The muscle that covers the back of the neck and upper and middle region of the back is the _____.

• A. Latissimus dorsi
• B. Trapezius
• C. Deltoid
• D. Rhomboid

Answer: (B)

The trapezius is the large, superficial muscle that covers the back of the neck and the upper to mid-back. It runs from the base of the skull and along the cervical spine down to the thoracic region, attaching to the clavicle and the spine of the scapula. This placement gives it the distinctive coverage of the posterior neck and upper back. Its fibers do different things: the upper fibers lift the shoulders, the middle fibers pull the shoulder blades together, and the lower fibers help pull them downward. The other muscles—latissimus dorsi sits lower on the back and helps move the arm, the deltoid covers the shoulder, and the rhomboids are smaller muscles between the spine and the scapula—do not define the back-of-neck to upper-back region in the same broad way.