Q.Why do we consider blood as a connective tissue?

Blood is regarded as a connective tissue for reasons that mirror the defining features of that tissue class:

• Like other connective tissues, it links different parts of the body, connecting them and allowing materials to move between them.
• It is built around a matrix in which its cells are suspended — the difference being that this matrix, called plasma, is fluid rather than solid. …

At first glance blood seems to be nothing more than a simple red liquid, quite unlike the tissues we usually picture. Yet biologically it is classified as a special type of connective tissue, and the reasons for this rest on the very features that define connective tissue.

One defining trait of connective tissues is that they connect, or link, different parts of the body. Blood does exactly this: flowing everywhere, it ties the organs together and lets substances pass between them. A second defining trait is that a connective tissue is built around a matrix in which its cells lie suspended. Blood, too, has such a matrix and has its cells floating in it. …

Method: Justifying Why a Tissue/Structure Belongs to a Given Class

Use this reasoning pattern whenever a question asks "why is X classified as Y?"

Steps

Step 1: Recall the defining criteria of the class in question

For connective tissue, the criteria are: (i) cells suspended in a matrix, and (ii) the tissue links/connects different parts of the body. Write these criteria down before checking anything against them.

Step 2: Check the specific tissue against each criterion in turn

For each criterion, name what plays that role in the tissue under discussion — here, the formed elements play the role of "cells" and the plasma plays the role of "matrix."

Step 3: Note any variation from the typical example, and treat it as a qualifying detail, not a disqualifier …