Skeletal muscle is attached to the bone by tough, ropelike structures called which?

Skeletal muscle is attached to the bone by tough, ropelike structures called which?

• A. Tendons
• B. Ligaments
• C. Cartilage
• D. Fascia

Answer: (A)

Muscle-to-bone attachments rely on tendons. Tendons are dense, rope-like strands of collagen-rich connective tissue that anchor skeletal muscles to bones. When a muscle contracts, the force is transmitted through the tendon to the bone, producing movement at the joint. Ligaments connect bone to bone and stabilize joints, not muscle to bone. Cartilage cushions and provides smooth surfaces in joints, and fascia surrounds muscles but doesn’t directly attach them to bone. So the rope-like structures that attach skeletal muscle to bone are tendons.

Muscle-to-bone attachments rely on tendons. Tendons are dense, rope-like strands of collagen-rich connective tissue that anchor skeletal muscles to bones. When a muscle contracts, the force is transmitted through the tendon to the bone, producing movement at the joint. Ligaments connect bone to bone and stabilize joints, not muscle to bone. Cartilage cushions and provides smooth surfaces in joints, and fascia surrounds muscles but doesn’t directly attach them to bone. So the rope-like structures that attach skeletal muscle to bone are tendons.