TEAS® Science Study Guide
Muscular System
The muscular system produces movement, maintains posture, and generates heat.
Three muscle types
|
Type |
Voluntary? |
Striated? |
Where |
|
Skeletal |
Voluntary |
Yes |
Attached to bones |
|
Cardiac |
Involuntary |
Yes |
Heart only |
|
Smooth |
Involuntary |
No |
Organs, blood vessels, GI tract |
Cardiac muscle is the one that breaks the pattern: striated and involuntary. TEAS knows this is confusing and tests it.
How muscles work
Muscles pull; they never push. Because of that, they work in antagonistic pairs — one contracts while the other relaxes. When you bend your elbow, the biceps contracts and the triceps relaxes; straightening it reverses the roles.
Muscles attach to bone by tendons.
Terms to know
- Antagonistic pair — Two muscles producing opposite movements.
- Flexion — Decreasing the angle at a joint (bending).
- Extension — Increasing the angle at a joint (straightening).
- Tendon — Attaches muscle to bone.
What the TEAS asks most
- Which muscle type is striated but involuntary? Cardiac.
- Which is found in the digestive tract? Smooth.
- Can a muscle push? No — muscles only pull.
- What connects muscle to bone? Tendon.