Final answer:
A ball-and-socket joint is not the same as an ellipsoidal joint; the former allows for multiaxial movement and is exemplified by the hip and shoulder joints, while the latter allows for angular movement along two axes but not rotation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that a ball-and-socket joint is also called an ellipsoidal joint is false. A ball-and-socket joint, such as the hip and shoulder joints, allows a bone with a spherical end (the ball) to fit into a cup-like socket of another bone, enabling movement in multiple directions.
These joints are functionally classified as multiaxial joints because they allow for movement in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions, as well as rotation around the long axis of the bone. The extensive range of motion in the shoulder is due to the shallow socket of the glenoid cavity. In contrast, ellipsoidal or condyloid joints, like those found in the wrist and fingers, consist of an oval-shaped end of one bone fitting into a similarly oval-shaped hollow of another bone and allow angular movement along two axes but not rotational movement as in ball-and-socket joints.