Question

The supportive skeletal structures in the human external ears and the nose tip are examples of
A. Areolar tissue
B. Bone
C. Cartilage
D. Ligament

Answer 1

The supportive skeletal structures are those that provide further support to the skeletal system of our body except muscles. They are generally tissues that connect bone to muscle or bone to bone. The tissue composed of elastin protein is the one that is present in human external ears and nose tips.

Complete step by step answer: Although muscles provide much of the support to the skeletal system, some supportive tissues are important to our body. These supportive skeletal structures help in various kinds of body movements, functioning, etc.
Now let us go through each of the given options to understand their functions and positions.
-Option A is Areolar tissue. This is a loose connective tissue that is present between the skin layer and the muscles beneath it. It is also found in mucous membranes, blood vessels, nerves, and many organs of the body. The areolar tissue is made up of a meshwork of collagen, elastic tissue, and reticular fibers.
-Option B is Bone. Bone is a major component of our body’s skeleton system. It is hard whitish tissue that is found in humans and many other vertebrates. They are very strong and hard made up of an endlessly remodeled specialized group of bone cells.
-Option C is cartilage. It is generally present as a protective covering of long bones at their joints. It is smooth, elastic, and rubber-like tissue made up of elastin protein. It is a key component of the nose, ear, ribcage, and many other organs. It is not as hard as bone but it is rigid than muscle and thus it is less flexible than a muscle. This acts to provide load-bearing function in joints like the hip joint and knee joint.
-Option D is ligament. It is a dense connective tissue. It consists of regularly placed collagenous fibers and irregular connective tissue sheaths. It functions to connect bones to bones.
Therefore, the correct option is option C, Cartilage. As it is rubber-like flexible tissue it is present in the external ears and nose tips of humans and provides flexibility to them.

Note: The cartilage tissue is of two types. One is elastic cartilage and the other is hyaline cartilage. The elastic cartilage is more flexible as compared to hyaline cartilage and thus it is the one that is present in-ear, larynx, and tip of the nose.