6.8: Chapter Review Questions

Multiple-Choice Section

• Use the end‑of‑chapter multiple‑choice section as a regular self‑check tool, not just before exams.
• Read each item carefully, think about what is really being tested (concept, definition, application, or calculation), and choose the option (A, B, C, or D) that best reflects what you have learned in this chapter.
  • After you read through the chapter, attempt all items without looking at your notes; then return to the chapter to review any you missed or felt unsure about.
  • Afterward, explain to yourself why the correct option is right and why the others are not. Finally, repeat the multiple‑choice section a few days later to see what you truly remember and understand.
• Students who consistently use these prompts in this way typically perform better across the course because they turn reading into active practice.

1. Which description best characterizes bone tissue?
   1. Dead calcified tissue
   2. Cartilage that has hardened
   3. The entire skeletal system
   4. Dense, hard connective tissue with living cells and mineralized matrix
2. If red bone marrow were destroyed or severely reduced, which function of the skeletal system would be most directly impaired?
   1. Storage of phosphate
   2. Storage of calcium
   3. Production of blood cells
   4. Lever action for movement
3. Yellow bone marrow is primarily associated with which function?
   1. Storage of fat
   2. Formation of new bone tissue
   3. Production of blood cells
   4. Production of synovial fluid
4. Which of the following is most commonly located at sites where bones move relative to one another?
   1. Hematopoietic tissue
   2. Articular cartilage
   3. Yellow marrow
   4. Red marrow
5. Most of the bones of the arms and hands are classified as long bones. However, the bones in the wrist are most accurately classified as which type of bone?
   1. Flat bones
   2. Short bones
   3. Sesamoid bones
   4. Irregular bones
6. Sesamoid bones are most commonly found embedded within which structures?
   1. Joints
   2. Skeletal muscles
   3. Ligaments
   4. Tendons
7. The vertebrae that encase and protect the spinal cord are classified as which type of bones?
   1. Irregular bones
   2. Sesamoid bones
   3. Flat bones
   4. Short bones
8. Long bones facilitate movement of body segments primarily by acting as which of the following?
   1. Counterweights
   2. Resistive forces
   3. Levers acted on by muscles
   4. Fulcrums around which joints move
9. Which process occurs within the spongy bone of the epiphysis of a long bone in an adult?
   1. Longitudinal growth of bone
   2. Bone remodeling in response to stress
   3. Hematopoiesis
   4. Production of synovial fluid for shock absorption
10. The central region (shaft) of a long bone, the diaphysis, contains which of the following in an adult?
    1. The metaphysis
    2. A medullary cavity primarily filled with fat
    3. Spongy bone only
    4. Only compact bone, without any marrow
11. Which of the following cell types are not capable of undergoing mitosis?
    1. Osteoblasts and osteoclasts
    2. Osteocytes and osteoclasts
    3. Osteoblasts and osteocytes
    4. Osteogenic cells and osteoclasts
12. Which cell type involved in bone physiology does not arise from osteogenic (osteoprogenitor) cells?
    1. Osteoblasts
    2. Osteoclasts
    3. Osteocytes
    4. Osteoprogenitor cells
13. Which microscopic structures are present in both compact bone and spongy (cancellous) bone?
    1. Osteons (Haversian systems)
    2. Haversian canals
    3. Lamellae
    4. Volkmann's canals
14. Which of the following structural features is characteristic of spongy (cancellous) bone but not of compact bone?
    1. Canaliculi
    2. Volkmann's canals
    3. Trabeculae
    4. Calcium salts in the matrix
15. The passageway through which a nutrient artery enters a long bone is called a nutrient foramen. This opening represents which type of bone surface marking?
    1. Hole
    2. Facet
    3. Canal
    4. Fissure
16. Which statement best explains why cartilage heals more slowly than bone after injury?
    1. Cartilage is gradually replaced by bone over time.
    2. Cartilage is semi-solid and flexible, so it cannot be repaired.
    3. Cartilage is avascular and relies on diffusion rather than a direct blood supply.
    4. Endochondral ossification replaces all damaged cartilage with bone immediately.
17. During endochondral ossification, what ultimately happens to most of the chondrocytes in the cartilage model?
    1. They transform directly into osteocytes.
    2. They die within the calcified matrix, contributing to the formation of the medullary cavity.
    3. They proliferate to form the periosteum.
