Upper-body muscles: location and role
Seven upper-body muscles, each with a location and a role. Trapezius (upper back) moves the shoulder blade. Deltoid (shoulder cap) abducts the shoulder. Pectorals (chest) adduct and flex it. Latissimus dorsi (mid/lower back) adducts and extends it. Biceps (front of upper arm) flex the elbow; triceps (back) extend it. Abdominals (front of trunk) flex the trunk. Give both location AND role.
Lower-body muscles: location and role
Six lower-body muscles. The gluteals (buttocks) extend the hip. The hip flexors (front of the hip) flex the hip -- the opposite action at the same joint. The hamstrings (back of the thigh) flex the knee (and help extend the hip); the quadriceps (front of the thigh) extend the knee. The gastrocnemius (calf) plantarflexes the ankle; the tibialis anterior (front of the shin) dorsiflexes it. Give both location AND role.
Tendons attach muscle to bone
A tendon is tough connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone. When a muscle contracts, it pulls on the tendon, which transmits that force onto the bone, moving the joint. The tendon itself does not contract -- only the muscle does. Examples: the Achilles tendon joins the gastrocnemius (calf) to the heel bone, so the calf's contraction plantarflexes the ankle; the patellar tendon joins the quadriceps to the shin, so their contraction straightens the knee.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Naming a non-muscle structure
Asked to identify a muscle on a diagram, weaker answers name something that is not a muscle -- a bone, the tendon at that spot, or an unrelated structure. Fix the categories: a muscle is soft tissue that contracts, a tendon is the non-contracting cord attaching muscle to bone, a bone is rigid. Name the fleshy, rounded part as a muscle from the list.
Digest 1.3: naming muscles from a diagram is generally secure, but weaker candidates substitute non-muscle terms or name an inappropriate structure entirely (w23 P11 Q7a; w22 P12 Q10a).
The forgotten second muscle
Candidates are secure on a headline muscle -- biceps, quadriceps, deltoid -- but drop marks on a second, less obvious muscle, such as the latissimus dorsi, hip flexors, gastrocnemius or tibialis anterior. Learn all 13 equally: a Paper 1 diagram can point to any of them, so the less obvious ones must be as automatic as the biceps.
Digest 1.3: weaker candidates struggle with a second, less obvious muscle beyond an easy first one (w23 P11 Q7a; w22 P12 Q10a).
Hip flexors vs gluteals
These act at the same joint but do opposite things, so they get swapped. The hip flexors (front of the hip) flex the hip, lifting the thigh forward. The gluteals (buttocks) extend the hip, driving the thigh backward. In a sprint stride the hip flexors lift the leg through, then the gluteals drive it back.
Tendon vs ligament
A tendon attaches muscle to bone and transmits the pull of a contraction to move the joint. A ligament attaches bone to bone at a joint, holding the bones together. Both are connective tissue, which is why they get confused, but they connect different things. Asked for a difference, name BOTH attachments -- muscle-to-bone versus bone-to-bone.
Hamstrings vs quadriceps
These antagonists on opposite sides of the thigh are easy to swap. The quadriceps (front of the thigh) extend the knee, straightening the leg to kick. The hamstrings (back of the thigh) flex the knee, pulling the heel up. Anchor by position: the front of the thigh straightens the knee, the back bends it.
Tendons do not contract
Because tendons work with muscles to move bones, students assume the tendon itself contracts. In fact only the muscle contracts. A tendon is tough, largely inelastic tissue whose only job is to attach muscle to bone and transmit that force onto the bone, moving the joint. The model: muscle contracts, tendon transmits the pull, bone moves, joint acts.
Give the specific joint action
Name the specific joint action, not a vague word. Examiners mark down "moves the arm" or "helps"; the credited wording is the action plus the joint, e.g. "the biceps flexes the elbow". Use flexion, extension, abduction, plantarflexion or dorsiflexion, and name the joint.
Match the command word
Match the depth of your answer to the command word. "Name/state/identify" wants just the muscle name, or a short role phrase. "Describe" wants a fuller sentence giving BOTH the location and the role. Over-writing a "state", or giving half a "describe", costs marks.
Give both location and role
For most muscle questions the marks come in pairs: the location and the role. Naming the muscle alone, or giving its role without where it is, earns only partial credit. When the question names an activity, link the muscle to it explicitly, not implicitly.
Full notes, flashcards, Q&A and the topic quiz for every premium subject.
Premium plans are US$8.99/month or US$49.99/year — first month free.
Studying with a parent's blessing? Show them this.
