Functions of the skeleton include which of the following?

• A. Secretes hormones
• B. Support, protection, movement
• C. Filters blood
• D. Stores energy as fat

Answer: (B)

The skeleton’s main job is to provide a framework that supports the body, protects vital organs, and works with muscles to enable movement at joints. Bones form a sturdy scaffold for the body (support), shield the brain, heart, lungs, and other organs (protection), and act as levers that muscles pull against to produce movement (movement). In addition, bones store minerals like calcium and phosphorus and house marrow that makes blood cells, with the marrow also containing fat in some spaces. However, storing energy as fat is not a primary skeletal function, and secreting hormones or filtering blood are not core roles of the skeleton. That combination—support, protection, and movement—best captures the essential functions.