Question

Sternum is also known as ______.
A. Breast bone
B. Rib bone
C. Chest covering
D. All of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Sternum is a bone which is long and flat and is located in the centre portion of the chest. It is connected to the rips through a cartilage and it forms the front part of the rib cage. The function of the sternum is protection especially of the internal organs such as lungs, heart and other blood vessels that are present in the chest region.

Complete answer:
The sternum is generally called the breast bone when not talking anatomically.
The sternum is a somewhat T-shaped structure or bone that is present in the central part of the chest sternum and is anatomically divided into three segments. The segments are named as manubrium, the sternum body, and the xiphoid process. The sternum is one of the longest and largest bones present in the human body. First, let us see about manubrium. The manubrium is the top part of the sternum which has a quadrangular shape with four borders and it also has notches located in the middle part. The manubrium follows downwards and joins the body of the sternum. The body is also called Gladiolus and it is the longest part of the sternum. The body is flat and it has only front and back surfaces. It has three transverse ridges. The upper part of the body of sternum is oval and it articulates with the manubrium, and the lower border is narrow and it articulates with the next part of the sternum that is the xiphoid process. Next let us see about the xiphoid process. Xiphoid process is a small structure that is present at the lower end of the sternum. It is cartilaginous but ossified in adults.

The right answer is option A - breast bone.

Note:
Rib bones are the bones of the ribs. The ribs are attached to the sternum. The individual bones of the sternum or the segments mentioned above are commonly referred to as the Sternebrae. It can be noted that in early life there are four Sternebrae present and not three.