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Quizzes > Health & Medicine

Muscle Tissue Quiz: Test Your Anatomy Knowledge

Quick, free muscle histology quiz with instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Braob SyeUpdated Aug 25, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
paper art illustration showing stylized muscle cross sections and anatomy sketches on coral background for quiz promotion

Use this muscle tissue quiz to check your understanding of structure, function, and histology with labeled images and brief cases. Strengthen key concepts with a muscle contraction quiz and a histology slides quiz, then broaden your knowledge with a musculoskeletal quiz. Instant feedback helps you spot gaps before an exam.

Which of the following is a type of muscle tissue found in the human body?
Connective
Epithelial
Skeletal
Nervous
There are three primary muscle tissue types in the human body: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth. Connective, epithelial, and nervous tissues are separate classifications of body tissues and do not perform contraction. Skeletal muscle is under voluntary control and attached to bones. .
What protein is primarily responsible for muscle contraction by forming cross-bridges?
Collagen
Actin
Elastin
Myelin
Actin and myosin interact to generate force in muscle cells, with myosin heads binding to actin filaments to form cross-bridges. Collagen is a structural protein in connective tissue, myelin insulates nerve fibers, and elastin provides elasticity in skin and vessels. Actin's filamentous form (F-actin) is the track for myosin movement during contraction. .
Which division of the nervous system controls voluntary muscle movements?
Central
Somatic
Enteric
Autonomic
The somatic nervous system carries motor commands to skeletal muscles under voluntary control. The autonomic system regulates involuntary functions like heart rate and digestion, while the enteric division specifically manages gastrointestinal activity. The central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord but is not a division that directly categorizes motor outputs. .
What is the basic functional unit of a skeletal muscle fiber?
Neuron
Sarcomere
Nephron
Alveolus
The sarcomere is the repeating contractile unit within myofibrils of skeletal and cardiac muscle fibers. Nephrons are kidney units, alveoli are lung gas?exchange structures, and neurons are nerve cells. Sarcomeres contain overlapping thick and thin filaments that slide past each other during contraction. .
Where is smooth muscle tissue commonly found?
Pancreatic islets
Skeletal limbs
Walls of blood vessels
Heart chambers
Smooth muscle lines hollow organs and vessels, controlling involuntary movements like vasoconstriction. Cardiac muscle is in heart chambers, skeletal muscle moves limbs, and pancreatic islets are endocrine clusters. Smooth muscle cells lack striations and contract slowly but sustain tension. .
Which muscle type is under involuntary control and striated?
Skeletal
Cardiac
Smooth
Tendon
Cardiac muscle is striated like skeletal muscle but contracts involuntarily, driven by pacemaker cells. Skeletal muscle is voluntary, smooth muscle is involuntary but non?striated, and tendons are connective tissue, not muscle. The striations in cardiac muscle reflect its organized sarcomeres. .
What ion initiates muscle contraction when released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum?
Chloride
Sodium
Calcium
Potassium
Calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum binds troponin, causing tropomyosin to move and expose actin binding sites. Sodium and potassium are involved in action potentials but not direct contraction trigger, and chloride helps stabilize resting membrane potential. Calcium's role is central in excitation-contraction coupling. .
Which connective tissue layer surrounds individual muscle fibers (cells)?
Perimysium
Myofibril
Endomysium
Epimysium
Endomysium is the fine connective tissue sheath around each muscle fiber. Perimysium groups fibers into fascicles, and epimysium encases the entire muscle. Myofibrils are the contractile organelles inside the fiber, not a connective layer. .
During muscle contraction, which filament slides past the other?
Actin slides past myosin
Myosin slides past titin
Myosin slides past actin
Actin slides past dystrophin
In the sliding filament model, thin actin filaments move inward over stationary thick myosin filaments, shortening the sarcomere. Titin provides elasticity, dystrophin links cytoskeleton to membrane, but they do not slide against myosin. The relative movement of actin is key to contraction. .
What neurotransmitter is released at the neuromuscular junction to stimulate muscle contraction?
Norepinephrine
Dopamine
Glutamate
Acetylcholine
Acetylcholine is released by motor neurons at the neuromuscular junction and binds receptors on the muscle fiber membrane, initiating an action potential. Dopamine and norepinephrine are CNS neurotransmitters, and glutamate acts primarily in the brain. The specificity of acetylcholine is critical for skeletal muscle activation. .
What term describes a single motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates?
Fascicle
Motor unit
Myotome
Sarcomere
A motor unit consists of a motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it controls, coordinating their contraction. A fascicle is a bundle of fibers within a muscle, a sarcomere is a contractile unit, and a myotome refers to muscle innervation regions in spinal segments. Motor unit recruitment determines force output. .
In muscle fiber types, which is characterized by high myoglobin content and oxidative metabolism?
Type IIb fibers
Type I fibers
Type III fibers
Type IIx fibers
Type I (slow?twitch) fibers are rich in myoglobin and mitochondria, using oxidative phosphorylation for endurance activities. Type IIb (fast?twitch glycolytic) rely on anaerobic metabolism and fatigue quickly. Type IIx are intermediate, and there is no Type III in standard classification. .
What structure stores calcium ions in muscle cells?
Golgi apparatus
Mitochondrion
