Carpals Quiz Practice Test
Boost your anatomy skills with focused practice
Editorial: Review CompletedUpdated Aug 24, 2025
This carpals quiz helps you practice the wrist bones - name each carpal and place it in the right row. Work through 20 quick questions, get clear results, and use the reading links to review. Use it to spot weak areas before a Grade 10 test or lab.
Study Outcomes
- Understand the anatomical arrangement of the carpal bones.
- Identify the names and positions of individual wrist bones.
- Apply knowledge of wrist anatomy to answer quiz questions accurately.
- Analyze common patterns and variations in wrist structure.
- Evaluate the functional importance of the carpals in hand movement.
Carpals Quiz - Practice Test Cheat Sheet
- Eight Carpal Bones - Your wrist isn't just a hinge - it's made of eight little bones lined up in two rows, like VIPs at a concert. The proximal row (scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, pisiform) and distal row (trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate) team up for smooth motion.
- Clever Mnemonic - Never worry about forgetting the bone names when you've got "Some Lovers Try Positions That They Can't Handle" in your pocket. Each first letter cues you to Scaphoid, Lunate, Triquetrum, Pisiform, Trapezium, Trapezoid, Capitate, Hamate.
- Scaphoid Superstar - Hanging out on the thumb side, the scaphoid takes on most of the load when you land on an outstretched hand. That superstar status makes it the most commonly fractured carpal bone - ouch!
- Lunate's Crescent Shape - The lunate looks like a little moon, sitting proudly in the center of the proximal row and sliding against your radius. Its shape and position are key for those smooth flexion and extension moves of the wrist.
- Pisiform Power-Up - Tiny but mighty, the pea-shaped pisiform lives in the tendon of the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle and boosts its leverage. It's like a natural pulley that amps up your wrist's bending power.
- Trapezium Thumb Magic - The trapezium teams up with the first metacarpal to form the thumb's carpometacarpal joint - your secret weapon for pinch, grasp, and all those TikTok transitions. It's a game-changer for dexterity!
- Capitate Centerpiece - Meet the capitate, the largest carpal bone that sits like a king at the center of the wrist, rotating with the third metacarpal. Think of it as the hub that keeps your wrist spinning smoothly.
- Hamate Hook - The hamate sports a little hook called the hamulus, perfect for ligament attachments and forming part of the carpal tunnel's walls. It's like a built‑in handle that keeps things in place.
- Carpal Tunnel Passage - Imagine a narrow hallway formed by carpal bones and the flexor retinaculum, where your median nerve and flexor tendons have to squeeze through. If things get too tight, hello carpal tunnel syndrome - time to stretch!
- Ossification Timeline - Those carpal bones don't all show up at once: capitate and hamate start ossifying around 1 - 3 months old, while the pisiform waits until around 8 - 12 years. Tracking this timeline can help you spot growth patterns in X‑rays.
