Which of the following sequences lists the spinal column sections from most superior to most inferior?

• A. thoracic, cervical, lumbar, coccygeal, and sacral
• B. cervical, coccygeal, thoracic, sacral, and lumbar
• C. cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal
• D. coccygeal, sacral, lumbar, thoracic, and cervical

Answer: (C)

The main idea is knowing the spinal column order from top to bottom. Starting at the top, you have the cervical region that supports the head, then the thoracic region, then the lumbar region, followed by the sacral region (fused to form the sacrum that connects to the pelvis), and finally the coccygeal region (the coccyx or tailbone).

The sequence that lists cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal exactly matches this top-to-bottom order, so it’s the correct one. The other options place one or more regions out of this natural progression—such as starting with thoracic instead of cervical, putting coccygeal too early, or ending with lumbar when the sacral and coccygeal regions should come after lumbar. This is why the chosen sequence best represents the superior-to-inferior arrangement.