Assertion (A): Blood is classified as a specialized connective tissue. Reason (R): Blood originates from mesoderm and has an extracellular matrix (plasma) in which cells are suspended.

Assertion (A): Epithelial tissue is avascular and lacks blood vessels. Reason (R): Epithelial cells receive nutrients by diffusion from the basement membrane, which is directly supplied by blood vessels within the epithelium.

Assertion (A): Cartilage is avascular and heals slowly after injury. Reason (R): Chondrocytes in lacunae receive nutrients only by diffusion through the chondroitin sulfate matrix, since no blood vessels penetrate cartilage.

Assertion (A): Smooth muscle is non-striated. Reason (R): Smooth muscle lacks organized sarcomeres because its actin and myosin filaments are not arranged in regular repeating units.

Assertion (A): Cardiac muscle is both striated and involuntary. Reason (R): Cardiac muscle contains intercalated discs that function as gap junctions, enabling synchronized contraction without voluntary neural input.