High School

Place the bones in the appropriate category as either cranial or facial bones.

a) Parietal bone - Cranial; Zygomatic bone - Facial
b) Sphenoid bone - Cranial; Nasal bone - Facial
c) Maxilla bone - Facial; Temporal bone - Cranial
d) Occipital bone - Cranial; Vomer bone - Facial

Answer :

The correct categorization is b) Sphenoid bone - Cranial; Nasal bone - Facial. Cranial bones, including the sphenoid, protect the brain, while facial bones, like the nasal bone, structure the face.

The human skull consists of 22 bones, categorized into two groups: cranial bones and facial bones. The cranial bones, which include the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, ethmoid, and sphenoid bones, form the cranial cavity to protect the brain and provide attachment sites for head and neck muscles. In contrast, the facial bones, which include the maxilla, vomer, inferior nasal concha, nasal, mandible, palatine, zygomatic, and lacrimal bones, form the face and provide cavities for the eyes, nose, and mouth.

The correct categorization of the bones mentioned in the question is as follows:

  • Parietal bone: Cranial
  • Zygomatic bone: Facial
  • Sphenoid bone: Cranial
  • Nasal bone: Facial
  • Maxilla bone: Facial
  • Temporal bone: Cranial
  • Occipital bone: Cranial
  • Vomer bone: Facial

Therefore, the correct answer is b) Sphenoid bone - Cranial; Nasal bone - Facial.