Joints that are held together by cartilage are classified as which type?

• A. fibrous joints
• B. synovial joints
• C. cartilaginous joints
• D. hinge joints

Answer: (C)

Cartilaginous joints are those where the bones are held together by cartilage, rather than by fibrous tissue or by a synovial capsule with a joint cavity. This cartilage binding, which can be hyaline or fibrocartilage, gives a strong yet limited amount of movement and means there’s no synovial fluid-filled cavity like in synovial joints. Examples include joints between the vertebrae and the pubic symphysis. This differs from fibrous joints, which are bound by dense fibrous tissue, and from synovial joints, which have a cavity and more freedom of movement.