Skeletal and Muscular Systems | OCR A-Level Physical Education (H555)

Skeletal and Muscular Systems

79 questions
5 subtopics
Component 01: Physiological factors affecting performance
Component 01

Skeletal and Muscular Systems is examined in Component 01, Physiological factors affecting performance.

It covers shoulder, elbow and wrist joints and muscles, hip, knee and ankle joints and muscles, Planes of movement, muscle roles and contractions, analysing movement in sporting actions and motor units and muscle fibre types.

Sample questions from Skeletal and Muscular Systems

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

Shoulder, elbow and wrist joints and muscles

Why is the shoulder more easily dislocated than the hip?

Show the answer
The glenoid fossa is shallow, so the shoulder relies on muscles and ligaments for stability. The deep acetabulum of the hip holds the femur far more securely.
Shoulder, elbow and wrist joints and muscles

Which muscle turns the upper arm outwards in lateral rotation?

Show the answer
The teres minor is the agonist for lateral rotation at the shoulder. The latissimus dorsi is the antagonist.
Hip, knee and ankle joints and muscles

Which muscles produce medial and lateral rotation at the hip?

Show the answer
The gluteus medius and gluteus minimus produce medial rotation of the hip. The gluteus maximus produces lateral rotation.
Hip, knee and ankle joints and muscles

Why can the rectus femoris act at the hip as well as the knee?

Show the answer
The rectus femoris crosses both joints, attaching to the pelvis above the hip. The rectus femoris can therefore assist hip flexion as well as extend the knee.
Planes of movement, muscle roles and contractions

In which plane does a star jump take place?

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A star jump takes place in the frontal plane. The shoulders and hips abduct and then adduct.
Planes of movement, muscle roles and contractions

Why can a muscle not be labelled permanently as an agonist or an antagonist?

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A muscle's role depends on the movement being performed. The biceps brachii is the agonist in elbow flexion but the antagonist in elbow extension.
Analysing movement in sporting actions

Analyse the ankle of a sprinter's recovery leg as the toes are pulled up.

Show the answer
The ankle is a hinge joint moving into dorsiflexion. The tibialis anterior is the agonist, contracting concentrically, with the gastrocnemius as antagonist.
Analysing movement in sporting actions

Analyse the hip of the kicking leg as it swings through to strike the ball.

Show the answer
The hip is a ball and socket joint flexing. The iliopsoas is the agonist, contracting concentrically, with the gluteus maximus as antagonist.

The 5 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
Shoulder, elbow and wrist joints and muscles	Functions of the skeleton, ligaments, tendons, articular cartilage and synovial fluid, the ball and socket shoulder with its agonists for flexion, abduction, adduction, horizontal movements and rotation, circumduction, and the elbow and wrist joints.	16
Hip, knee and ankle joints and muscles	The hip, knee and ankle joints and their bones, hip flexion and extension out of the blocks, the adductors and rotators, the hamstring and quadriceps groups, rectus femoris, dorsiflexion, plantar flexion and the soleus.	15
Planes of movement, muscle roles and contractions	The sagittal, frontal and transverse planes with a sprinter, a star jump and a discus turn, agonist, antagonist and fixator roles, and isotonic, concentric, eccentric and isometric contractions.	16
Analysing movement in sporting actions	Joint, movement, agonist and contraction type worked through a squat, a sprinter's drive and recovery legs, a high jump take-off, a press-up, a biceps curl, a football kick, a set shot, a pull-up, a side kick and a wall-sit.	16
Motor units and muscle fibre types	Motor units and the control they give, the motor neurone, action potentials and neurotransmitters at the neuromuscular junction, the all or none law, and slow oxidative, fast oxidative glycolytic and fast glycolytic fibres with their order of recruitment.	16

Skeletal and Muscular Systems is 79 of the 2,133 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £8

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.