In this blog, we’ll dissect the above mock question, discuss the anatomy of the vasti muscles and understand what joint action these muscles are responsible for.
Watch the 8-minute training video to unpick this mock question, and then test your knowledge with three more fitness exam questions at the bottom of the blog
Today’s Mock question is a typical Level 3 anatomy and physiology multiple choice question, whereby you APPLY knowledge of the muscles to joint action. It doesn’t explicitly ask you for the origins and insertions of a specific muscle, it asks you to use that knowledge to answer a question about joint actions.
This can make the question seem confusing, so you need to extract key information from the question in order to make sure you know how to answer it correctly.
Let’s break it down
The question is:
What Joint Action Are The 3 Vasti Muscles Responsible For?
The keywords in this question are:
- Joint Action
- 3 Vasti Muscles
Once you have extracted the three keywords, you can then narrow down your memory recall to these two keywords/ phrases. This avoids confusion, stops you from getting distracted by the possible multiple choice answers, and avoids feeling flustered on exam day
What are the Vasti Muscles?
The vasti muscles are three of the four muscles that make up the Quadriceps.
The Quadriceps are located on the front (anterior) of the thigh, and include four muscles:
- The Rectus Femoris
- 1 = Vastus Medialis
- 2 = Vastus Intermedius
- 3 = Vastus Lateralis
What is the Insertion of the Quadriceps?
An Insertion is the muscle attachment on the moving part. All four of the Quadricep muscles have the same muscle insertion.
This is on the Tibia via the Patella Tendon
The Tibia is the largest of the two bones in the lower leg and has a large flat plateau at the top, which creates part of the knee joint. There is a knobbly bit on the front of this plateau which serves as the attachment point for the quads.
You can feel this when you put your hand on your knee, below the knee cap.
What is the Origin of the Quadriceps?
Although the quads all share an insertion point, the origin point differs; the Rectus Femoris crosses two joints (knee and hip) and therefore has a different origin point than the three vasti muscles.
The Rectus Femoris Originates on the AIIS, Anterior Inferior Iliac Spine. This is on the front of the pelvis.
The Vasti Muscles all have an origin point on the upper anterior femur
The main difference is that the vasti muscles do NOT CROSS THE HIP, therefore the joint action they are responsible for can only relate to the knee.
What Joint Action Are The 3 Vasti Muscles Responsible For?
Place your right index finger on the upper femur (origin point) and your left index finger on the tibia (insertion point). Now draw these towards each other, imagine the line of muscle fibre running from origin to insertion.
As the vasti muscles contract the muscle shortens, and insertion pulls towards origin. This creates Knee Extension. Therefore the answer to this question would be … “Knee Extension”
Read the question one last time and select the correct answer from the list of options.
Now apply this same system to the following mock questions to test your knowledge
Test your knowledge with today’s joint action and muscle mock questions:
[NOTE: The answers are below the 3rd questions]
Q1: What Joint Actions Are The 3 Vasti Muscles Responsible For?
A. Dorsiflexion
B. Knee Flexion
C. Knee Extension
D. Lateral Flexion
Q2: Which joint is stabilized by the vasti muscles?
A. Hip
B. Ankle
C. Knee
D. Spine
Q3: What is the Origin of the Rectus Femoris?
A. Upper Anterior femur
B. Ischium
C. Anterior Superior Iliac Spine
D. Anterior Inferior Iliac Spine
Answers to the mock questions are :
Question 1= C, Question 2 = C, Question 3 = D
If you want more mock questions like this, then you can download more Free Mock Questions: DOWNLOAD NOW
How to learn orgins and insertions?
Learn, Revise & Remember All 50 Muscles In The Level 3 Anatomy & Physiology Exam.
(and the BEST part…You can do all this in as little as 5-minutes a day)
Each flashcard gives you a clear image and six clear muscle facts:
- Name and Location
- Origin and Insertions
- Muscle Actions
- Joints Crossed
- Primary Planes Of Movement
- Exercise Examples
Dedicated to More
Hayley “What Joint Action Are The 3 Vasti Muscles Responsible For?” Bergman
Parallel Coaching
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