Which statement correctly contrasts compact bone and spongy bone?

Which statement correctly contrasts compact bone and spongy bone?

• A. Spongy bone is dense with osteons and provides strength; compact bone is porous with trabeculae and houses bone marrow.
• B. Compact bone is dense with osteons and provides strength; spongy bone has trabeculae, is porous, lighter, and houses bone marrow.
• C. Both bones have the same density and structure.
• D. Spongy bone contains osteons and compact bone contains trabeculae.

Answer: (B)

Difference in density and microarchitecture between compact and spongy bone is what this item is testing. Compact bone forms the dense, strong outer shell of a bone and is organized into osteons (Haversian systems), which provide real heft and the ability to resist weight and compression. Spongy bone is porous and lighter, made up of a lattice of trabeculae that create spaces to house bone marrow and still allow resistance to forces from multiple directions. This contrast explains why the best statement is that compact bone is dense with osteons and provides strength, while spongy bone has trabeculae, is porous and lighter, and houses bone marrow. The other descriptions mix up which tissue contains osteons versus trabeculae or claim both types have the same density, which isn’t accurate.

Difference in density and microarchitecture between compact and spongy bone is what this item is testing. Compact bone forms the dense, strong outer shell of a bone and is organized into osteons (Haversian systems), which provide real heft and the ability to resist weight and compression. Spongy bone is porous and lighter, made up of a lattice of trabeculae that create spaces to house bone marrow and still allow resistance to forces from multiple directions. This contrast explains why the best statement is that compact bone is dense with osteons and provides strength, while spongy bone has trabeculae, is porous and lighter, and houses bone marrow. The other descriptions mix up which tissue contains osteons versus trabeculae or claim both types have the same density, which isn’t accurate.