Axial Skeleton Quiz

The axial skeleton from the side: skull, spine, sternum and ribs, 15 parts to find.

Axial Skeleton Quiz

Name Date

Tap the true ribs (1 to 7)

1 of 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Skull
  2. Mandible (lower jaw)
  3. Hyoid bone
  4. Cervical vertebrae (7)
  5. Thoracic vertebrae (12)
  6. Lumbar vertebrae (5)
  7. Sacrum
  8. Coccyx (tailbone)
  9. Manubrium
  10. Body of the sternum
  11. Xiphoid process
  12. True ribs (1 to 7)
  13. False ribs (8 to 10)
  14. Floating ribs (11 and 12)
  15. Costal cartilage

Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the vertebral column, region by region

All 15 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Start here: 6 main parts 6

  1. Skull 22 bones: the cranium and the facial bones below it. The cranium holds the brain.
  2. Cervical vertebrae (7) The 7 vertebrae of the neck, C1 to C7.
  3. Thoracic vertebrae (12) The 12 vertebrae of the chest, T1 to T12. The 12 pairs of ribs are anchored to them.
  4. Lumbar vertebrae (5) The 5 vertebrae of the lower back, L1 to L5.
  5. Body of the sternum The long middle part of the sternum. It meets the manubrium at the sternal angle, where rib 2 joins; ribs 3 to 7 join the body.
  6. True ribs (1 to 7) Each one's own costal cartilage joins the sternum directly. Ribs 1 to 7.

Skull, jaw and hyoid 2

  1. Mandible (lower jaw) The lower jaw. The only bone of the skull that stays separate.
  2. Hyoid bone A small bone in the neck, below the mandible. It is counted with the bones of the head.

The vertebral column 2

  1. Sacrum The wedge-shaped bone at the base of the vertebral column. It lies below the lumbar vertebrae.
  2. Coccyx (tailbone) The tailbone, at the very end of the vertebral column.

Sternum and ribs 5

  1. Manubrium The wide top part of the sternum. The first ribs join it. Its top edge is the jugular notch.
  2. Xiphoid process The small bottom tip of the sternum. Cartilage early in life, it slowly turns to bone from middle age.
  3. False ribs (8 to 10) Their cartilages join the cartilage of the rib above, not the sternum. Ribs 8 to 12 are false ribs. Here 8 to 10.
  4. Floating ribs (11 and 12) The last two false ribs, 11 and 12. Short, and joined to nothing at the front.
  5. Costal cartilage The cartilage each rib ends in. It joins the ribs to the sternum, directly or through the rib above.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-27. (1) OpenStax, Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 7.1 Divisions of the Skeletal System, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/7-1-divisions-of-the-skeletal-system : the adult axial skeleton is 80 bones, the skull, the vertebral column and the thoracic cage; the skull is 22 bones, and the hyoid and the ear ossicles are also counted with the head; the vertebral column is 24 vertebrae plus the sacrum and coccyx; the thoracic cage is 12 pairs of ribs and the sternum. 7.4 The Thoracic Cage, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/7-4-the-thoracic-cage : ribs anchored to the 12 thoracic vertebrae; the sternum's manubrium, body and xiphoid process, the jugular notch on the manubrium, the first ribs on the manubrium, the second at the sternal angle and 3 to 7 on the body, the xiphoid cartilaginous early in life and ossifying from middle age; each rib ends in a costal cartilage; true ribs 1 to 7 attach directly to the sternum, false ribs 8 to 12 do not, 8 to 10 attaching to the cartilage of the rib above, and 11 and 12, the floating ribs, not attaching at all. (2) Wikipedia, Axial skeleton, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_skeleton : the skull, the vertebral column with sacrum and coccyx, the rib cage of 12 pairs of ribs and the sternum, and the hyoid bone; the cranium holds the brain; the mandible is the only skull bone that stays separate. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

Find each part of the axial skeleton on one side view: the head, the vertebral column by region, and the thoracic cage. Start with the 6 main parts, then the head, the spine and the chest.

Read the full guide

Three parts, 80 bones

The axial skeleton is the skull, the vertebral column and the thoracic cage, 80 bones in an adult. The hyoid under the jaw counts with the head. The column has 7 cervical, 12 thoracic and 5 lumbar vertebrae, then the sacrum and coccyx.

Reading the ribs

Follow each rib to its front end. Ribs 1 to 7 reach the sternum through their own cartilage: true ribs. Ribs 8 to 10 join the cartilage above, and 11 and 12 stop short: false ribs, the last two also called floating.

  • Count ribs from the sternal angle, the bend where the manubrium meets the body: rib 2 joins there.

Questions and answers

What bones are in the axial skeleton?

The skull, the vertebral column with the sacrum and coccyx, and the thoracic cage of 12 pairs of ribs and the sternum. The hyoid and the ear ossicles are counted with the head: 80 bones in all.

What is the difference between true, false and floating ribs?

True ribs, 1 to 7, join the sternum through their own cartilage. False ribs, 8 to 12, do not: 8 to 10 join the cartilage of the rib above, and 11 and 12, the floating ribs, join nothing at the front.

What are the three parts of the sternum?

The manubrium at the top, the long body in the middle, and the small xiphoid process at the bottom tip.

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