Human Anatomy Vocabulary Quiz
12 multiple-choice questions on human anatomy vocabulary: major organs (heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, brain), the skeleton and bones, muscles, joints and the body systems — circulatory, respiratory, digestive and nervous. B2–C1 level.
Human Anatomy Vocabulary — FAQ
The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood around the body and is the centre of the circulatory system. It has four chambers: two atria (upper chambers) and two ventricles (lower chambers). The right side receives oxygen-poor blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs, while the left side receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it out through the arteries. The steady beat you feel is the heart contracting to push blood forward.
The lungs are the main organs of the respiratory system, and their job is gas exchange: they take in oxygen from the air you breathe and release carbon dioxide when you breathe out. You have two lungs, one on each side of the chest. Air travels down the windpipe (trachea), into smaller tubes called bronchi, and finally reaches tiny air sacs called alveoli, where oxygen passes into the blood. The diaphragm, a large muscle below the lungs, helps you breathe in and out.
The skeleton is the framework of bones that supports the body, gives it shape and protects the internal organs — it forms the skeletal system. An adult human skeleton has 206 bones, although babies are born with around 300 because some bones fuse together as we grow. Key bones include the skull (which protects the brain), the spine or backbone (made of small bones called vertebrae), the ribs (which protect the heart and lungs), and the femur or thigh bone, the longest bone in the body.
The body is organised into several systems that each carry out a particular function. The main ones are: the circulatory system (heart and blood vessels), the respiratory system (lungs and airways), the digestive system (stomach and intestines), the nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves), the skeletal system (bones), the muscular system (muscles), and others such as the immune, endocrine and urinary systems. The systems work together to keep the body alive and healthy.
A tissue is a group of similar cells that work together to perform a specific task, such as muscle tissue or nerve tissue. An organ is a larger structure made up of several different tissues working together to carry out a function. For example, the heart is an organ made of muscle tissue, nerve tissue and connective tissue. So the order goes: cells form tissues, tissues form organs, and organs work together in organ systems. Examples of organs include the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and brain.
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, usually one on each side of the spine in the lower back. Their main job is to filter the blood, removing waste products and excess water to produce urine. In this way they clean the blood and help control the body's water and salt balance, as well as blood pressure. The urine they make passes down tubes called ureters to the bladder, where it is stored before leaving the body. The kidneys are a key part of the urinary system.
The digestive system breaks down the food you eat so the body can absorb nutrients and get rid of waste. Food travels from the mouth down the oesophagus (the food pipe) into the stomach, where acids and enzymes break it down further. It then moves into the small intestine, where most nutrients are absorbed into the blood, and finally the large intestine, which absorbs water before waste leaves the body. The liver and pancreas help digestion by producing bile and enzymes.
The nervous system is the body's control and communication network, made up of the brain, the spinal cord and a vast number of nerves that reach every part of the body. The brain is the command centre: it processes information from the senses, controls movement, stores memories and governs thought and emotion. The spinal cord carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body, and the nerves act like wires sending electrical signals. Together they let you feel, react and move.
A joint is the place where two or more bones meet, allowing movement. Common examples are the knee, the elbow and the shoulder. Some joints, like the shoulder and hip, are ball-and-socket joints that move in many directions, while others, like the knee and elbow, are hinge joints that mainly bend and straighten. Joints are held together by tough bands called ligaments, and the ends of the bones are protected by smooth cartilage, which lets them move without grinding against each other.
Most English anatomy and medical terms come from Latin and Greek roots, which is why they can look unfamiliar. For example, 'cardio-' (heart) and 'pulmonary' (lungs) come from Greek and Latin, 'cerebrum' (the main part of the brain) and 'femur' (thigh bone) are Latin, and 'hepatic' (liver) and 'renal' (kidney) come from Greek and Latin too. A few roots help a lot: 'osteo-' means bone, 'derma-' means skin, 'neuro-' means nerve, and 'gastro-' means stomach. Spotting these roots makes new anatomy words much easier to understand.