The bladder is the only WHAT TYPE OF muscle in the body that we gain WHAT TYPE control over?

• A. Involuntary, voluntary
• B. Voluntary, involuntary
• C. Smooth, skeletal
• D. Cardiac, smooth

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is how the bladder works: the wall of the bladder is smooth muscle, which normally contracts and relaxes automatically under autonomic control—that’s involuntary. But we do have voluntary control over when to urinate, because the process is regulated by the external urethral sphincter, a skeletal muscle that we can consciously relax or tighten. So the bladder itself is involuntary, yet we gain voluntary control over the act of urination. That’s why the best fit is involuntary, voluntary.

Smooth muscle like the bladder isn’t under conscious control, unlike skeletal muscle. Cardiac muscle is the heart and isn’t something we can voluntarily control. So those other pairings don’t align with how urination is regulated.