Question

The appendicular skeleton in an adult consists of:

• A. 126 bones
• B. 206 bones
• C. 80 bones
• D. 120 bones

Hint:

The appendicular skeleton includes the limbs and girdles, and it comprises 126 bones, which play a crucial role in movement and locomotion.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The appendicular skeleton in an adult consists of 126 bones. These include the bones of the limbs, including the arms, legs, shoulder girdles, and pelvic girdle, which are involved in movement and support.

Answer 2

The question asks how many bones make up the appendicular skeleton in an adult human. Let's check each option against the standard skeletal bone counts.

1. 126 bones: The appendicular skeleton consists of the bones of the upper limbs (arms, forearms, hands, and the pectoral girdle) and the lower limbs (thighs, legs, feet, and the pelvic girdle). Counting these out, each upper limb (including the shoulder girdle) contributes 32 bones for a total of 64 across both sides, and each lower limb (including the hip bone) contributes 31 bones for a total of 62 across both sides, giving 64 + 62 = 126 bones in total.
2. 206 bones: This is the total number of bones in the entire adult human skeleton, axial plus appendicular combined, not the appendicular portion on its own.
3. 80 bones: This figure corresponds to the axial skeleton, which includes the skull, vertebral column, ribs, and sternum, the central body-supporting bones rather than the limb bones.
4. 120 bones: This number is close to but not exactly the correct appendicular count; it does not match the actual sum of upper and lower limb bones plus their girdles.

Adding the axial skeleton's 80 bones to the appendicular skeleton's 126 bones gives the full adult total of 206 bones, confirming that 126 is the figure that belongs specifically to the appendicular skeleton.

Therefore, the correct answer is 126 bones.