Quiz yourself on the three types of muscle tissue. In the human body, there are three types of muscle tissue: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle tissue. Each type of muscle tissue has different characteristics that you’ll need to know for your anatomy exams.
Before taking the quiz below, you might want to review the three types of muscle tissue types anatomy notes, or watch our muscle tissue types video.
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Three Types of Muscle Tissue Quiz
1. The layer of connective tissue that surrounds the entire skeletal muscle organ is called:
a. Perimysium
b. Epimysium
c. Endomysium
d. Myofibril
The answer is b, epimysium. This connective tissue layer surrounds the entire muscle organ. The prefix epi means upon, just like the epidermis is the outermost later upon the skin.
2. A bundle of several skeletal muscle fibers is called:
a. Sarcomere
b. Myofibril
c. Fascicle
d. Muscle cell
The answer is c, fascicle. Fascicles consist of several muscle fibers that are surrounded by connective tissue called perimysium. The word fascicle means bundle.
3. The connective tissue surrounding each fascicle in skeletal muscle is called:
a. Perimysium
b. Epimysium
c. Endomysium
d. Thick myosin filament
The answer is a, perimysium. This connective tissue is around each fascicle. The prefix peri means around.
4. The connective tissue that surrounds the individual skeletal muscle fibers is called:
a. Perimysium
b. Endomysium
c. Epimysium
d. Myofibril
The answer is b, endomysium. Endo means within, and this is the connective tissue within each fascicle that surrounds the individual muscle fiber.
5. Skeletal muscle fibers are made up of tiny rods called:
a. Sarcolemma
b. Endomysium
c. Perimysium
d. Myofibrils
The answer is d, myofibrils. The muscle fibers are made up of many of these myofibril rods, which consist of repeating segments called sarcomeres.
6. The unit responsible for skeletal muscle contraction, which repeats in segments within the myofibril, is called a sarcomere:
a. True
b. False
The answer is a, true. Sarcomeres are the units responsible for contraction. They contain myofilaments that slide past one another.
7. Skeletal muscle fibers contain only one nucleus in the center.
a. True
b. False
The answer is b, false. Skeletal muscle fibers contain many nuclei, and they appear around the peripheral portion of the muscle fiber.
8. Which type of muscle tissue does not contain striations?
a. Smooth muscle
b. Skeletal muscle
c. Cardiac muscle
d. All contain striations
The answer is a, smooth muscle. Smooth muscle tissue does not contain striations, or stripes, but cardiac and skeletal muscle both contain striations.
9. What is the zigzag portion called that forms the boundary ends of each sarcomere?
a. Z disc or Z line
b. Titin
c. M line
d. H zone
The answer is a, Z disc, also called a Z line. The Z disc marks the boundary of each sarcomere and allows for the attachment of actin filaments and titin.
10. Which shape best describes cardiac muscle tissue?
a. Long and cylindrical
b. Branched
c. Fusiform
d. None of the above
The answer is b, branched. Cardiac muscle cells have an irregular, branched appearance that are much shorter than the longer, cylindrical cells found in skeletal muscle tissue, and different from the fusiform shape of smooth muscle.
11. How many nuclei are found in cardiac muscle cells?
a. One or two
b. More than two
c. Zero
d. Five
The answer is a, one or two. These nuclei are found near the center of the cardiac muscle cells.
12. Cardiac muscle tissue is found where?
a. In the heart and lungs
b. In vessels and hollow organs
c. Attaching bone to bones
d. Only in the heart
The answer is d, only in the heart. Cardiac means “relating to the heart,” and cardiac muscle tissue is ONLY found in the heart.
13. How is cardiac muscle primarily controlled?
a. On a voluntary basis via the somatic nervous system
b. On an involuntary basis via the autonomic nervous system
c. None of the above
The answer is b, on an involuntary basis. You don’t have to consciously think to make your heart beat. Instead, it just beats automatically via the autonomic nervous system.
14. What are the complex junctions called that join cardiac muscle cells?
a. Endomysium
b. Intercalated discs
c. Myocytes
d. Perimysium
The answer is b, intercalated discs. These junctions allow rapid spread of electrical impulses for efficient heart muscle contraction.
15. What is the muscle layer of the heart called?
a. Pericardium
b. Endomysium
c. Myocardium
d. Perimysium
The answer is c, myocardium. The cardiac muscle cells form the myocardium, which is the muscle layer of the heart.
16. Cardiac muscle cells are separated by connective tissue called endomysium?
a. True
b. False
The answer is a, true. Both cardiac cells and muscle fibers are separated by a layer of connective tissue called endomysium.
17. How many nuclei does a smooth muscle fiber contain?
a. One nucleus
b. Two nuclei
c. Three nuclei
d. Zero
The answer is a, one nucleus, which is located near the center of the smooth muscle cell.
18. Which answer below describes the shape of smooth muscle cells?
a. Irregular and branched
b. Long and cylindrical
c. Fusiform (spindle or football shaped)
d. Both a and b
The answer is c, fusiform. These cells taper at each end, giving the appearance of a football or spindle shape. Skeletal muscle is long and cylindrical, and cardiac muscle features and irregular branched pattern.
19. How is smooth muscle controlled in the body?
a. Involuntarily
b. Voluntarily
The answer is a, involuntarily via the autonomic nervous system, as is cardiac muscle tissue. Skeletal muscle tissue is the only muscle tissue type that is under voluntary control.
20. Where is smooth muscle found in the body?
a. Skin
b. Hollow organs
c. Blood vessels and tracts of respiratory, reproductive, and urinary system
d. Eyes
e. All of the above
The answer is e, all of the above. Remember the mnemonic STOVE, which stands for skin, tracts, organs that are hollow, vessels, and eyes.
21. What are the two types of smooth muscle tissue?
a. Regular and irregular
b. Multi-unit and single-unit
c. Striated and non-striated
d. Involuntary and voluntary
The answer is b, multi-unit and single-unit types of smooth muscle tissue. Single-unit smooth muscle cells contain gap junctions, allowing simultaneous contraction of an entire bundle of cells. Multi-unit smooth muscle cells contain fewer gap junctions, and are innervated individually.
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