The basic unit of contraction in a skeletal muscle is ____.
A)the cell
B)the myofibril
C)a sarcomere
D)actin
E)myosin

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A sarcomere is the basic unit of contraction in a skeletal muscle. It is made up of actin and myosin filaments arranged in a pattern, and when the muscle contracts, the filaments slide past each other, shortening the sarcomere and causing the muscle to contract as a whole. The myofibril is a bundle of sarcomeres, and the cell refers to the skeletal muscle cell as a whole. Actin and myosin are the types of filaments found within a sarcomere, but they are not the basic unit of contraction themselves.

The Basic Unit of Contraction in a Skeletal Muscle Is