2 clavicles, 2 scapulae)
• Upper limbs (2 humeri, 2 radii, 2 ulnae, 16 carpals, 10 metacarpals, 28 phalanges)
• Hip girdle (2 hip bones)
• Lower limbs (2 femora, 2 fibulae, 2 tibiae, 2 patellae, 14 tarsals, 10 metatarsals, 28 phalanges)

Continue expanding your understanding of the skeletal system with our professionally developed video tutorials.

Unleash Your Creativity with Labeled Diagrams

Explore this illustration showcasing the primary bones of the human body, then challenge your knowledge with our diagram that needs labeling (available for download below). Now that you have a basic understanding of bone types and their locations, why not put your memory to the test by labeling the bones yourself? Above, you can observe a diagram that's already labeled with the main bones of the body. Below, you'll find an unlabeled diagram that you can fill in on your own. 

Download Blank PDF Worksheet Download Labeled PDF Worksheet

Elevate Your Learning with Interactive Quizzes

By now, you should feel confident about your knowledge of the major bones in the body and the total number of bones in the human body. It's time to take your learning to the next level - bone quizzes. These quizzes are an excellent way to identify any gaps in your knowledge for future review. 

Alternatively, you can use our bone quizzes to learn about the skeletal system from scratch. After answering a few questions, our intelligent algorithm will identify your areas of weakness and provide more questions on those topics. Pretty clever, right?

We recommend starting with the basic identification bone quizzes. When those become too easy, challenge yourself with the advanced identification quizzes. And if you're feeling particularly confident, you can dive into our clinical question banks!

Take a look at some of our top quiz recommendations below. Once you choose your quiz topic, you can select the quiz type that suits you best (basic identification, advanced identification, clinical question bank, or an intelligent mix of all quiz types). Good luck!

Explore a Few Sample Integrated Quizzes in the Fascinating World of the Skeletal System

Excited about this study approach? Discover our comprehensive guide to learning anatomy faster with human anatomy diagrams and quizzes.

Information Sources

Writer: Molly Smith

Design: Niels Hapke

Enhance your knowledge of the human skeletal system by taking quizzes: interested in delving deeper?

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