Need help identifying tissues? Try our tissue quizzes!

Types of tissue

Tissue can be simply defined as a group of cells working together to perform one or more functions. There are 4 main types of tissue characterized by their morphology and function. Each of these, in turn, contain several subtypes. The 4 main types are:

• Epithelial tissue: Found on all surfaces of the body exposed to the outside world, lining the outside of organs and the inside of blood vessels. The many functions of epithelial tissue include absorption, secretion, excretion, diffusion, protection and sensory reception. 
• Connective tissue: Comprised of dispersed cells with no intercellular contact, connective tissue is a fibrous tissue that supports and binds other tissues in the body. There are three main types - loose connective tissue, dense connective tissue and reticular connective tissue. 
• Muscle tissue: This type of tissue is composed of cells which have the ability to contract in order to produce movement of body parts. There are three muscle tissue subtypes - skeletal muscle tissue, cardiac muscle tissue and smooth muscle tissue, each of which possesses unique characteristics. 
• Nervous tissue: The main component of the central and peripheral nervous systems, where it is tasked with transmitting and integrating information. Two main types of cells are found in nervous tissue: neurons and glia. 

Did you know that Kenhub contains an entire section dedicated to histology? Our online anatomy course and classes are here to help you master this subject. 

A guide to identifying tissues

Histology is a hugely visual subject, so it follows that the best way to learn the 4 types of tissue is with some careful study of the physical characteristics that differentiate them. 

Start by watching the video below, which gives you an overview of exactly that. Once you're done watching, we recommend taking our histology tests below to check your understanding.

Spaced repetition histology quiz questions

You’ve tried your hand at identifying the 4 types of tissue with our tissue identification quiz worksheet. But perhaps you’re looking for a more continuous stream of tissue tests to really solidify your knowledge. 

Enter: our spaced repetition tissue quizzes. These will provide you with hundreds of questions where you must differentiate between several different tissue subtypes. If there was ever a way to get a good dose of histology practice, this is it. Our clever algorithm learns which areas you need more practice with and gives you more questions on those topics accordingly. Thanks to this, you’ll be able to master identifying the tissues you struggle with most in no time. 

If you’re not feeling very confident yet, start with our basic tissue identification quizzes. For example, our connective tissue quizzes with pictures show you a series of histology slides and challenge you to identify the correct structure out of up to 4 images, based on text prompts. 

If you think you’ve got the hang of it pretty well, challenge yourself with the advanced tissue identification quizzes, which don't contain prompts. 

Click here to find out more about our 6 different quiz types.

Ready to get started?

Don't waste your time trying to memorize every anatomical structure in the body. Pick the ones you need to ace your exam. Our Custom quiz will let you create the right quiz for you. Get started now!

Here are some more examples of our tissue study units:

If you found these tissue quizzes useful, we think you’ll love our free anatomy quiz guides on lots of other anatomy topics!