Brain and nerves quiz
Checked on 13 November 2026
Question 1 of 10
Discover
Which part of the brain, found at the back, helps control your balance and coordination?
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The answer is The cerebellum.
The cerebellum sits at the back of the brain and helps with balance, posture and coordination.
Discover
Which part of the brain connects to the spinal cord and helps regulate automatic things like breathing and heart rate?
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The answer is The brainstem.
The brainstem links the brain to the spinal cord and helps regulate breathing, heart rate and other automatic body functions.
Discover
Together, the brain and the spinal cord make up which part of the nervous system?
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The answer is The central nervous system.
The brain and the spinal cord together form the central nervous system.
Discover
Which pair of lobes lies directly behind your forehead and helps with planning and reasoning?
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The answer is The frontal lobes.
The two frontal lobes lie directly behind the forehead and do much of the work when you plan or reason.
Practise
What thick band of nerve fibers connects the left and right halves of the cerebrum?
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The answer is The corpus callosum.
The corpus callosum is a thick tract of nerve fibers that lets the two cerebral hemispheres communicate.
Practise
Which lobes, at the back of the brain, process the images that come from your eyes?
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The answer is The occipital lobes.
The occipital lobes sit at the back of the brain and process what your eyes see.
Practise
About how many neurons (nerve cells) are in the human brain?
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The answer is 86 billion.
The human brain has close to 86 billion neurons, plus about as many supporting cells.
Expert
Which small part of the brain, just below the thalamus, controls things like body temperature and the release of hormones?
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The answer is The hypothalamus.
The hypothalamus sits below the thalamus and helps control body temperature, hunger, thirst and hormones.
Expert
The right half of the cerebrum mainly controls which side of the body?
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The answer is The left side.
Signals cross over, so the right cerebral hemisphere mainly controls the left side of the body.
Expert
Which nerve, running from the lower back down each leg, is the largest nerve in the human body?
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The answer is The sciatic nerve.
The sciatic nerve is a thick band, about 2 cm wide, and is the largest nerve in the body.