Anatomy is the study of the structure and organization of living organisms and their parts. It is a fundamental aspect of the medical sciences and is essential for understanding how the body works, both in terms of its normal functioning and when things go wrong. The human body is an incredibly complex system, and the study of anatomy helps us to understand its various components and how they interact with each other.
Anatomy trivia questions are a fun and engaging way to test your knowledge of this fascinating subject. Whether you are a medical professional, a student of anatomy, or simply someone who is interested in learning more about the human body, these questions will challenge you and help you to expand your understanding of anatomy.
Here are some examples of anatomy trivia questions: What are the different systems of the human body? What is the function of the skeletal system? What is the largest organ in the human body? What is the function of the cardiovascular system? What is the function of the digestive system? These questions and others like them will help you to develop a deeper understanding of the anatomy of the human body and the role that each of its parts plays in maintaining good health.
138 Anatomy Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated for 2024)
- What joint in your arm is where the humerus, radius, and ulna bones all meet?
Answer: Elbow
- Common in athletes, ACL surgery reconstructs or replaces a ligament located in what joint of the body?
Answer: Knee
- Which sensory organ is the tympanic membrane found in? (Hint: You’ll have to drum up your memories of human anatomy to answer correctly).
Answer: Ear
- A friction-y type of car brake and 4/7 of the familiar name for the ear part known as the tympanic membrane are both known by what booming four-letter word?
Answer: Drum
- What battery-powered board game has pieces called “bread basket,” “spare ribs,” “water on the knee,” and “funny bone"?
Answer: Operation
- Measuring at a mind-boggling 5 feet and 9 inches in length, Tami Manis entered into the Guinness World Record books in September 2023 for growing the world's longest competitive type of what hairstyle that's "all business in the front and a party in the back"?
Answer: Mullet
- It sounds like the “floppy” you used to put in a computer back in the day, but which part of an owl’s feathery facial anatomy is what allows them to adjust their hearing?
Answer: Disk
- The average adult has about 22 square feet (or about 8 pounds) of which organ, making it the largest in the human body?
Answer: Skin
- There are about 5.6 liters (or about 7% of their total body weight) of which life-giving fluid in the average adult’s body?
Answer: Blood
- The nares are another name for which part of your nose that leads into your nasal passages?
Answer: Nostrils
- If you had to get orthopedic surgery to mend your torn meniscus, what largest joint in the body would you have to get repaired?
Answer: Knee
- There are non-image-forming ganglion cells in the human eye (and other mammals) that are still photosensitive and receive light signals that can help regulate and suppress the production of what "M" hormone that helps regulate the sleep-wake schedule?
Answer: Melatonin
- As far as we can tell, Michael Jordan, Gene Simmons, and Miley Cyrus all have very active hypoglossal nerves. The hypoglossal nerve is responsible for the movement of what muscular organ?
Answer: Tongue
- What tiny structures are, at between five and ten micrometers in diameter, the smallest blood vessels in the human body?
Answer: Capillaries
- Small structures called "papillae," including types called fungiform and filiform papillae, are what give what part of the human body its characteristically rough texture?
Answer: Tongue
- The four major lobes of the human brain are the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the occipital lobe, and what T-word one?
Answer: Temporal
- The human retina contains receptor cells of two different types: rods and what tapered shapes?
Answer: Cones
- Which medical term from the Latin terms for “blood” and “break forth” refers to a lot of bleeding, which can be life-threatening?
Answer: Hemorrhage
- Which part of the body is comprised of the carpus and metacarpus?
Answer: Hand
- First published in 1858, what textbook was based on dissections performed on unclaimed corpses. Its name was later used for a medical tv drama.
Answer: Gray's Anatomy
- Sometimes called the breastbone, what bone sits at the front of the chest and connects with the ribs with the cartilage? Based on its name you might think it is an unrelentingly serious bone.
Answer: Sternum
- What fibrous tissue connects the calf muscles to the calcaneus? It is named after the Greek hero who killed Hector outside of Troy.
Answer: Achilles tendon
- What iron containing metalloprotein carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body? It is in the red blood cells most vertebrate animals.
