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Coronary Arteries Quiz

Twenty questions on the arteries that feed the heart muscle, from naming them to matching heart attacks on the ECG. The diagram shows the heart from the front; dashed vessels are on the back. Tap an answer to see if you’re right.

  1. Question 1 of 20

    The coronary arteries branch off the highlighted vessel. Name it.

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Aorta
    2. Pulmonary veins
    3. Superior vena cava
    4. Pulmonary trunk
    Show answer

    Answer: Aorta. They come off just above the aortic valve, so the heart feeds itself first.

  2. Question 2 of 20

    Name the highlighted artery running down the front of the heart.

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Circumflex
    2. Right coronary artery
    3. Posterior descending
    4. Left anterior descending (LAD)
    Show answer

    Answer: Left anterior descending (LAD). It runs in the groove between the ventricles and supplies the front wall and most of the septum.

  3. Question 3 of 20

    Name the highlighted artery on the right side of the heart.

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Left anterior descending
    2. Acute marginal
    3. Right coronary artery (RCA)
    4. Circumflex
    Show answer

    Answer: Right coronary artery (RCA). It runs in the groove between the right atrium and right ventricle.

  4. Question 4 of 20

    Name the highlighted artery curling round to the left side.

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Diagonal
    2. Circumflex
    3. Left anterior descending
    4. Right coronary artery
    Show answer

    Answer: Circumflex. It ‘circles’ round in the groove between the left atrium and ventricle.

  5. Question 5 of 20

    Name the short highlighted trunk that splits in two.

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Left main coronary artery
    2. LAD
    3. Circumflex
    4. Right coronary artery
    Show answer

    Answer: Left main coronary artery. Usually only 1 to 2 cm long before it splits into the LAD and circumflex.

  6. Question 6 of 20

    Name the highlighted vessel, which is not a coronary artery.

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Superior vena cava
    2. Pulmonary trunk
    3. Aorta
    4. Left main coronary artery
    Show answer

    Answer: Pulmonary trunk. It carries blood from the right ventricle to the lungs.

  7. Question 7 of 20

    Name the highlighted branch of the LAD.

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Septal branch
    2. Acute marginal
    3. Obtuse marginal
    4. Diagonal branch
    Show answer

    Answer: Diagonal branch. Diagonals run across the front of the left ventricle. Septal branches dive into the septum.

  8. Question 8 of 20

    Name the highlighted branch of the circumflex.

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Posterior descending
    2. Acute marginal
    3. Obtuse marginal
    4. Diagonal
    Show answer

    Answer: Obtuse marginal. It runs down the left (obtuse) margin of the heart.

  9. Question 9 of 20

    Name the highlighted branch of the RCA.

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Obtuse marginal
    2. Posterior descending
    3. Diagonal
    4. Acute marginal
    Show answer

    Answer: Acute marginal. It runs along the sharp (acute) right edge of the heart, feeding the right ventricle.

  10. Question 10 of 20

    Name the highlighted artery running down the back of the heart.

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Circumflex
    2. Acute marginal
    3. Posterior descending artery (PDA)
    4. LAD
    Show answer

    Answer: Posterior descending artery (PDA). It supplies the back third of the septum and the inferior wall.

  11. Question 11 of 20

    Unlike other organs, the heart muscle fills its arteries mostly when?

    1. Between beats (diastole)
    2. Equally all the time
    3. During contraction (systole)
    4. Only during exercise
    Show answer

    Answer: Between beats (diastole). Contracting muscle squeezes its own vessels shut. A fast heart rate shortens diastole, which is why angina comes on with exertion.

  12. Question 12 of 20

    ST elevation in V1 to V4 points to blockage of the highlighted artery. Which?

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. RCA
    2. LAD
    3. Posterior descending
    4. Circumflex
    Show answer

    Answer: LAD. V1 to V4 look at the septum and front wall: anterior STEMI, from the LAD.

  13. Question 13 of 20

    ST elevation in II, III and aVF usually means blockage of the highlighted artery. Which?

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Diagonal
    2. Right coronary artery
    3. LAD
    4. Left main
    Show answer

    Answer: Right coronary artery. An inferior STEMI. The RCA is to blame in about 80%; the circumflex in the rest.

  14. Question 14 of 20

    ST elevation in I, aVL, V5 and V6 points to which highlighted artery?

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Acute marginal
    2. RCA
    3. Posterior descending
    4. Circumflex
    Show answer

    Answer: Circumflex. A lateral STEMI, from the circumflex or a diagonal branch. The circumflex is the artery most likely to hide on a standard ECG.

  15. Question 15 of 20

    An inferior heart attack with a slow pulse and heart block usually involves which artery?

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Circumflex
    2. Left main
    3. Right coronary artery
    4. LAD
    Show answer

    Answer: Right coronary artery. The RCA feeds the AV node in about 80 to 90% of people and the sinus node in about 60%.

  16. Question 16 of 20

    Which artery’s blockage is nicknamed ‘the widow-maker’?

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Proximal LAD
    2. Obtuse marginal
    3. Acute marginal
    4. Distal RCA
    Show answer

    Answer: Proximal LAD. A blockage high in the LAD knocks out a huge area of the left ventricle and can kill quickly.

  17. Question 17 of 20

    ‘Coronary dominance’ is decided by which artery gives off the highlighted branch?

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Diagonal
    2. Posterior descending artery
    3. Left main
    4. Obtuse marginal
    Show answer

    Answer: Posterior descending artery. Whichever artery supplies the PDA is ‘dominant’. About 80% of people are right-dominant.

  18. Question 18 of 20

    In a left-dominant heart, the posterior descending artery comes from which highlighted vessel?

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Right coronary artery
    2. LAD
    3. Diagonal
    4. Circumflex
    Show answer

    Answer: Circumflex. In left-dominant hearts (about 10%), the circumflex wraps round to supply the back, so a circumflex blockage can mean a bigger heart attack.

  19. Question 19 of 20

    Where do the heart’s own veins mostly drain?

    1. Pulmonary veins
    2. Left atrium
    3. Coronary sinus, into the right atrium
    4. Superior vena cava
    Show answer

    Answer: Coronary sinus, into the right atrium. The great cardiac vein follows the LAD and joins the coronary sinus on the back of the heart.

  20. Question 20 of 20

    In bypass surgery, which graft to the highlighted artery lasts best?

    Heart, front view (dashed = on the back of the heart)
    1. Left internal mammary (thoracic) artery
    2. Femoral artery
    3. Great saphenous vein
    4. Radial artery
    Show answer

    Answer: Left internal mammary (thoracic) artery. More than 90% of these arterial grafts are still open after 10 years, much better than vein grafts.

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Common questions

What are the main coronary arteries?

The left main, which splits into the left anterior descending (LAD) and circumflex, and the right coronary artery (RCA). Branches include diagonals (LAD), obtuse marginals (circumflex), and the acute marginal and usually the posterior descending artery (RCA).

Which ECG leads match which coronary artery?

V1 to V4 (anterior and septal): LAD. II, III and aVF (inferior): usually the RCA. I, aVL, V5 and V6 (lateral): circumflex or a diagonal. It’s a guide only, as anatomy varies.

What is coronary dominance?

Whichever artery supplies the posterior descending artery is dominant. About 80% of people are right-dominant, about 10% left-dominant, and the rest share (co-dominant).

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Updated 16 November 2026. Diagrams are simplified, original sketches, not to scale. General education, not personal medical advice.