Animal Tissues is a Zoology chapter in the NEET (UG) syllabus. NEET720 has 244 reviewed practice questions on it, each with a quick answer and a step-by-step explanation. The 8 questions below are free and fixed, so you can bookmark this page; the full chapter, plus mistake tracking and spaced revision, is in the app.
37
easy
150
medium
57
hard
Topics covered
Epithelial Tissue · Connective Tissue · Muscular Tissue · Nervous Tissue · Basis of tissue classification · Neural Tissue · Muscle tissue · Comparative animal tissues · Animal Tissues
8 free Animal Tissues practice questions with answers
Choose an answer in your head before opening it. Each explanation says why the correct option is right and, where relevant, why the tempting wrong option is wrong.
Question 1 · easy · Epithelial Tissue
Simple squamous epithelium forms the walls of the alveoli in the lungs mainly because this tissue permits:
- A.Rapid diffusion of gases across a thin barrier
- B.Secretion of mucus to trap dust particles
- C.Active absorption of nutrients via microvilli
- D.Mechanical protection against abrasion
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Rapid diffusion of gases across a thin barrier
The single flattened cell layer of simple squamous epithelium minimises diffusion distance, ideal for gas exchange in alveoli.
Simple squamous epithelium consists of a single layer of thin, flattened cells. This minimal thickness reduces the diffusion path length for O2 and CO2 between alveolar air and blood capillaries, making it functionally suited for gas exchange rather than secretion, absorption, or protection against wear.
Common mistake: Confusing the function of squamous epithelium with that of ciliated or columnar epithelium.
Question 2 · medium · Epithelial Tissue
Simple cuboidal epithelium lining the ducts of salivary glands and kidney tubules is best described functionally as being specialised for:
- A.Secretion and absorption
- B.Providing distensibility to hollow organs
- C.Preventing water loss through keratinisation
- D.Propelling mucus and particles along a surface
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Secretion and absorption
Cuboidal cells, being cube-shaped with a central nucleus, are metabolically active and specialised for secretion/absorption.
Simple cuboidal epithelium lines structures like kidney tubules and salivary/thyroid gland ducts. Its cube-shaped cells have a larger cytoplasmic volume than squamous cells, supporting active transport processes, making it well suited for both secretion and absorption.
Common mistake: Assuming all epithelial types share the same generic protective function.
Question 3 · medium · Epithelial Tissue
How many of the following statements regarding epithelial tissue are correct? (i) Epithelial cells are held together by very little intercellular matrix. (ii) Epithelial tissue lacks its own blood supply and is nourished by diffusion from underlying connective tissue. (iii) All epithelial tissues are single-layered. (iv) Epithelial tissue always rests on a basement membrane.
- A.Three
- B.Two
- C.Four
- D.One
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Three
Statements (i), (ii), and (iv) are correct; (iii) is false because compound epithelium is multi-layered.
Epithelial cells are tightly packed with minimal intercellular matrix (i, correct). Being avascular, epithelial tissue depends on diffusion from underlying connective tissue for nourishment (ii, correct). Epithelium is not always single-layered — compound (stratified) epithelium has multiple layers (iii, incorrect). Epithelial tissue characteristically rests on a basement membrane (iv, correct). Thus three statements are correct.
Common mistake: Assuming all epithelium is single-layered, ignoring compound epithelium.
Question 4 · medium · Epithelial Tissue
A gland releases its secretion in small membrane-bound vesicles that pinch off from the apical cytoplasm along with some cytoplasm, without rupturing the entire cell. This mode of secretion is termed:
- A.Apocrine secretion
- B.Merocrine (eccrine) secretion
- C.Holocrine secretion
- D.Endocrine secretion
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Apocrine secretion
Apocrine secretion involves loss of a portion of apical cytoplasm along with the secretory product, as in mammary gland cells.
Glandular secretion modes are classified as merocrine (exocytosis, no cell loss), apocrine (partial loss of apical cytoplasm along with secretion, e.g., mammary glands), and holocrine (entire cell disintegrates to release secretion, e.g., sebaceous glands). The scenario describing partial cytoplasmic loss matches apocrine secretion.
Common mistake: Confusing apocrine (partial cytoplasm loss) with holocrine (whole cell disintegration).
Question 5 · easy · Connective Tissue
In blood, considered a fluid connective tissue, which component represents the extracellular matrix?
