It can shorten

It can shorten

• A. Elastic
• B. Contractile
• C. Muscular
• D. Extensible

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is about the ability to shorten through active contraction. Contractile tissues are those that can actively shorten when they are stimulated. In muscles, specialized proteins slide past one another, using energy from ATP, to pull the sarcomeres shorter, which makes the whole muscle shorten and generate force. This active shortening is what defines contractility. Elastic describes something that can stretch and then snap back to its original length, and extensible means it can be stretched to a longer length. These are passive properties and don’t by themselves explain an active shortening. Muscular is a broad term relating to muscle tissue, but it doesn’t specifically denote the capability to shorten in response to stimulation—the property of shortening is what contractile tissue does.

The main idea here is about the ability to shorten through active contraction. Contractile tissues are those that can actively shorten when they are stimulated. In muscles, specialized proteins slide past one another, using energy from ATP, to pull the sarcomeres shorter, which makes the whole muscle shorten and generate force. This active shortening is what defines contractility.

Elastic describes something that can stretch and then snap back to its original length, and extensible means it can be stretched to a longer length. These are passive properties and don’t by themselves explain an active shortening. Muscular is a broad term relating to muscle tissue, but it doesn’t specifically denote the capability to shorten in response to stimulation—the property of shortening is what contractile tissue does.