Answer: Hemoglobin
- What is the general term for the small tubes in the circulatory that carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart? It sounds like an adjective for a conceited person.
Answer: Vein
- In anatomy, what S-adjective describes a plane that runs from front to back, dividing the body or one of its parts into left and right sides?
Answer: Sagittal
- Of the three principal layers that make up human skin, what name is given to the outer most layer that provides a waterproof and protective barrier?
Answer: Epidermis
- The "nephron," which is composed of a renal corpuscle and a renal tubule, is the basic unit that makes up what organ?
Answer: Kidney
- In the human body there are "pyloric," "ileocecal," and "urethral" types of what circular muscles, which maintain constriction of an orifice?
Answer: Sphincters
- What structure controls the pupil (and therefore how much light is let into the eye) and shares its name with a flower (which kind of makes sense, as it’s the most colorful part of your eye)?
Answer: Iris
- What is the name for the triangular sesamoid bone that covers the front of the joint connecting the femur with the tibia?
Answer: Patella
- The islets of Langerhans are groups of cells that produce insulin and glucagon located in what organ of the body?
Answer: Pancreas
- The upper ventral, or chest cavity, containing the heart, lungs, esophagus and other body parts, also goes by what “T” name? It comes from the Latin word meaning “breastplate.”
Answer: Thoracic
- Ask R.L. Stine: the reflex "piloerection," which involves the contraction of hundreds or thousands of small "arrector pili" muscles in the body, is better known by what name?
Answer: Goosebumps
- The "chloecyst" is another name for what small organ that stores bile?
Answer: Gallbladder
- Hit this one real quick: synovial fluid helps reduce friction within which articular, bony structures in the body?
Answer: Joints
- The term "subcostal" is used for things that are situated or performed below which set of bones?
Answer: Ribs
- What "U" bone can be found on the Homo Sapien forearm? The bone is very near the radius.
Answer: Ulna
- The occipital and parietal bones are part of the structure that protects what bodily organ?
Answer: Brain
- While it's long been considered vestigial, recent studies suggest that what internal body part's role might be to assist the immune system by acting as a “safe house” for helpful gut bacteria? We have nothing to add to this question.
Answer: Appendix
- Starting at the lower back and running down both legs, which nerve is the longest and widest in the human body?
Answer: Sciatic nerve
- In what part of the body can you find the stapedium, the smallest human skeletal muscle?
Answer: Ear
- Two layers of membranes called "pleurae" cover the surface of what organs of the human body?
Answer: Lungs
- "Earkeckers" are an outdated term for what body part, which is typically only discussed when the site of swelling and a removal procedure?
Answer: Tonsils
- The vermilion border demarcates which facial features from the surrounding skin?
Answer: Lips
- No joke, which upper long arm bone is connected to your funny bone (that would be your elbow)?
Answer: Humerus
- What is the anatomical term for the bones that make up your fingers and toes—a word that takes inspiration from an ancient military formation?
Answer: Phalange
- What large muscle starts at the base of your neck, extends across your shoulders and down to the middle of your back, and helps with posture and movement? The muscle got its name from its four-sided polygon shape, with two sides parallel.
Answer: Trapezius
- In 2011, a new Guinness World Record was established for the most number of toes on a newborn human. How many toes did this Indian child have?
Answer: 20
- What is the five-letter name of the oily substance that is produced to protect hair and skin on humans and is considered the main ingredient in the body's "natural oils"?
Answer: Sebum
- In mammals, what is the common name for the pair of oviducts or uterine tubes through which eggs travel from the ovaries to the uterus?
Answer: Fallopian tubes
- Because its length is approximately 12 fingers, what portion of the small intestine gets its name from the Latin for "in twelves?"
Answer: Duodenum
- What 16th century man from Hapsburg Netherlands is considered the father of anatomy, having published the first major textbook on the subject, “On The Fabric Of The Human Body” in 1543?
Answer: Andreas Vesalius
- In the anatomy of the eye, what is the name of the small depression in the retina, where one's field of vision is centered?
Answer: Fovea
- What “C” word is the medical term for earwax, the waxy substance secreted in the ears of mammals? Fittingly, it is derived from the Latin word for “wax”.
