Name ________________________ Date ________________ Block _____
Muscular System Study Guide
The test will be over the following sections from the book and notes: Overview of muscle tissue, Muscle
Functions, Microscopic anatomy of skeletal muscles, Nerve stimulus and the action potential, The sliding
filament theory. Please be sure to study these sections and be ready for a quiz over them. Below are some
questions that might help guide your studying. The first part are ones that I made up. The second part are
questions that fellow students made up.
Standards
1) Describe how an action potential is initiated in a muscle cell.
2) Describe the events of muscle cell contraction.
3) Define origin, insertion, prime mover, antagonist, synergist, and fixator as they relate to muscles.
4) Demonstrate or identify the different types of body movements.
5) List some criteria used in naming muscles.
6) Describe the changes that occur in aging muscles.
Basic Study Questions
7) What does the muscular system consist of?
8) List 4 functions of muscles.
9) What is the main/essential function of muscles?
10) Muscles cells are also called______________
11) Identify/name the 3 types of muscles found in the human body.
12) What are the major characteristics of each of the 3 types of muscles?
13) Identify the muscle types that are involuntary?
14) Identify the muscle types that are voluntary?
15) All muscles are striated. (True or False)
16) What are the different parts of a skeletal muscle?
17) How is a fascicle different from a muscle fiber?
18) What is the difference between Endomysium, perimysium, and an epimysium?
19) Identify the 2 main proteins that makeup muscle fibers.
20) Where is each type of protein, in the previous question, located within the muscle fiber?
21) Explain the “Sliding Filament Theory” in terms of how muscles contract.
22) What role does myosin play in muscle contraction?
23) What role does actin play in muscle contraction?
24) What is the place where thin filaments are anchored to called?
25) What is an A-band/ I-band/H-zone?
26) What is a motor unit?
27) During a muscle contraction how does the nerve “talk” to the cell?
28) What is the space between the nerve and muscle fiber called?
29) During a muscle contraction how does sodium get into the cell?
30) During a muscle contraction what does calcium bind to?
31) What happens once the calcium has bonded?
32) How do you tell the difference between the muscle origin and insertion points?
33) What are the 6 major types of muscle movement? Give a real world example of each.
34) What are the 6 special types of muscle movement? Give a real world example of each.
35) What is are primary movers/antagonists? Give an example of each.
36) What do synergist and fixators do?
Questions created by students
37) Where are smooth muscles found?
38) Where are cardiac muscles found?
39) How does the body stabilize joints?
40) What is the outer covering of the muscle cell?
41) What is another name for thick filaments?
42) Where are actin molecules located?
43) What is the name of the gap between thin filaments that exist in relaxed skeletal muscles?
44) What are the small projections located in a myofibril that are sometimes called cross bridges?
45) T or F The sarcolemma becomes permeable to all proteins.
46) T or F During a muscle contraction thick and thin filaments overlap.
47) What does the A-band consist of?
48) What is the sarcomere?
49) What is the ability to shorten when an adequate stimulus is received?
50) What are the functions of the skeletal muscles?
51) What is a chemical released by nerve upon arrival of nerve impulse called?
52) What is the connective tissue surrounding a fascicle called?
53) What connective tissue that is ensheathing the entire muscle?
54) A muscle cell is called what?
55) A cord like extension of connective tissue beyond the muscle, serving to attach it to the bone.
56) What is a contractile unit of a muscle?
57) What does calcium bind to that changes shape and their position on the filaments?
58) Skeletal muscles pull on bones to cause movements, they also stabilize what?
59) What is another name for thick filament?
60) What is the thin filimaments composed of?
61) What is used to power muscle contraction?
62) Which muscles force fluids through the body?
63) Which muscles work together to circulate blood and maintain blood pressure?
64) The muscles specialized plasma membrane called?
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