CAPF AC 2021 Q8: Science & Technology – Biology
Which one of the following is not a connective tissue?
- (a) Ligament
- (b) Tendon
- (c) Smooth muscle
- (d) Cartilage
Answer: (c) Smooth muscle
Explanation
Which is not a connective tissue
How to think: animal tissues come in four types.
Three of the options join or support body parts, which is the job of connective tissue.
One has the word muscle in it, so it belongs to a different type.
| Tissue type | Job | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Epithelial | Covers and lines | Skin, lining of the mouth |
| Connective | Joins and supports | Bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, blood, areolar, adipose |
| Muscular | Movement | Striated, smooth, cardiac |
| Nervous | Carries messages | Neurons |
Two often confused:
| Tissue | Joins |
|---|---|
| Tendon | Muscle to bone |
| Ligament | Bone to bone |
Answer: (c) Smooth muscle.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. A ligament is connective tissue that joins bone to bone.
- (b) Incorrect. A tendon is connective tissue that joins muscle to bone.
- (c) CORRECT. Smooth muscle is muscular tissue, found in the walls of the gut and blood vessels.
- (d) Incorrect. Cartilage is connective tissue, found in the nose, ear and windpipe.
Key point
Connective tissue: bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, blood, areolar, adipose. Muscular tissue: striated, smooth, cardiac. Tendon = muscle to bone, ligament = bone to bone.
Remember
Smooth muscle is muscular tissue, not connective.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting that blood is also a connective tissue, a fluid one.
- Swapping tendon and ligament; a tendon joins muscle to bone.
- Treating all soft tissue as muscle and marking cartilage as the odd one.
Exam tip
Educated guess: the option with muscle in its name is muscular tissue by definition. Memory aid: Tendon Ties muscle to bone, Ligament Links bones.
Sources
- NCERT Class IX Science — Tissues (animal tissues)
- NCERT Class XI Biology — Locomotion and Movement (types of muscle)