Answer: Cerumen
- Humans are defined as being vertebrates because of the presence of a vertebral column, also known as a spine or what “B” word? In metaphor, it is said a coward does not possess one of these.
Answer: Backbone - What “C” word describes the lower end of the uterus, which allows for a baby to pass from the womb into the birth canal?
Answer: Cervix
- Derived from the Latin for “little cavity”, what is the name of the air sacs in the lungs where oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide?
Answer: Alveoli
- What “S” muscle is in the leg’s calf? It arises from the upper tibia and fibula, and the attaches to the Achilles tendon at the heel.
Answer: Soleus
- What “A” term is given to the portion of the human ear that is visible to the naked eye? It is a derivative of the Latin word for ear.
Answer: Auricle
- Which tiny, finger-like units lining the walls of the small intestine help increase its surface area in order to absorb nutrients more efficiently? The micro version of these projections can be found on any kind of cell membrane.
Answer: Villi
- What “P” membrane-lined cavity sits being the nose and mouth, connecting both to the esophagus? It interestingly rhymes with the larynx.
Answer: Pharynx
- Also known as pyramidal cells due to their size and shape, Betz cells are located in which part of the human body?
Answer: Brain
- What “T” soft organ that is located posterior to the sternum processes and matures T cells?
Answer: Thymus
- What term, also used in relation to planetary motion, means the cavity of the skull that is the location of the eye and its appendages?
Answer: Orbit
- Blood drains from the liver to the inferior vena cava through which veins?
Answer: Hepatic
- Also known as "birthing custard," what “v” is a waxy white substance found on the skin of newborn babies?
Answer: Vernix
- Sharing its name with a carnivorous mammal endemic to Madagascar, what “F” is a depression or hollow in a bone?
Answer: Fossa
- The thumb, heel, and thorax all contain what kind of joint between bones, where one bone surface is concave and the other is convex?
Answer: Saddle joint
- With an average weight in adults of approximately 3lbs (1.5kg), what is the heaviest gland in the human body?
Answer: Liver
- It's not as funny as it sounds, what is the clear gel-like material that fills the eyeball between the lens and the retina?
Answer: Vitreous humor
- What type of tissue, which forms the outer surface of organs, is one of four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective, muscle, and nervous tissues?
Answer: Epithelial
- What's the name of the ridge of cartilage, Latin for "keel," which lies in the trachea between the division of the two main bronchi?
Answer: Carina
- In medical terminology, “ventral” means toward the front—or anterior—of the body. “Dorsal” refers to the back—or what positional term—of the body?
Answer: Posterior
- What type of bone, embedded in a tendon or muscle, gets its name from its small, seed-like size?
Answer: Sesamoid
- Which skull bones at the part of the nasal cavity make up part of the bottom of the eye sockets, as well as the roof of your mouth? (Hint: Its name comes from the Latin for “palate.”)
Answer: Palatine
- Which bone is the second-largest in the hindfoot, supports the weight of the body, and helps the ankle move? (Hint: The name comes from the Latin for ankle bone—no surprise there).
Answer: Talus
- What is the other name for platelets, the clear, colorless fragments that are created by bone marrow and regulate blood clotting?
Answer: Thrombocytes
- In what joint would you find the trochlear notch? It is also known as semilunar notch and greater sigmoid cavity.
Answer: Elbow
- What small, pea-sized glands in the neck release a namesake hormone that controls the level of calcium in the body?
Answer: Parathyroid glands
- Longitudinal melanonychia are dark lines caused by melanin overproduction that show up what hard part of the body?
Answer: Nails
- Named after a 19th century French physician, which region of the brain's frontal lobe is regarded as the sight of speech production?
Answer: Broca's area / The Broca area
- Areolar glands, as well as the glands of Moll and Zeis around the eyelid, are glands that secrete what substance that contains wax esters and squalene?
Answer: Sebum
- What’s the medical term for finger and toe bone—a name that comes from the ancient Greek word for an army formation where soldiers lined up side by side?
Answer: Phalanges
- What condition occurs when one of more than 150 namesake sacs in the human body becomes inflamed with synovial fluid? The shoulder, heel, knee, and shin are some of the most commonly affected locations.
