Skeletal muscle is also referred to as ____ muscle.

Skeletal muscle is also referred to as ____ muscle.

• A. Striated
• B. Smooth
• C. Cardiac
• D. Involuntary

Answer: (A)

Skeletal muscle is described as striated because its fibers have a striped appearance under a microscope, caused by the highly organized sarcomere structure with alternating thick and thin filaments. Those stripes reflect how actin and myosin are arranged to produce contraction, and this visual pattern is the hallmark that distinguishes skeletal muscle from other muscle types. Smooth muscle lacks these stripes and lines hollow organs; cardiac muscle is also striated but belongs to the heart and has unique features like intercalated discs. The term involuntary refers to control, not appearance, and skeletal muscle is under voluntary control. So the best fit for the blank is striated muscle.

Skeletal muscle is described as striated because its fibers have a striped appearance under a microscope, caused by the highly organized sarcomere structure with alternating thick and thin filaments. Those stripes reflect how actin and myosin are arranged to produce contraction, and this visual pattern is the hallmark that distinguishes skeletal muscle from other muscle types. Smooth muscle lacks these stripes and lines hollow organs; cardiac muscle is also striated but belongs to the heart and has unique features like intercalated discs. The term involuntary refers to control, not appearance, and skeletal muscle is under voluntary control. So the best fit for the blank is striated muscle.