Tissue that attaches muscle to bone and allows for movement?

• A. Ligament
• B. Cartilage
• C. Tendon
• D. Bone

Answer: (C)

Tendons are the tissues that anchor a muscle to a bone, transmitting the force of a muscle contraction to the skeleton to produce movement. Their dense, collagen-rich structure is optimized to pull on bone when a muscle shortens, creating joint motion—think of the Achilles tendon pulling on the heel bone to lift the heel during walking.

Ligaments connect bone to bone and mainly stabilize joints, preventing excessive movement. Cartilage covers the ends of bones to cushion and reduce friction within joints. Bone itself provides the rigid framework. So the tissue that best fits “attaches muscle to bone and allows for movement” is the tendon. For example, the Achilles tendon links calf muscle to the heel bone to enable walking.