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Spine and Vertebrae Quiz

Twenty questions on the spine and vertebrae, from counting the regions to naming fractures. The diagram shows the spine from the side, front on the left. Tap an answer to see if you’re right.

  1. Question 1 of 20

    Name the highlighted region of the spine.

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. Thoracic
    2. Lumbar
    3. Sacral
    4. Cervical (neck)
    Show answer

    Answer: Cervical (neck). Seven small, mobile vertebrae that let you nod and turn your head.

  2. Question 2 of 20

    Name the highlighted region.

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. Cervical
    2. Thoracic (upper back)
    3. Sacral
    4. Lumbar
    Show answer

    Answer: Thoracic (upper back). Twelve vertebrae, one for each pair of ribs.

  3. Question 3 of 20

    Name the highlighted region.

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. Lumbar (lower back)
    2. Sacral
    3. Thoracic
    4. Cervical
    Show answer

    Answer: Lumbar (lower back). Five big vertebrae that carry most of the body’s weight.

  4. Question 4 of 20

    Name the highlighted bone.

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. Coccyx
    2. L5
    3. Sacrum
    4. Ilium
    Show answer

    Answer: Sacrum. Five vertebrae fused into one, wedged between the hip bones.

  5. Question 5 of 20

    Name the highlighted bone at the very bottom.

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. Pubis
    2. L5
    3. Sacrum
    4. Coccyx (tailbone)
    Show answer

    Answer: Coccyx (tailbone). Three to five tiny fused bones. Falling onto it hurts for weeks.

  6. Question 6 of 20

    How many cervical vertebrae are there?

    1. 5
    2. 8
    3. 7
    4. 12
    Show answer

    Answer: 7. Almost every mammal has seven, even giraffes. There are eight cervical nerves, though, which trips people up.

  7. Question 7 of 20

    How many lumbar vertebrae do most people have?

    1. 7
    2. 5
    3. 4
    4. 6
    Show answer

    Answer: 5. Five, though some people have a sixth or a fused fifth, which can confuse counting on scans.

  8. Question 8 of 20

    Name the highlighted vertebra, the top one, which holds up the skull.

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. Atlas (C1)
    2. Axis (C2)
    3. Occiput
    4. C3
    Show answer

    Answer: Atlas (C1). Named after the Titan who held up the sky. It has no body and no spinous process, just a ring.

  9. Question 9 of 20

    Name the highlighted vertebra, with the peg the head turns around.

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. Axis (C2)
    2. C7
    3. Atlas (C1)
    4. C3
    Show answer

    Answer: Axis (C2). Its peg, the dens, lets the atlas and skull rotate. Half of all neck turning happens here.

  10. Question 10 of 20

    Name the highlighted vertebra, the bump you can feel at the base of the neck.

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. T1
    2. C7 (vertebra prominens)
    3. C5
    4. C6
    Show answer

    Answer: C7 (vertebra prominens). Its long spinous process makes a handy landmark for counting down the back.

  11. Question 11 of 20

    Name the highlighted vertebra, the last one with a pair of ribs.

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. T11
    2. L1
    3. T10
    4. T12
    Show answer

    Answer: T12. T12 carries the last (floating) ribs. Below it, L1 starts the lumbar spine.

  12. Question 12 of 20

    Which spinal regions normally curve forwards (lordosis)?

    1. Upper back and sacrum
    2. None: the spine is straight
    3. Neck and lower back
    4. Upper back only
    Show answer

    Answer: Neck and lower back. The neck and lower back curve forwards; the upper back and sacrum curve backwards (kyphosis). The S shape works like a spring.

  13. Question 13 of 20

    A line joining the tops of the hip bones crosses the spine at about the highlighted level. Which?

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. T12
    2. L4
    3. S1
    4. L1
    Show answer

    Answer: L4. Tuffier’s line, the landmark for finding the right gap for a lumbar puncture or epidural.

  14. Question 14 of 20

    In adults, the spinal cord itself ends at about the highlighted level. Which?

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. L1–L2
    2. T10
    3. L5
    4. S2
    Show answer

    Answer: L1–L2. Below that, nerve roots hang down loose: the cauda equina (‘horse’s tail’).

  15. Question 15 of 20

    Why is a lumbar puncture done at L3/4 or L4/5?

    1. The bone is thinnest there
    2. There are no nerves there
    3. The fluid is cleanest there
    4. It’s below the end of the spinal cord
    Show answer

    Answer: It’s below the end of the spinal cord. The needle slips between floating nerve roots, which drift aside, rather than into the cord.

  16. Question 16 of 20

    Which two discs are most often herniated?

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. L1/2 and L2/3
    2. C1/2 and C2/3
    3. L4/5 and L5/S1
    4. T6/7 and T7/8
    Show answer

    Answer: L4/5 and L5/S1. The bottom two lumbar discs take the most load and movement, so they wear first.

  17. Question 17 of 20

    In spondylolisthesis, the highlighted vertebra most often slips forward on which bone?

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. Sacrum (S1)
    2. L4
    3. T12
    4. Coccyx
    Show answer

    Answer: Sacrum (S1). L5 slipping on S1 is the commonest, often from a stress fracture in young athletes who bend backwards a lot, like gymnasts and fast bowlers.

  18. Question 18 of 20

    A ‘burst’ fracture of the highlighted ring-shaped vertebra, from diving into shallow water, is called what?

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. Chance fracture
    2. Clay-shoveller’s fracture
    3. Hangman’s fracture
    4. Jefferson fracture
    Show answer

    Answer: Jefferson fracture. A blow to the top of the head drives the skull down and splits the ring of C1. Surprisingly, the cord is often spared because the ring widens.

  19. Question 19 of 20

    A fracture through both sides of the highlighted vertebra, from sudden hyperextension, is called what?

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. Odontoid peg fracture
    2. Hangman’s fracture
    3. Jefferson fracture
    4. Clay-shoveller’s fracture
    Show answer

    Answer: Hangman’s fracture. A break through the pars of C2, now usually from car crashes rather than hanging.

  20. Question 20 of 20

    A horizontal fracture through a lumbar vertebra after a car crash with only a lap belt is called what?

    Spine, side view (front to the left)
    1. Hangman’s fracture
    2. Jefferson fracture
    3. Chance fracture
    4. Compression fracture
    Show answer

    Answer: Chance fracture. The body jack-knifes over the lap belt and splits the vertebra front to back. Look for injured bowel too.

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Common questions

How many vertebrae are in the human spine?

Usually 33: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 fused into the sacrum and about 4 fused into the coccyx. That’s 24 separate moving vertebrae.

What are the regions of the spine?

Cervical (neck), thoracic (upper back, with the ribs), lumbar (lower back), sacral and coccygeal (tailbone).

What is the difference between the atlas and the axis?

The atlas (C1) is a ring that holds the skull and lets you nod. The axis (C2) has a peg (the dens) that the atlas turns around, letting you shake your head.

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