- A.Plasma
- B.Red blood cells
- C.Platelets
- D.White blood cells
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Plasma
Plasma, the fluid ground substance of blood, corresponds to the extracellular matrix of this connective tissue.
Blood is classified as connective tissue because it consists of cells (RBCs, WBCs, platelets) suspended in an extracellular fluid matrix called plasma, analogous to how other connective tissues have cells embedded in a matrix.
Common mistake: Mistaking formed elements (cells) for the matrix component.
Question 6 · medium · Connective Tissue
Adipocytes, the cells of adipose connective tissue, are structurally distinctive because:
- A.They store large fat globules that push the nucleus to the periphery of the cell
- B.They contain multiple nuclei arranged peripherally beneath the plasma membrane
- C.They lack a plasma membrane to allow free fat exchange
- D.They are arranged in a branching network with intercalated discs
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. They store large fat globules that push the nucleus to the periphery of the cell
Adipocytes store a large fat droplet that compresses the cytoplasm and nucleus to one side, giving a signet-ring appearance.
Adipose tissue cells (adipocytes) are specialised for fat storage. A single large lipid droplet typically occupies most of the cell volume, displacing the nucleus and cytoplasm to the periphery, giving the cell its characteristic signet-ring shape under the microscope.
Common mistake: Confusing adipocyte features with those of skeletal or cardiac muscle cells.
Question 7 · medium · Connective Tissue
A key difference between cartilage and bone that accounts for cartilage's flexibility compared to the rigidity of bone is that:
- A.Cartilage matrix is solid but pliable, while bone matrix is hard and calcified
- B.Cartilage lacks a matrix entirely, while bone has a fibrous matrix
- C.Cartilage cells lie freely without any surrounding matrix, unlike osteocytes
- D.Cartilage is more vascular than bone, allowing more flexibility
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Cartilage matrix is solid but pliable, while bone matrix is hard and calcified
Bone matrix is calcified and rigid due to mineral deposition, while cartilage matrix (chondrin) remains solid yet flexible.
Cartilage matrix, called chondrin, is composed of proteins and sugars giving it a firm but elastic consistency, and cartilage is avascular. Bone matrix, in contrast, is impregnated with calcium salts (mainly calcium phosphate and carbonate), making it hard, rigid, and vascularised. This difference in matrix composition explains why cartilage bends while bone does not.
Common mistake: Believing cartilage has no matrix, or that cartilage is vascular like bone.
Question 8 · hard · Connective Tissue
Ossein, an important organic component of bone matrix, is best described as:
- A.A collagenous protein providing tensile strength that works alongside mineral salts for overall bone rigidity
- B.A calcium-based mineral salt responsible for the hardness of bone
- C.A carbohydrate found exclusively in cartilage matrix
- D.An enzyme that breaks down old bone matrix during remodelling
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. A collagenous protein providing tensile strength that works alongside mineral salts for overall bone rigidity
Ossein is the organic collagenous protein matrix of bone that combines with mineral salts to give bone both strength and slight flexibility.
Bone matrix has both organic and inorganic components. The organic component is largely composed of the protein ossein (mainly collagen), which provides tensile strength and some elasticity. The inorganic component, calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate salts, provides hardness and rigidity. Together they make bone strong yet not brittle.
Common mistake: Confusing ossein (organic protein) with the inorganic calcium salts of bone.
Practise all 244 Animal Tissues questions
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Questions about Animal Tissues for NEET
How many NEET questions does NEET720 have on Animal Tissues?＋
NEET720 has 244 reviewed practice questions on Animal Tissues (Zoology): 37 easy, 150 medium and 57 hard. 8 of them are free on this page with full explanations; the rest are available in the app.
Is Animal Tissues a Class 11 or Class 12 chapter for NEET?＋
Animal Tissues spans topics from both Class 11 and Class 12 Zoology as grouped in NEET720's bank. Read the relevant NCERT chapters first, then practise chapter-wise MCQs and previous-year questions.
How should I practise Animal Tissues for NEET?＋
Attempt the questions below without looking at the options for more than a few seconds, mark your answer, then read the explanation even when you were right. Record every mistake and revisit it after a gap. On NEET720 this happens automatically: wrong answers go to your Mistake Book and are scheduled for spaced revision.
More Zoology chapters
← Biological ClassificationAll Zoology chaptersDigestion and Absorption →
Questions are original NEET720 compositions reviewed for correctness, syllabus fit and option quality. Counts update as the bank grows (244 active practice questions in this chapter today).