Answer: Bursitis
- Merriam-Webster defines the term "ppopliteal space" as "a lozenge-shaped space at the back of" which type of joint that's comprised of the tibiofemoral and the patellofemoral?
Answer: Knee joint
- The uppermost coxal bone, or hip bone, which has a namesake "crest" at its top point, is known by what name?
Answer: Ilium
- Parotid, submandibular, and sublingual are all types of what gland? The glands are paired, with people normally having two of each type.
Answer: Salivary
- What is the Latin "C" word that is used in English to refer to either an eyelash (when speaking anatomically) or an organelle on eukaryotic cells that projects from a much larger cell body (when speaking microbiologically)?
Answer: Cilium
- What single-word term refers to the body’s ability to regulate various physiological processes to keep internal states steady and balanced?
Answer: Homeostasis
- Which bone of the pelvis has a name that means “sacred” in ancient medical terminology (that is, Greek and Latin)?
Answer: Sacrum
- What product of the body's lacrimal glands comes in three different varieties, known as basal, reflexive, and emotional?
Answer: Tears
- “Brille” is the name of the transparent, immovable disc-shaped skin or scale comprising part of which organs of some animals, particularly snakes?
Answer: Eyes
- From the Latin for "brooch," what bone parallels the tibia and attaches to the head of the tibia via ligaments?
Answer: Fibula
- What is the name for the main arteries in your head and neck that you wouldn’t want to compress since the vessels deliver blood to your brain?
Answer: Carotid
- The hepatic lobules are constituent units of what organ? They consist of a portal triad, hepatocytes arranged in linear cords between a capillary network, and a central vein.
Answer: Liver
- On average, what is the largest muscle in the human body? It's generally responsible for keeping the trunk of the body in an erect posture.
Answer: Gluteus maximus
- Sounding like it might be made of a shiny metal, what is the name of the substance found in chromosomes that is a complex mixture of proteins, DNA, and RNA?
Answer: Chromatin
- Which subfield of biology studies the structures of cells, tissues, and organs by looking at them with a microscope? (Hint: It’s sometimes called microanatomy.)
Answer: Histology
- Separating humans and some primates from other animals by allowing a specific type of movement, the trapezium (one of the carpal bones) is found in which human appendage?
Answer: Hand
- What joint in the human body is named after a word that was invented by William Shakespeare?
Answer: Elbow
- What “S” glands, as opposed to sweat, release fatty oils into the follicular duct that then travel to skin?
Answer: Sebaceous glands
- What “C” skeletal part is the superior aspect of the skull? It encloses and protects the brain.
Answer: Cranium
- There are four types of tissue in the body: epithelial, muscle, connective, and what’s the fourth “exciting” type?
Answer: Nervous
- Myocyte is the fancy, technical word for cells in what general type of soft tissue?
Answer: Muscle
- Which structure in the vertebral column, which is formed of three to five rudimentary vertebrae, is named after the cuckoo bird due to its resemblance to the cuckoo's beak?
Answer: Coccyx
- The Iliofemoral ligament (also known as the Y ligament of Bigelow) is found on the outside of what joint? This is the strongest ligament of the body.
Answer: Hip
- Which small endocrine gland in the brain, whose name derives from it being shaped like a pinecone, produces and regulates melatonin?
Answer: Pineal gland
- What “A” body parts are the upper chambers through which blood enters the ventricles of the heart? In the left one, blood is received from the lungs, while in the right one, blood is received from venous circulation.
Answer: Atrium
- Performing important sensory functions, the choroid and the uvea are part of which bodily organ?
Answer: Eye
- When the palm of the hand is facing up, it’s pronated. What is it called when the arm is turned, and the palm is facing down?
Answer: Supinated
- There are most commonly said to be six main types of freely movable joint. What type of joint is the glenohumeral joint?
Answer: Ball and Socket Joint
- Produced by the adrenal glands, what glucocorticoid hormone and helps control blood pressure, reduce inflammation and increase metabolism of glucose, but is best known as the body's "stress hormone"?
