Deck 2: The Back

Question 1

How many vertebrae are in the spine?

A) 12
B) 16
C) 21
D) 33
E) 42

Answer 1

D
33. The vertebral column, or spine, has 33 vertebrae: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral (fused), and 4 coccygeal (fused).

Question 2

Which characteristic of the thoracic vertebrae distinguishes them from other vertebrae?

A) The spinous process is short and thick.
B) There are fewer vertebrae than in the other components of the spinal column.
C) There is no body in the thoracic vertebrae.
D) The body is heart-shaped.
E) The body is rectangular.

Answer 2

D
The body is heart-shaped. The 12 thoracic vertebrae exhibit features that distinguish them from other vertebrae: (1) the spinous process is long and slender; (2) the body has an articulating facet for the head of a rib; (3) the transverse process has an articulating facet for the tubercle of a rib; and (4) the body is heart-shaped.

Question 3

The posterior surface of the skull is the _________________________.

A) dens
B) occiput
C) odontoid process
D) transverse process
E) coccyx

Answer 3

B
Occiput. The posterior surface of the skull is convex and is commonly called the occiput.

Question 4

Which vertebrae are long and slender, have facets for connection to the ribs, and are heart-shaped?

A) Lumbar
B) Thoracic
C) Cervical
D) Sacral
E) Coccygeal

Question 5

The fine membrane that covers the spinal cord and forms the denticulate ligament, which anchors the spinal cord to the vertebral canal, is the ______________________.

A) pia mater
B) arachnoid mater
C) dura mater
D) filum terminale
E) membranous layer

Question 6

The transverse foramen in the cervical vertebrae provides a conduit for which of the following?

A) Spinal cord
B) Occiput
C) Posterior tubercle
D) Vertebral artery and vein
E) Dens

Question 7

The arches in an articulated vertebral column form the ___________, which houses the entire spinal cord.

A) vertebral canal
B) intervertebral foramina
C) transverse process
D) spinous process
E) transverse foramen

Question 8

An intervertebral disc in the spinal column is composed of _______________.

A) hyaline cartilage
B) fibrocartilaginous fibers (anulus fibrosis) and pulpal nucleus
C) longitudinal ligaments and cartilage
D) transverse foramina and ligaments
E) none of the above

Question 9

Which type of vertebrae has no facets for ribs; is relatively massive, with bean-shaped bodies; and has spinous processes that are not bifid but square?

A) Lumbar
B) Thoracic
C) Cervical
D) Sacral
E) Coccygeal

Question 10

___________ is a potentially lethal inflammation of the brain or spinal cord caused by bacterial or viral infections that spread hematogenously in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

A) Synovitis
B) Meningitis
C) Kyphosis
D) Scoliosis
E) Lordosis

Question 11

Nerve roots descend past the termination of the spinal cord at L2 and resemble a horse's tail. The term for these nerve roots is ________________________.

A) anulus fibrosis
B) syndesmosis
C) intergluteal sulcus
D) cauda equina
E) lumbosacral cauda

Question 12

The vertebral foramen, which houses the spinal cord, is formed by the _______________.

A) occiput and nuchal line
B) inion and occiput
C) vertebral arch and body
D) vertebral notches
E) transverse process and spinous process

Question 13

There are ___ cervical vertebrae in the spine.

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 6
E) 7

Question 14

The normal curvatures in the cervical and lumbosacral regions of the human spine are formed by _________________.

A) changes in the shape of vertebrae as a child grows
B) maturing of muscle through the life span
C) removal of vertebrae
D) action of the thyroid gland
E) intervertebral discs of the curved regions assuming a wedge shape

Question 15

The tough, heavy durable membrane that is the outer layer of membranes covering the spinal cord is the _______________________.

A) pia mater
B) arachnoid mater
C) dura mater
D) filum terminale
E) membranous layer