Tissues in Action — Practice

Question 1

Define a tissue.

Accepted Answer

A group of cells similar in structure and origin that work together to perform a specific function.

✦ Answer: similar cells performing a common function.

Question 2

Which tissue conducts water in plants?

Accepted Answer

Xylem conducts water and minerals from the roots upward.

✦ Answer: Xylem.

Question 3

Name the tissue that carries messages in the body.

Accepted Answer

Nervous tissue (made of neurons) conducts electrical impulses.

✦ Answer: Nervous tissue.

Question 4

Differentiate between apical and lateral meristem.

Accepted Answer

Apical meristem is at the tips of roots/shoots and increases LENGTH.

Lateral meristem (cambium) is along the sides and increases GIRTH (thickness).

✦ Answer: apical → length; lateral → girth.

Question 5

Why is sclerenchyma good at giving support, and is it living or dead?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Its cells have thick walls lignified with lignin and no living contents at maturity (dead).

Step 2 — These rigid walls give mechanical strength, e.g. the husk of a coconut.

✦ Answer: dead, thick lignified walls give rigid support.

Question 6

Give two examples of connective tissue and state what connective tissue does.

Accepted Answer

Examples: blood, bone (also cartilage, tendon, ligament, adipose).

Function: it links, supports and transports — binding other tissues/organs together.

✦ Answer: e.g. blood and bone; links/supports/transports.

Question 7

Compare skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle by control and location.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Skeletal: voluntary, attached to bones (move limbs).

Step 2 — Smooth: involuntary, in walls of internal organs (gut, blood vessels).

Step 3 — Cardiac: involuntary, only in the heart, contracts rhythmically without tiring.

✦ Answer: skeletal (voluntary, bones), smooth (involuntary, organs), cardiac (involuntary, heart).

Question 8

Name the joint at (i) the shoulder, (ii) the elbow, (iii) between skull bones, and give the movement each allows.

Accepted Answer

(i) Shoulder — ball-and-socket: movement in all directions.

(ii) Elbow — hinge: back-and-forth in one plane.

(iii) Skull bones — fixed/immovable: no movement.

✦ Answer: ball-and-socket, hinge, fixed.

Practice — Tissues in Action