Question

fill in the blank question
this image shows a histological sample of dense
connective
tissue.
copyright © mcgraw hill llc.
permission required for reproduction or display.
© victor p. eroschenko

Explanation:

Dense connective tissue has two main types: dense regular and dense irregular. The histological image here (with the characteristic arrangement of collagen fibers and cells like fibroblasts) for dense irregular connective tissue? Wait, no, dense regular is for tendons/ligaments, but the image shown (from typical histology) of dense connective tissue—wait, the blank is for the type. Wait, dense connective tissue can be "irregular" or "regular", but the common fill here, especially with the image (which is likely dense irregular? No, wait, the standard fill for "dense __ connective tissue"—wait, the image is of dense irregular? No, maybe "dense regular" no, wait, the correct term: Dense connective tissue has dense regular (parallel collagen fibers, tendons) and dense irregular (random collagen fibers, dermis). But the image here—looking at the histology, the cells (fibroblasts) and the collagen fibers. Wait, the blank is to fill the type. Wait, the sentence is "dense connective tissue". The correct term is "dense irregular" or "dense regular"? Wait, no, maybe "dense fibrous"? No, the standard is "dense irregular" or "dense regular". Wait, the image provided (by Victor P. Eroschenko, a histology author) shows dense irregular connective tissue? Wait, no, maybe the answer is "irregular"? Wait, no, let's recall: Dense connective tissue: dense regular (tendons, ligaments) has parallel collagen fibers, dense irregular (dermis, organ capsules) has irregularly arranged collagen fibers. The image here—looking at the pink (collagen) and purple (nuclei of fibroblasts). The arrangement of collagen fibers looks irregular. So the blank should be "irregular"? Wait, no, maybe "dense regular" is for tendons, but the image—wait, maybe the answer is "irregular". Wait, no, let's check: the question is "dense __ connective tissue". The correct fill is "irregular" (if it's dense irregular) or "regular" (dense regular). But the image shown is likely dense irregular connective tissue. Wait, but maybe the answer is "irregular". Alternatively, maybe "dense fibrous" but no, the standard term is dense irregular or dense regular. Wait, perhaps the answer is "irregular". Wait, no, let's think again. The histological sample of dense connective tissue—dense connective tissue is divided into dense regular (collagen fibers arranged in parallel) and dense irregular (collagen fibers arranged irregularly). The image here (from the textbook) is of dense irregular connective tissue? Wait, no, maybe the answer is "irregular". Alternatively, maybe the answer is "regular" but that's for tendons. Wait, maybe I'm overcomplicating. The correct term to fill in the blank is "irregular" (for dense irregular connective tissue) or "regular". Wait, looking at the image, the collagen fibers are arranged in a more irregular pattern (not parallel), so it's dense irregular connective tissue. So the blank should be filled with "irregular".

Answer:

irregular