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Muscle Anatomy Quiz

Fourteen questions on the muscles that move you, from the rotator cuff to the tiniest muscle in your ear. Tap an answer to see if you’re right.

  1. Question 1 of 14

    Which is usually named the largest muscle in the human body?

    1. Latissimus dorsi
    2. Pectoralis major
    3. Quadriceps femoris
    4. Gluteus maximus
    Show answer

    Answer: Gluteus maximus. Gluteus maximus, your main buttock muscle. It extends the hip, which is what gets you up stairs and out of chairs.

  2. Question 2 of 14

    Which is the longest muscle in the body?

    1. Sartorius
    2. Latissimus dorsi
    3. Rectus femoris
    4. Gracilis
    Show answer

    Answer: Sartorius. Sartorius runs from the front of the hip to the inside of the knee. Its name comes from the Latin for tailor.

  3. Question 3 of 14

    Which is the smallest skeletal muscle?

    1. Lumbricals
    2. Stapedius
    3. Tensor tympani
    4. Orbicularis oculi
    Show answer

    Answer: Stapedius. Stapedius, about 1 mm long, in the middle ear. It damps the stapes to protect your hearing from loud noise.

  4. Question 4 of 14

    Which of these is NOT a rotator cuff muscle?

    1. Teres minor
    2. Supraspinatus
    3. Teres major
    4. Infraspinatus
    Show answer

    Answer: Teres major. The rotator cuff is SITS: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis. Teres major is a neighbour, not a member.

  5. Question 5 of 14

    What is the main muscle of breathing?

    1. Rectus abdominis
    2. Sternocleidomastoid
    3. Diaphragm
    4. Intercostal muscles
    Show answer

    Answer: Diaphragm. The diaphragm, supplied by the phrenic nerve (C3, 4 and 5 ‘keep the diaphragm alive’).

  6. Question 6 of 14

    The two main calf muscles join to form which tendon?

    1. Patellar tendon
    2. Plantar fascia
    3. Tibialis posterior tendon
    4. Achilles tendon
    Show answer

    Answer: Achilles tendon. Gastrocnemius and soleus join to form the Achilles (calcaneal) tendon, the thickest and strongest tendon in the body.

  7. Question 7 of 14

    Which of these is NOT part of the quadriceps?

    1. Biceps femoris
    2. Vastus lateralis
    3. Vastus intermedius
    4. Rectus femoris
    Show answer

    Answer: Biceps femoris. Biceps femoris is a hamstring. The quads are rectus femoris and vastus lateralis, medialis and intermedius.

  8. Question 8 of 14

    Which muscle bends the elbow and turns the palm up?

    1. Triceps brachii
    2. Biceps brachii
    3. Pronator teres
    4. Brachioradialis
    Show answer

    Answer: Biceps brachii. Biceps flexes the elbow and is the strongest supinator of the forearm: the ‘turning a screwdriver’ muscle.

  9. Question 9 of 14

    Damage to which muscle’s nerve makes the shoulder blade stick out (‘winging’)?

    1. Trapezius
    2. Serratus anterior
    3. Latissimus dorsi
    4. Rhomboid major
    Show answer

    Answer: Serratus anterior. Serratus anterior, supplied by the long thoracic nerve, holds the shoulder blade flat against the ribs.

  10. Question 10 of 14

    Which muscle closes the eyelids?

    1. Levator palpebrae superioris
    2. Frontalis
    3. Corrugator supercilii
    4. Orbicularis oculi
    Show answer

    Answer: Orbicularis oculi. Orbicularis oculi, a ring of muscle supplied by the facial nerve. Levator palpebrae superioris does the opposite and lifts the lid.

  11. Question 11 of 14

    Which chewing muscle can you feel bulge at the angle of your jaw when you clench?

    1. Masseter
    2. Buccinator
    3. Platysma
    4. Temporalis
    Show answer

    Answer: Masseter. The masseter, one of the most powerful muscles for its size. Temporalis bulges at the temple instead.

  12. Question 12 of 14

    Which muscle type is striated but involuntary?

    1. None of them
    2. Skeletal muscle
    3. Cardiac muscle
    4. Smooth muscle
    Show answer

    Answer: Cardiac muscle. Cardiac muscle is striped like skeletal muscle but works without conscious control. Smooth muscle is involuntary and not striated.

  13. Question 13 of 14

    Which muscle lifts the arm out to the side and is supplied by the axillary nerve?

    1. Deltoid
    2. Supraspinatus
    3. Trapezius
    4. Pectoralis major
    Show answer

    Answer: Deltoid. The deltoid. Supraspinatus starts the movement, then the deltoid takes over. A shoulder dislocation can injure the axillary nerve.

  14. Question 14 of 14

    Which nerve supplies almost all the muscles of the tongue?

    1. Glossopharyngeal nerve (IX)
    2. Lingual nerve
    3. Facial nerve (VII)
    4. Hypoglossal nerve (XII)
    Show answer

    Answer: Hypoglossal nerve (XII). The hypoglossal nerve. The one exception is palatoglossus, which the vagus supplies. The lingual nerve carries feeling, not movement.

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Common questions

How many muscles are in the human body?

Usually quoted as more than 600 skeletal muscles. The exact number depends on how you count muscles with several parts, and some people have extra or missing small muscles, such as palmaris longus.

What are the rotator cuff muscles?

Supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis (SITS). They hold the ball of the humerus in the shoulder socket and rotate the arm. Supraspinatus is the one most often torn or inflamed.

What are the three types of muscle?

Skeletal muscle (striated, voluntary, moves the skeleton), cardiac muscle (striated, involuntary, only in the heart) and smooth muscle (not striated, involuntary, in the gut, blood vessels, bladder and airways).

How can I learn the muscles quickly?

Learn them in groups by region and action (for example, the quads extend the knee), feel them contract on yourself, and link each one to its nerve. Then quiz yourself little and often.

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Reviewed 8 November 2026 by a Malady Wise GP. Diagrams are simplified, original sketches, not to scale. General education, not personal medical advice.