Final answer:
The human skeleton is divided into the axial and appendicular skeletons; the axial includes the skull, vertebral column, and thoracic cage, while the appendicular comprises the limbs and girdles that connect them to the axial skeleton.
Step-by-step explanation:
Scientists divide the human skeleton into two main parts: axial and appendicular. The answer is option a) Axial and Appendicular. The axial skeleton forms the central axis of the body, which includes the skull, vertebral column, and thoracic cage. This division serves to protect the brain, spinal cord, heart, and lungs, and as the attachment site for muscles that move the head, neck, back, and for muscles that act across the shoulder and hip joints. The appendicular skeleton consists of the bones of the pectoral and pelvic girdles, the limb bones, and the bones of the hands and feet. It includes all the bones that form the upper and lower limbs, plus the bones that attach each limb to the axial skeleton.