Human vertebral column of 33 vertebrae and `"______"` bones

Options

A. 33
B. 26
C. 27
D. 29

Answer

To solve the question regarding the human vertebral column, we need to determine how many bones are formed from the 33 vertebrae mentioned in the question. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the solution:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Total Number of Vertebrae**:
- The human vertebral column consists of a total of **33 vertebrae**.

2. **Classify the Vertebrae**:
- These 33 vertebrae are divided into different regions:
- **Cervical Vertebrae**: 7
- **Thoracic Vertebrae**: 12
- **Lumbar Vertebrae**: 5
- **Sacral Vertebrae**: 5 (these fuse to form 1 sacrum)
- **Coccygeal Vertebrae**: 4 (these fuse to form 1 coccyx)

3. **Count the Individual Bones**:
- Cervical: 7 bones
- Thoracic: 12 bones
- Lumbar: 5 bones
- Sacrum: 1 bone (from 5 fused sacral vertebrae)
- Coccyx: 1 bone (from 4 fused coccygeal vertebrae)

4. **Calculate the Total Number of Bones**:
- Add the individual counts:
- Total = 7 (cervical) + 12 (thoracic) + 5 (lumbar) + 1 (sacrum) + 1 (coccyx)
- Total = 7 + 12 + 5 + 1 + 1 = **26 bones**

5. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, the human vertebral column consists of **26 bones** when accounting for the fused vertebrae in the sacrum and coccyx.

### Final Answer:
The answer to the question is **26 bones**.

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