Why do glands in the neck swell during a cold?

Lymph nodes are busy fighting infection

What moves lymph through the body?

Muscle movement and one-way valves

Where does most lymph return to the blood?

Through the thoracic duct into veins near the neck

What is a sentinel lymph node?

The first node draining a tumor area

Lymph Nodes Quiz: Your Immune System's Filters

This lymph nodes quiz follows lymph as it drains through the small bean-shaped filters spread across your body. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on what lymph is, B and T cells, swollen glands, node clusters in the neck, armpit and groin, valves, the thoracic duct, the spleen, tonsils and sentinel nodes.

Start Lymph Nodes Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Shape
What shape are lymph nodes?
Count
Roughly how many lymph nodes does an adult have?
Job
What do lymph nodes do?
Cells
Which immune cells gather in lymph nodes?
Swollen
Why do glands in the neck swell during a cold?
Places
Where are big clusters of lymph nodes found?
Flow
What moves lymph through the body?
Duct
Where does most lymph return to the blood?
Spleen
Which organ is the largest part of the lymphatic system?
Sentinel
What is a sentinel lymph node?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What shape are lymph nodes?
Answer: Small and bean-shaped
Most are under 2 cm.
Q2: Roughly how many lymph nodes does an adult have?
Answer: Several hundred
Estimates range around 500 to 600.
Q3: What do lymph nodes do?
Answer: Filter lymph and trap germs
They are immune checkpoints.
Q4: Which immune cells gather in lymph nodes?
Answer: B and T lymphocytes
They spot and fight invaders.
Q5: Why do glands in the neck swell during a cold?
Answer: Lymph nodes are busy fighting infection
They usually shrink again.
Q6: Where are big clusters of lymph nodes found?
Answer: Neck, armpits and groin
Many also sit deep in the chest and belly.
Q7: What moves lymph through the body?
Answer: Muscle movement and one-way valves
The lymph system has no pump.
Q8: Where does most lymph return to the blood?
Answer: Through the thoracic duct into veins near the neck
It joins large veins.
Q9: Which organ is the largest part of the lymphatic system?
Answer: The spleen
It filters blood.
Q10: What is a sentinel lymph node?
Answer: The first node draining a tumor area
Doctors test it for cancer spread.

Lymph Nodes Quiz – Your Immune System's Filters

Lymph is the clear fluid that drains from body tissues. It flows through vessels with one-way valves, pushed along by muscle movement, and passes through hundreds of bean-shaped lymph nodes.

Inside each node, B and T lymphocytes check the fluid for germs and abnormal cells. When you have an infection, nodes in places like the neck can swell as they work harder.

Large clusters sit in the neck, armpits and groin, and most lymph returns to the blood through the thoracic duct. The spleen and tonsils are part of the same system, and doctors test sentinel nodes to see if cancer has spread.

What This Quiz Teaches

Biology fans will enjoy these questions.

What lymph nodes are
What they contain
Why they swell
Where they cluster
How lymph flows

Did You Know?

Exercise helps keep lymph moving.
Swelling that lasts weeks should be checked by a doctor.
Lymph vessels also absorb fats from the gut.
Adenoids are lymph tissue at the back of the nose.
The word lymph comes from Latin for water.