Practice Quiz - Joints of the Lower Limb
    Below are written questions from previous quizzes and exams. Click here for a Practical Quiz - old format or Practical Quiz - new format.

  1. An example of a temporary cartilaginous joint is a/an:
    articular disk.
    epiphyseal plate or growth plate.
    intervertebral disk.
    meniscus.
    primary ossification center.
  2. Which joint would be subject to synovitis (inflammation of the synovial membrane)?
    epiphyseal plate
    metacarpophalangeal
    pubic symphysis
    radioulnar syndesmosis
    suture
  3. Which of the following structures is unique to a synovial joint?
    Accessory ligaments
    Bursae
    Collateral ligaments
    Fibrocartilage
    Joint cavity
  4. An athlete has a knee injury, and the doctor performs a "drawer test" by pulling and pushing on the leg with the knee flexed. If the leg translates anteriorly, i. e. "gives" or moves anteriorly when the leg is pulled anteriorly, what joint structure is most likely injured?
    anterior cruciate ligament
    lateral collateral ligament
    medial collateral ligament
    medial meniscus
    posterior cruciate ligament
  5. In an auto accident, the patient's knee strikes the dashboard which in turn pushes the head of the femur posteriorly out of its socket. Which ligament is most likely ruptured by this posterior dislocation?
    iliofemoral
    ischiofemoral
    pubofemoral
    transverse acetabular
  6. To test the integrity of the knee joint, a physician pulls anteriorly on the flexed leg of his patient. This "drawer" test is positive if the leg moves excessively anteriorward. This would indicate a weakness in or rupture of the:
    medial meniscus
    posterior cruciate ligament
    fibular collateral ligament
    medial collateral ligament
    anterior cruciate ligament
  7. One of the menisci of the knee is often injured in a sprain of the knee because the:
    Anterior cruciate ligament is attached to the lateral meniscus
    Anterior cruciate ligament is attached to the medial meniscus
    Lateral collateral ligament is attached to the lateral meniscus
    Medial collateral ligament is attached to the medial meniscus
    Posterior cruciate ligament is attached to the lateral meniscus
  8. A soldier developed "fallen arches" from marching with a heavy pack in boots that lacked arch support. The ligament that normally supports the head of the talus and is primarily responsible for holding up the medial longitudinal arch of the foot is the:
    calcaneometatarsal
    deltoid
    long plantar
    plantar calcaneonavicular (spring)
    short plantar
  9. While water skiing in Florida following final exams, a medical student falls and twists her ankle. Her foot is forcibly everted, which could cause a sprain of which ligament?
    Anterior talofibular
    Anterior tibiofibular
    Calcaneofibular
    Deltoid
    Plantar calcaneonavicular (spring ligament)
  10. During the Orange Bowl, the national championship football game between Florida State and a team from a land-locked state, a player is blocked from behind during a kick-off return, injuring his medial collateral ligament. The team doctor tests his knee by pulling anteriorly on the leg with the knee flexed. If the leg translates (moves) forward significantly, this indicates damage to which structure?
    Anterior cruciate ligament
    Lateral collateral ligament
    Medial meniscus
    Medial collateral ligament
    Posterior cruciate ligament
  11. A young man involved in a head-on automobile collision had his flexed knee hit the dashboard of the car. He was later found to have a major instability of the knee, in that his tibia could be moved posteriorly relative to the femur. What ligament was likely damaged?
    Lateral collateral ligament
    Deltoid
    Medial collateral ligament
    Anterior cruciate ligament
    Posterior cruciate ligament
  12. During a basketball game, the center of the team went up for a rebound and when coming down, her foot landed on the foot of another player, sharply everting it. She limped off the floor, having severely sprained the medial side of her ankle. Which ligament was injured?
    Calcaneofibular
    Deltoid
    Short plantar ligament
    Plantar calcaneonavicular
    Tibial collateral ligament
  13. Which ligament limits extension at the hip joint?
    Iliofemoral
    Ligamentum capitis femorus
    Pubofemoral
    Zona orbicularis
  14. In injuries of the knee, the medial meniscus is frequently torn because it is firmly attached to which structure?
    Anterior cruciate ligament
    Fibular collateral ligament
    Tibial collateral ligament
    Patellar ligament
    Patellar retinaculum