Practice anatomical directional terms with 12 questions and explained answers. Download the free worksheet and separate answer key in US Letter or A4, or answer the same questions below. No email or account is required.

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How the wrist can be both proximal and distal

The wrist is distal to the elbow and proximal to the fingers on the same limb. Each sentence compares the wrist with a different structure. “Proximal” and “distal” describe those relationships, so neither word is a permanent label for the wrist itself.

First establish anatomical position

In standard anatomical position, the person stands upright facing forward, with the arms at the sides and palms forward. Anatomical left and right belong to that person, not the observer. Directional descriptions use this reference even when a body changes position. OpenStax’s anatomical terminology chapter.

Five pairs of directional terms

Basic directional pairs for introductory A&P
Pair Relationship
Superior / inferior Toward the head / toward the feet
Anterior / posterior Toward the front / toward the back
Medial / lateral Toward / away from the body's midline
Proximal / distal Along a limb, nearer / farther from its attachment
Superficial / deep Nearer / farther from the body's surface

Reverse a comparison

Start with “the elbow is proximal to the wrist.” Swap the structures and the direction changes too, giving “the wrist is distal to the elbow.” Reversing a sentence this way lets you check whether you understand both words in the pair.

Try these 12 questions

Use standard anatomical position. Compare structures on the same person and use the same limb for limb comparisons.

  1. The chin is _____ to the forehead. Use superior or inferior.
  2. Reverse question 1. The forehead is _____ to the chin.
  3. The breastbone is _____ to the spine. Use anterior or posterior.
  4. Reverse question 3. The spine is _____ to the breastbone.
  5. The nose is _____ to the ears. Use medial or lateral.
  6. The ears are _____ to the nose. Use medial or lateral.
  7. On the same upper limb, the wrist is _____ to the elbow. Use proximal or distal.
  8. On the same upper limb, the wrist is _____ to the fingers. Use proximal or distal.
  9. The skin is _____ to the muscle directly beneath it. Use superficial or deep.
  10. The muscle in question 9 is _____ to the overlying skin.
  11. You stand facing another person. Does their anatomical left mean your left or their own left?
  12. A person turns their palm down. Does the palm side of the wrist become posterior in anatomical terminology? Explain briefly.
Show answers and explanations
  1. Inferior. The chin lies below the forehead in anatomical position.
  2. Superior. Reversing the two structures changes inferior to superior.
  3. Anterior. The breastbone is at the front of the chest; the spine lies behind it.
  4. Posterior. The spine lies behind the breastbone.
  5. Medial. The nose is closer to the midline of the body.
  6. Lateral. The ears lie farther from the midline.
  7. Distal. The wrist is farther along the limb from its attachment to the trunk.
  8. Proximal. The wrist is nearer the attachment to the trunk. Compare this answer with question 7: the reference structure changed.
  9. Superficial. The skin is closer to the body surface.
  10. Deep. That muscle lies farther from the surface than the skin over it.
  11. Their own left. Anatomical left and right belong to the person being described. When you face them, their left is on your right.
  12. No. Descriptions retain anatomical position as the reference. The palm side of the wrist remains its anterior side even when the hand turns.

Make a comparison from your course diagram

Choose two visible structures on an assigned diagram and write a directional comparison. Check it against your textbook, then reverse the sentence. Once you are comfortable with that pair, try a different relationship from the table.

On a detailed worksheet, read the view label before locating individual targets. The bone markings quiz and reference table can help you learn the feature names. Our worksheet preview gives you a small set of bone identification exercises.

From positions to planes

Apply the paired terms to six body-plane questions with explained answers.

Want a printed practice set? The free anatomy worksheet library includes a six-page packet of directional-terms and bone-markings questions with separate explained answers.