Which description best defines skeletal muscle?

• A. Involuntary muscle found inside many internal organs.
• B. A muscle that is attached to the bones of the skeleton and provides the force that moves the bones.
• C. Non-striated visceral muscle.
• D. Involuntary muscle tissue found in the heart.

Answer: (B)

Skeletal muscle is the tissue that attaches to bones and generates the force that moves the skeleton at the joints. It is under voluntary control, so you consciously contract it to lift, push, bend, or straighten. Its fibers are long and arranged in a striped (striated) pattern, reflecting its sarcomere-based organization. This distinguishes it from smooth (visceral) muscle, which is non-striated and found in the walls of internal organs, and from cardiac muscle, which is involuntary and makes up the heart. So the description that notes attachment to bones and movement of the skeleton best defines skeletal muscle.