Sarcoplasmic reticulum
Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
The sarcoplasmic reticulum is a specialized form of smooth ER in muscle fibers that sequesters and releases calcium ions during contraction and relaxation. The Golgi processes proteins, mitochondria generate ATP, and smooth ER in other cells has metabolic roles. Calcium cycling by the SR is essential for excitation-contraction coupling. .
Which protein prevents actin-myosin interaction when a muscle fiber is at rest?
Troponin
Tropomyosin
Titin
Nebulin
Tropomyosin lies along actin filaments and blocks myosin binding sites at rest. Troponin complexes bind calcium and shift tropomyosin during activation. Titin provides structural support and elasticity, nebulin regulates thin filament length. The coordinated role of troponin-tropomyosin is key to calcium-regulated contraction. .
Which muscle tissue lacks striations under the microscope?
Skeletal muscle
Smooth muscle
Voluntary muscle
Cardiac muscle
Smooth muscle cells do not display cross?striations because their contractile proteins are arranged irregularly. Cardiac and skeletal muscle are striated due to highly organized sarcomeres. The term voluntary muscle generally refers to skeletal muscle, which is also striated. .
What is the role of the T-tubules in muscle cells?
Store calcium
Synthesize ATP
Conduct electrical impulses into fiber interior
Pump sodium out
Transverse (T)-tubules are invaginations of the sarcolemma that transmit action potentials deep into the muscle fiber, ensuring synchronous calcium release. The sarcoplasmic reticulum stores calcium, mitochondria synthesize ATP, and sodium pumps maintain ion gradients. T-tubules coordinate efficient contraction. .
Which protein anchors thick filaments to the Z-disc and contributes to muscle elasticity?
Myomesin
Dystrophin
Titin
Desmin
Titin is a giant elastic protein that spans from the Z-disc to the M-line, providing passive tension and alignment of thick filaments. Dystrophin connects the cytoskeleton to the sarcolemma, desmin links Z-discs across myofibrils, and myomesin organizes the M-line. Titin's spring-like properties contribute to muscle recoil. .
The 'motor end plate' is a specialized region of which cell?
Muscle fiber
Motor neuron
Schwann cell
Satellite cell
The motor end plate is the postsynaptic membrane region of a muscle fiber at the neuromuscular junction, containing acetylcholine receptors. The motor neuron's axon terminal releases acetylcholine, Schwann cells myelinate axons, and satellite cells are muscle stem cells. The end plate's structure ensures efficient synaptic transmission. .
What event directly triggers the power stroke in muscle contraction?
Release of inorganic phosphate from myosin head
Calcium binding to titin
Binding of ATP to actin
Tropomyosin shift
After ATP hydrolysis, inorganic phosphate (Pi) release from the myosin head triggers the conformational change known as the power stroke. ATP binding then causes detachment from actin. Calcium binding to troponin, not titin, and tropomyosin movement are earlier regulatory steps. The Pi release step is the direct force-generating event. .
In which phase of muscle twitch does cross-bridge cycling occur?
Contraction phase
Latent period
Summation phase
Relaxation phase
During the contraction phase of a twitch, actin and myosin engage in cross-bridge cycling, generating tension. The latent period precedes visible tension, relaxation follows detachment and calcium reuptake, and summation occurs with repetitive stimuli. Recognizing these phases is essential in muscle physiology. .
Which enzyme in the sarcoplasm rapidly regenerates ATP from creatine phosphate?
ATP synthase
Myosin ATPase
Creatine kinase
Lactate dehydrogenase
Creatine kinase transfers a phosphate from creatine phosphate to ADP to rapidly regenerate ATP during the first seconds of intense muscle activity. ATP synthase produces ATP in mitochondria, myosin ATPase hydrolyzes ATP for contraction, and lactate dehydrogenase converts pyruvate to lactate under anaerobic conditions. .
What term describes the increase in muscle fiber size with training?
Atrophy
Hypertrophy
Hyperplasia
Dystrophy
Hypertrophy is the increase in muscle fiber cross-sectional area in response to resistance training. Hyperplasia refers to cell number increase, atrophy is shrinkage of fibers, and dystrophy describes muscle degeneration. Hypertrophy results from added myofibrils and increased protein synthesis. .
Which muscle fiber type is most fatigable but generates rapid, powerful contractions?
Type I
Type IIa
Type III
Type IIb
Type IIb fibers (fast?twitch glycolytic) contract quickly and generate high force but fatigue rapidly due to low oxidative capacity. Type I fibers are slow?twitch and fatigue?resistant, and Type IIa are intermediate. There is no standard Type III classification. .
Which dystrophin-associated protein complex component connects the cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix?
Myogenin
Integrin
Akt
beta-dystroglycan
Beta-dystroglycan is a core component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex that links intracellular dystrophin to extracellular matrix proteins like laminin. Akt is a kinase in growth signaling, myogenin is a transcription factor for muscle differentiation, and integrins are separate adhesion complexes. The beta-dystroglycan link is critical in muscular dystrophy pathology. .
During excitation-contraction coupling, what is the role of the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR)?
Degrades acetylcholine
Phosphorylates myosin light chain
Pumps calcium back into SR
Voltage sensor that triggers ryanodine receptor to release Ca2+
The DHPR in the T-tubule membrane acts as a voltage sensor during the action potential and physically interacts with the ryanodine receptor (RyR) on the sarcoplasmic reticulum to trigger calcium release. Calcium reuptake into the SR is performed by SERCA pumps, acetylcholine degradation by acetylcholinesterase, and myosin light chain phosphorylation by myosin light chain kinase. .
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Major Muscle Tissue Types -

