- A Skeletal muscle; they anchor each fibre individually to the tendon according to standard texts in general clinical practice
- B Cardiac muscle; they allow rapid electrical coupling between adjacent fibres for synchronized contraction
- C Areolar tissue; they bind collagen fibres together for elasticity in most reference accounts under normal conditions
- D Smooth muscle; they allow independent, asynchronous contraction of each cell as frequently documented
Correct answer: B. Cardiac muscle; they allow rapid electrical coupling between adjacent fibres for synchronized contraction
Explanation: Intercalated discs are specialized junctions between cardiac muscle fibres containing gap junctions, enabling rapid spread of electrical impulses so the heart contracts as a coordinated unit.
Concept context
The four basic animal tissue types (epithelial, connective, muscular, neural) and the cockroach as a model organism for organ-system level organisation.