What are epiphyseal growth plates?

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Multiple Choice

What are epiphyseal growth plates?

Epiphyseal growth plates are the growth zones in long bones, a physis located near the ends of the bone. They’re made of cartilage and allow bones to lengthen during childhood and adolescence as they grow. The plates sit between the epiphysis (the end part) and the metaphysis (the shaft) and gradually ossify as maturation occurs, eventually closing in late adolescence to form a bone-on-bone line. This description best matches the idea of a physis near the ends of long bones. The other choices describe different parts: cartilage at joints is articular cartilage, marrow regions are inside the bone cavity, and joints between bones refer to synovial joints—not the growth plates.

Epiphyseal growth plates are the growth zones in long bones, a physis located near the ends of the bone. They’re made of cartilage and allow bones to lengthen during childhood and adolescence as they grow. The plates sit between the epiphysis (the end part) and the metaphysis (the shaft) and gradually ossify as maturation occurs, eventually closing in late adolescence to form a bone-on-bone line.

This description best matches the idea of a physis near the ends of long bones. The other choices describe different parts: cartilage at joints is articular cartilage, marrow regions are inside the bone cavity, and joints between bones refer to synovial joints—not the growth plates.

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