What does a tendon do?

• A. Connects muscle to bone
• B. Connects bone to bone
• C. Conveys blood supply to bone
• D. Forms a joint capsule

Answer: (A)

Tendons are the link that translates the force generated by a contracting muscle into movement of the skeleton. When a muscle shortens, the tendon pulls on the bone it attaches to, creating the lever action that moves a joint. That’s why the correct choice is that a tendon connects muscle to bone. Tendons are composed mainly of collagen fibers aligned to resist pulling forces, which helps them transmit force efficiently.

This differs from ligaments, which connect bone to bone and help stabilize joints rather than move them. Tendons don’t primarily supply blood to bone; they have their own limited vascularity, while bone receives blood through vessels in the periosteum and the bone itself. The joint capsule is a separate structure that surrounds a joint, consisting of fibrous tissue and synovial lining, not a tendon.