Which type of muscle is attached to the skeleton to move the limbs and other parts of the body?

• A. Cardiac muscle
• B. Smooth muscle
• C. Skeletal muscle
• D. Diaphragm

Answer: (C)

Muscle that moves the limbs are skeletal muscles, which attach to bones via tendons and contract to pull on the bones across joints, producing voluntary movement of the arms, legs, and other body parts. Cardiac muscle stays in the heart and works automatically, while smooth muscle lines hollow organs and vessels and also works involuntarily. The diaphragm is a skeletal muscle too, but its main job is breathing rather than moving limbs, even though it attaches to the skeleton. So skeletal muscle is the type that moves the limbs.