Muscular System Homework - Mr.

Shepard
Name___________________ Class______________ Date________

Read this passage based on the text and answer the questions that follow. Make
sure to highlight where you found your answers.

There are three different types of muscle tissues in the human body: cardiac, smooth,
and skeletal muscle tissues. All three types consist mainly of muscle fibers, but the
fibers have different arrangements.

Cardiac muscle is found only in the walls of the heart. It is striated, or striped, because
its muscle fibers are arranged in bundles. Contractions of cardiac muscle are
involuntary. This means that they are not under conscious control. When cardiac
muscle contracts, the heart beats and pumps blood.

Smooth muscle is found in the walls of other internal organs such as the stomach. It
isnt striated because its muscle fibers are arranged in sheets rather than bundles.
Contractions of smooth muscle are involuntary. When smooth muscles in the stomach
contract, they squeeze food inside the stomach. This helps break the food into smaller
pieces.

Skeletal muscle is attached to the bones of the skeleton. It is striated like cardiac
muscle because its muscle fibers are arranged in bundles. Contractions of skeletal
muscle are voluntary. This means that they are under conscious control. Whether you
are doing pushups or pushing a pencil, you are using skeletal muscles. Skeletal
muscles are the most common type of muscles in the body.

Many skeletal muscles are attached to the ends of bones where they meet at joints. The
muscles are attached to the bones by tough bands of connective tissue called tendons.
When the muscles contract, they pull on the tendons, which pull on the bones in turn,
causing them to move. Muscles can only contract. They cant actively lengthen.
Therefore, to move bones back and forth at joints, skeletal muscles must work in pairs.
For example, the biceps and triceps muscles of the upper arm work as a pair. When the
biceps muscle contracts, it bends the arm at the elbow. When the triceps muscle
contracts, it straightens the arm.

Questions

1. Compare and contrast cardiac and smooth muscle tissues.

2. Explain how skeletal muscles function to move bones.
3. Skeletal muscles like the biceps and triceps muscles work in pairs. Explain
why.

From:
http://www.ck12.org/workbook/CK-12-Life-Science-For-Middle-School-Workbook/section/16.4/