Q.The muscles attached to the bones are called
a. skeletal muscle
b. cardiac muscle
c. involuntary muscle
d. smooth muscles
Concept understanding — Skeletal Muscle
Skeletal (voluntary) muscle is anchored to bone by a tendon and is organised as a nested hierarchy of connective-tissue-wrapped bundles: the whole muscle (wrapped in epimysium) is divided into fascicles (wrapped in perimysium), each fascicle made of individual muscle fibres (wrapped in endomysium).
Each muscle fibre is a single elongated, multinucleate cell whose plasma membrane is the sarcolemma and whose cytoplasm is the sarcoplasm, rich in glycosomes (stored glycogen), myoglobin (an oxygen-storing red pigment) and an extensive sarcoplasmic reticulum (which stores calcium). Hundreds to thousands of parallel myofibrils run the fibre's length, each showing a repeating pattern of dark A-bands and light I-bands that gives the whole fibre its striated appearance — the alternating bands are perfectly aligned across adjacent myofibrils, which is what makes the striping visible.
The repeating functional unit of this pattern is the sarcomere — the segment of myofibril between two successive Z-discs, containing a full A-band (with its paler central H-zone, bisected by the M-line) flanked by a half I-band on each side. Deep inward folds of the sarcolemma form T-tubules that carry the electrical signal for contraction rapidly into the fibre's interior.
The muscle type anchored to bone is the voluntary, striated type.
a) skeletal muscle
Step 1. Of the three muscle types, only one is attached to bone via tendons and produces voluntary, locomotor movement.
Step 2. Cardiac muscle is found only in the heart, and smooth/involuntary muscle lines internal organs — neither attaches to bone.
The muscles attached to bones are called skeletal muscle — option (a).
Match the muscle type to its bone attachment and voluntary control.
- Selecting cardiac or smooth/involuntary muscle, which are not attached to the skeleton.
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The pigment present in the muscle fibre to store oxygen is:(a) Myosin(b) Myoglobin(c) Actin(d) Troponin
›Reveal solutionSolution
Myoglobin, a reddish oxygen-binding pigment closely related to haemoglobin, is present within muscle fibres and stores oxygen for use during muscle contraction.
Myoglobin is a small, single-chain globular protein containing one heme group (similar to haemoglobin's heme units) that reversibly binds oxygen. It is found in the sarcoplasm of skeletal and cardiac muscle fibres, where it takes up oxygen diffusing in from the blood and stores it, releasing it when the muscle's own oxygen demand rises during contraction (especially useful during the initial phase of exercise, before increased blood flow catches up). Myoglobin's high affinity for oxygen at low partial pressures also gives red muscle its characteristic reddish colour.
Myosin, actin and troponin are all contractile/regulatory proteins of the muscle sarcomere involved in the sliding filament mechanism of contraction, not oxygen storage.
✓Final answer(b) Myoglobin.
- CBSE 2022Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The pigment present in the muscle fibre to store oxygen is:(a) Myosin(b) Myoglobin(c) Actin(d) Troponin
›Reveal solutionSolution
Myoglobin is the iron-containing pigment inside muscle fibres that binds and stores oxygen for use during muscle contraction.
Skeletal and cardiac muscle fibres contain myoglobin, a single-chain globular protein closely related in structure to one subunit of haemoglobin, but with a much higher affinity for oxygen. Because of this higher affinity, myoglobin readily takes up oxygen delivered by blood haemoglobin and holds it as a local reserve within the muscle cell (sarcoplasm). During strong or sustained contraction, when the oxygen supplied by blood momentarily falls short of demand, myoglobin releases its stored oxygen to the mitochondria, supporting continued aerobic respiration (ATP production) in the muscle fibre. Muscles that are used for prolonged/aerobic work (red or 'slow' fibres) are richer in myoglobin and appear dark red because of it, while muscles used for short bursts of activity (white or 'fast' fibres) contain less. The other options are unrelated: myosin and actin are the contractile filament proteins that slide over each other to shorten the sarcomere, and troponin is the regulatory protein on the actin filament that controls the exposure of myosin-binding sites in response to calcium.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (b) Myoglobin — it binds and stores oxygen within the muscle fibre, releasing it during contraction when the muscle's demand is high.
- CBSE 2019Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The oxidative skeletal muscle fibres are termed as ______.(a) red muscle fibres(b) fatty muscle fibres(c) white muscle fibres(d) yellow muscle fibres
›Reveal solutionSolution
Oxidative skeletal muscle fibres are called red muscle fibres because their high myoglobin and mitochondrial content (which gives them their red colour) supports sustained aerobic ATP production.
Skeletal muscle fibres are broadly of two physiological types:
- Red fibres (oxidative/Type I): contain abundant myoglobin (which stores and supplies oxygen) and numerous mitochondria, generate ATP mainly through aerobic respiration, contract slowly but resist fatigue — suited for sustained activity like posture-maintaining muscles.
- White fibres (glycolytic/Type II): have less myoglobin, fewer mitochondria, depend mainly on anaerobic glycolysis, contract rapidly and powerfully but fatigue quickly — suited for short bursts of activity.
Since the question specifically asks for the type that uses oxidative metabolism, the answer is the myoglobin-rich, mitochondria-rich red fibres, not the white (glycolytic) ones.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (a) red muscle fibres — their oxidative metabolism (aerobic ATP generation via abundant mitochondria and myoglobin) gives them their red colour and fatigue-resistant character.
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