Which of the following is NOT a type of muscle tissue?

• A. Skeletal
• B. Cardiac
• C. Smooth
• D. Nervous

Answer: (D)

Muscle tissue comes in three main forms whose primary job is to contract and produce movement. Skeletal muscle attaches to bones, is voluntary, and has a striated appearance. Cardiac muscle is found in the heart, is also striated, but contracts involuntarily. Smooth muscle lines the walls of hollow organs and vessels, contracting without conscious control and without striations. Nervous tissue, by contrast, is a separate type of tissue whose cells (neurons and glia) are specialized for transmitting electrical signals and coordinating activities; it does not contract. So nervous tissue is not a type of muscle tissue.