The plane defined as a horizontal division of the body into upper and lower portions is which?

• A. Horizontal plane
• B. Transverse plane
• C. Frontal plane
• D. Sagittal plane

Answer: (B)

The plane that divides the body into upper and lower parts is the transverse plane. It runs horizontally across the body, perpendicular to the long axis, and in the anatomical position it separates superior (upper) from inferior (lower) portions. This is the standard term used to describe top-and-bottom division, and it’s the one most commonly tested. The frontal (coronal) plane splits anterior from posterior, and the sagittal plane splits left from right, so they don’t describe upper versus lower sections. Some sources may use the term horizontal plane interchangeably with transverse, but the widely accepted anatomical term for this division is transverse.