What are the eight small bones that form the wrist called?

• A. Phalanges
• B. Ulna
• C. Carpals
• D. Scapula

Answer: (C)

Wrist bones are called carpals, a group of eight small bones that form the wrist and connect the forearm to the hand, allowing the wrist to bend and rotate. They lie between the radius and ulna of the forearm and the metacarpals of the hand, organized in two rows: the proximal row (scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, and pisiform) and the distal row (trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, and hamate). This term is specific to those eight bones; phalanges are the finger bones, ulna is a forearm bone, and scapula is the shoulder blade. So the eight small wrist bones are carpals.