Which muscle depresses and protracts the shoulder and, when the scapula is fixed, rotates the glenoid cavity inferiorly or elevates the ribs?

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Study for the Muscle Actions and Functions – Anatomy and Movement Test. Equip yourself with multiple choice questions, each with detailed explanations and hints. Prepare confidently for your exam!

Multiple Choice

Which muscle depresses and protracts the shoulder and, when the scapula is fixed, rotates the glenoid cavity inferiorly or elevates the ribs?

The muscle that fits this description is the pectoralis minor. It pulls the shoulder blade forward (protraction) and downward (depression), and when the scapula is fixed, it acts on the ribs to elevate them, functioning as an accessory muscle of respiration. This combination also causes the glenoid cavity to rotate downward (inferiorly).

Understanding the setup helps: pectoralis minor attaches from the ribs (3–5) to the coracoid process of the scapula, so its pulling direction brings the scapula forward and downward. Other muscles shown have actions that don’t match all parts of the question—serratus anterior mainly protracts the scapula but rotates the scapula upward, while trapezius and levator scapulae primarily elevate or retract in different ways.

Which muscle depresses and protracts the shoulder and, when the scapula is fixed, rotates the glenoid cavity inferiorly or elevates the ribs?

Study for the Muscle Actions and Functions – Anatomy and Movement Test. Equip yourself with multiple choice questions, each with detailed explanations and hints. Prepare confidently for your exam!

Which muscle depresses and protracts the shoulder and, when the scapula is fixed, rotates the glenoid cavity inferiorly or elevates the ribs?

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