AAMI Anatomy 1 Complete Practice Exam 2026

Longitudinal growth of a long bone occurs at the epiphyseal plate, the cartilage layer between the epiphysis and metaphysis. In this region chondrocytes proliferate, mature, and are gradually replaced by bone through endochondral ossification, pushing the ends of the bone farther apart and lengthening the bone. When growth ends, the plate ossifies into the epiphyseal line, marking the cessation of lengthwise growth. The other options aren’t the sites of length growth: the diaphysis is the shaft, the metaphysis is the region adjacent to the growth plate but not the growth site itself, and the periosteum covers the bone surface and supports diameter growth and repair rather than length.