Question

Which cartilage is present at the end of a long bone?
A. Hyaline cartilage
B. Fibrous cartilage
C. Calcified cartilage
D. Elastic cartilage

Answer 1

Hint: A cartilage is a connective tissue. It is a firm tissue which is much softer and more flexible than bone. They grow and repair much more slowly than any other tissue. It is found in between the bones, ends of ribs.

Complete Answer:
- Chondrocytes are the specialized cells which make up the cartilage. They produce a large amount of extracellular matrix which is composed of collagen fibres, proteoglycan and elastin fibres.
- Cartilages do not have blood vessels. The nutrients diffuse through dense connective tissue which surrounds the cartilage.

Types of cartilage:
(I) Hyaline cartilage- This is wear and tear resistant tissue present in between the joints which bear weight. It is strong rubbery but has poor regeneration capacity. It is found in the nose, trachea.
(II) Fibrous cartilage- It is tough and not flexible. Found in knees and vertebra.
(III) Calcified cartilage- It is a modified hyaline cartilage. It is hard and non-elastic due to calcium deposition. It is found in the ends of long bones.
(IV) Elastic cartilage- They are more flexible than hyaline cartilage. They are present in the ear, epiglottis, and larynx.

Thus the correct answer is (C). Calcified cartilage is present at the end of a long bone.

Note: Calcified cartilage is found in the head of humerus and femur. It is found in the pubis of the older frog. Also it is present in the vertebrae of sharks. The calcium deposition makes it in-elastic.