How many ribs does the human body have?

• A. 12 pairs. 10 attached to the sternum and two connected to the sternum by cartilage
• B. 10 pairs
• C. 24 ribs
• D. 12 pairs without connection to the sternum

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how many ribs a human has and how they attach to the sternum. Humans have 24 ribs, arranged as 12 pairs. Of those, 7 pairs (the true ribs) attach directly to the sternum with their own costal cartilage. The next 3 pairs (the false ribs) don’t attach directly to the sternum; they connect to the cartilage of the rib above, indirectly reaching the sternum. The last 2 pairs (the floating ribs) do not attach to the sternum at all.

So, the total is 24 ribs. The distribution described in the statement—some pairs attaching directly to the sternum and others connecting by cartilage to the sternum—doesn’t match the standard pattern, though it still sums to 12 pairs. The key takeaway is the exact count (24 ribs) and the specific attachment pattern that divides them into true, false, and floating ribs.