DAA Complete Practice Exam 2026 – One-Stop Prep Resource

Floating ribs lack any anterior attachment to the sternum and instead only attach to the thoracic vertebrae. That makes them vertebral ribs. True ribs (1–7) attach directly to the sternum (vertebrosternal), and false ribs (8–10) attach to the cartilage of the rib above (vertebrochondral). So the term that fits floating ribs (11–12) is vertebral.