Answer: Cortisol
- Which organelle found in most eukaryotic cells is named after an Italian physician with the first name Camillo who discovered it in 1897?
Answer: Golgi apparatus
- A region in the frontal lobe of the brain named for Pierre Paul Broca, a physician studying aphasia in the 19th century, is linked with what important human capability?
Answer: Speech
- The "lunula," meaning "little moon," is a crescent-shaped area you can find where on the human body?
Answer: Fingernail
- Since a skeleton can't just tell you how old they are, a pretty reliable indicator of a corpse's age are what upper torso bones that are among the last to completely fuse?
Answer: Clavicle
- What is the term for the front area of the brain, which is separated into two hemispheres by a fissure? It integrates sensory and neural function, and is the initiation point for voluntary activity in the body.
Answer: Cerebrum
- The glabella is the smooth area of skin found between which features of the body?
Answer: Eyebrows
- The malpighian pyramids, named after Marcello Malpighi, are located in which pair of organs found in vertebrates?
Answer: Kidneys
- From the Greek word amugdale—which means “almond”—what’s the medical term for the pair of nuclei set deep in the brain’s temporal lobes that help us make choices, deal with our feelings, and remember stuff?
Answer: Amygdala
- Beginning with the letter Z, what is the name of the bone that is the protruding part of the cheek as well as forming the lower part of eye socket?
Answer: Zygomatic
- The retina is the inner part of the eyeball. The middle part is the choroid. Covered by the conjunctiva, what is the name of this outer part? In humans, this whole outer part is white, contrasting with the iris. In other mammals, the visible section of this part matches the iris.
Answer: Sclera
- The only bone in the human body not connected to other bones is what horseshoe-shaped "H" bone that's also known as the lingual or tongue-bone?
Answer: Hyoid
- Which anatomical directional term refers to the front of the body or being toward the front of the body? (Hint: Anterior is another term that applies here, but the one we’re looking for is at the other end of the alphabet)
Answer: Ventral
- "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp," which depicts the namesake Dutch physician examining the arm musculature of a corpse for a crowd of on-lookers, is one of the most famous works by what Golden Age painter?
Answer: Rembrandt van Rijn
- Baha hearing devices are good for more than the beach, since Baha is just an acronym for WHAT-anchored hearing aids?
Answer: Bone
- The three smallest bones in the human body are in the ear. They are the stapes, the incus, and what other hammer-like ossicle?
Answer: Malleus
- The naris—or, in the plural, nares—is an anatomical name for a particular orifice of the human body better known by what name?
Answer: Nostril
- What is the name for the anomaly, occurring in humans as well as other animals, in which one has supernumerary digits like fingers or toes?
Answer: Polydactyly (or Hyperdactyly)
- An insect's body is divided into three main parts: the head, the thorax, and what other major "A" part that includes the mid-gut, dorsal tube, and nerve cord?
Answer: Abdomen
- What “E” term describes the membrane that lines the inner surface of the bone marrow cavity? It comes from the Greek, with the meaning “inside bone.”
Answer: Endosteum
- The organs that make up the human digestive tract move food downward through a process with what name, a motion which is radially symmetrical and moves in a wave down the tubular structures?
Answer: Peristalsis
- What areas of the human body, whose name comes from the Latin word for "bay," can be divided into those labeled maxillary, ethmoid, sphenoid, and frontal, among others?
Answer: Sinuses
- The xiphoid process begins as cartilage and becomes bone as a person grows. It is the smallest and lowest part of which bone?
Answer: Sternum
- The inion is a projection found at the base of which part of the human body?
Answer: Skull
- What is the two-word name for the anatomical feature at the base of the brain's hypothalamus where the optic nerves of both eyes meet and cross? We'll give you a hint: the first word is "optic."
Answer: Optic chiasm
- Which spongy bone with a name that means “sieve” in Greek is located between your eyes and separates your nasal cavity from your brain?
Answer: Ethmoid
- What anatomical term describes the thin membrane made of connective tissue that lines the inside of bones?
Answer: Endosteum
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About the Author
Eli Robinson is the Chief Trivia Officer at Water Cooler Trivia. He was once in a Bruce Springsteen cover band called F Street Band.
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