    4. They cluster to form the primary ossification center and remain there as mature chondrocytes.
18. Which bones are primarily formed by intramembranous ossification?
    1. Metatarsals
    2. Femur
    3. Ribs
    4. Flat bones of the cranial vault
19. Long bones grow both in length and in diameter. Which combination correctly identifies the primary site for increase in length and the primary site for increase in diameter?
    1. Length: Epiphyseal plate; Diameter: On the endosteal surface of the medullary cavity
    2. Length: Epiphyseal plate; Diameter: Beneath the periosteum on the outer surface
    3. Length: Perichondrium; Diameter: Within the epiphyseal plate
    4. Length: Periosteum; Diameter: Within the metaphysis only
20. In the epiphyseal plate of a growing long bone, which sequence of histological zones from the epiphysis toward the diaphysis is correct?
    1. Zone of resting (reserve) cartilage → Zone of proliferation → Zone of hypertrophy (maturation) → Zone of calcification
    2. Zone of proliferation → Zone of resting (reserve) cartilage → Zone of calcification → Zone of hypertrophy (maturation)
    3. Zone of calcification → Zone of hypertrophy (maturation) → Zone of proliferation → Zone of resting (reserve) cartilage
    4. Zone of hypertrophy (maturation) → Zone of calcification → Zone of resting (reserve) cartilage → Zone of proliferation
21. A fracture may be described as greenstick and comminuted, transverse and oblique, or open and closed. Which of the following describes a combination that can correctly occur in the same fracture?
    1. Open and closed
    2. Open and transverse
    3. Transverse and greenstick
    4. Greenstick and comminuted
22. A fracture of the shaft of a long bone can result in fat emboli entering the bloodstream. What is the most direct source of this fat?
    1. Subcutaneous fat disrupted by the bone fragments
    2. Yellow marrow within the diaphysis that is exposed and damaged
    3. Fat released from intact bones elsewhere in response to injury
    4. Red marrow in the fractured bone releasing fat to aid fracture repair
23. In a compound (open) fracture of a long bone, which of the following is true?
    1. The break occurs at an angle across the bone.
    2. The broken bone does not tear the skin.
    3. One fragment of bone is driven into the other fragment.
    4. The broken bone communicates with the external environment through a skin wound.
24. During fracture repair, which type of bone is formed first around the site of injury?
    1. Mature compact bone
    2. Lamellar bone with organized osteons
    3. Spongy (woven) bone
    4. Dense cortical bone with complete Haversian systems
25. Wolff's law describes how bone responds to mechanical stress. Which scenario best illustrates this principle?
    1. A right-handed baseball pitcher has thicker, denser bones in the right upper limb than in the left.
    2. A right-handed cyclist has substantially thicker bones in the right leg than in the left.
    3. Every healed fracture results in a bone that is permanently thicker than before injury.
    4. A patient who is bedridden for months will develop thicker bones than an active athlete.
26. Calcium absorption from the small intestine is significantly impaired when which substance is lacking?
    1. Vitamin D
    2. Vitamin K
    3. Calcitonin
    4. Fluoride
27. Which of the following foods provides nutrients that are especially important for bone health due to their vitamin K and calcium content?
    1. Carrots
    2. Liver
    3. Leafy green vegetables
    4. Oranges
28. Which pair of hormones is primarily responsible for the adolescent growth spurt and the eventual closure of the epiphyseal plates?
    1. Estrogen and testosterone
    2. Calcitonin and calcitriol
    3. Growth hormone and parathyroid hormone
    4. Thyroxine and progesterone
29. With respect to their direct effects on bone remodeling, which pair of hormones has opposite actions on blood calcium levels and bone resorption?
    1. Estrogen and testosterone
    2. Calcitonin and calcitriol
    3. Estrogen and progesterone
    4. Calcitonin and parathyroid hormone
30. When blood calcium levels deviate significantly from normal, which body system shows the most immediate and life-threatening functional changes?
    1. Skeletal system
    2. Endocrine system
    3. Digestive system
    4. Nervous system
31. All of the following are involved in maintaining calcium homeostasis except which one?
    1. Thyroxine
    2. Calcitonin
    3. Parathyroid hormone
    4. Vitamin D (calcitriol)
32. When blood calcium levels rise above the normal range, which hormone is most likely to be secreted in increased amounts to help restore homeostasis?
    1. Thyroxine
    2. Calcitonin
    3. Parathyroid hormone
    4. Vitamin D (calcitriol)