    By completing this muscles and muscle tissue quiz, you will recognize the structure and function of skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle tissues.

  2. Describe Muscle Fiber Structure -

    Explain the microscopic features of muscle fibers, including striations, nuclei placement, and connective tissue layers.

  3. Analyze Art-Based Muscle Tissue Illustrations -

    Interpret art-based muscle tissue questions to identify anatomical landmarks and structural variations in sample diagrams.

  4. Apply Knowledge of Muscle Contraction Mechanisms -

    Use quiz prompts to walk through the sliding filament theory and neuromuscular junction processes step by step.

  5. Differentiate Muscle Tissue Functions -

    Contrast the roles of muscle tissue types in movement, posture, and internal organ regulation through targeted quiz scenarios.

  6. Reinforce Muscle Tissue Anatomy Concepts -

    Test and strengthen your recall of muscle tissue anatomy in this muscle tissue anatomy quiz for confident application in academic and practical settings.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Three Muscle Tissue Types -

    Classify muscle fibers as skeletal (striated, voluntary), cardiac (striated, involuntary), or smooth (nonstriated, involuntary), following Gray's Anatomy definitions. Use the acronym "SCS" (Skeletal, Cardiac, Smooth) to recall their names and control mechanisms instantly. This triad is a staple in any muscles and muscle tissue quiz.

  2. Fascicle Arrangement and Function -

    Understand how fascicles align - parallel, fusiform, pennate (uni-, bi-, multipennate), convergent, or circular - and how each arrangement influences force versus range of motion (Ganong's Review of Medical Physiology). For example, bipennate muscles like the rectus femoris generate high force but shorter contraction range. Art based question muscle tissue question 1 often depicts these patterns to test recognition.

  3. Sliding Filament Mechanism -

    Review how myosin cross-bridges bind to actin and pull filaments inward using ATP, as outlined in Hall's Guyton Physiology. Remember "C.A.T." (Calcium, ATP, Tropomyosin shift) to track the steps of cross-bridge cycling. This process underpins many muscle and muscle tissue quiz questions on contraction dynamics.

  4. Neuromuscular Junction & Excitation - Contraction Coupling -

    Trace how acetylcholine release at the motor end plate triggers an action potential that travels along T-tubules and prompts Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (Katz's Physiology of the Cell). Key terms to master include ACh receptors, dihydropyridine receptors, and ryanodine receptors. Quizzes often illustrate these components in diagrams that you'll need to label accurately.

  5. Histological Identification Skills -

    Sharpen your ability to differentiate muscle types under the microscope: look for multiple peripheral nuclei and clear striations in skeletal muscle, intercalated discs in cardiac tissue, and spindle-shaped cells without striations in smooth muscle (Junqueira's Basic Histology). This microscopic skill is tested in both the muscle tissue anatomy quiz and muscles and muscle tissue quiz. A quick tip: intercalated discs "spark" cardiac synchrony - flag them in micrographs to boost your score.

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