Locomotion and Movement NEET PYQ Analysis — 27 Questions Decoded (2015-2026)

The Class 11 chapter where one missed step in the sliding-filament theory costs a mark.

Locomotion and Movement is a deceptively detailed chapter. It looks like a list of bones and muscles, but NTA tests the process — the exact sequence of muscle contraction and the precise counts in the human skeleton. Across the PYQ record, Locomotion and Movement has delivered 27 NEET questions (2015-2026), with a weightage trend that is Stable.

NTA returns to this chapter because it combines a step-by-step physiological process with a set of fixed numbers — 206 bones, 7 cervical vertebrae, 12 pairs of ribs — and a clean set of disorders. Those slot perfectly into the multi-statement and match-the-column formats that now dominate Biology. NEET 2026 confirmed it with 3 questions, all statement or matching based.

This analysis breaks down what NTA actually asks, the exact NCERT facts behind the questions, the three questions from NEET 2026, and how to prepare this chapter for NEET 2027.

Section 1 — What Locomotion and Movement Covers in NCERT

Locomotion and Movement is an NCERT Class 11 chapter in the Human Physiology unit (Zoology division). It covers the types of movement (amoeboid, ciliary, muscular), muscle (skeletal, smooth and cardiac), the structure of a contractile unit — the sarcomere with its actin and myosin filaments — the sliding-filament theory of muscle contraction, the skeletal system (axial and appendicular skeleton), joints (fibrous, cartilaginous, synovial), and disorders of the muscular and skeletal systems — myasthenia gravis, tetany, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, osteoporosis and gout.

It connects directly with Neural Control and Coordination, since muscle contraction begins with a nerve impulse. Total PYQ count: 27 (2015-2026). Class: 11.

Section 2 — Weightage and Trend

No source dataset carries a reliable year-by-year split for this chapter, so rather than invent one, here is the official weightage profile from MedicNEET's chapter-weightage model:

The signal is clear: Locomotion and Movement is a stable, reliable chapter that averages around 2 questions a paper. NEET 2026's three-question showing was slightly above its average, and all three came from the chapter's core topics. Cross-check it against the full NEET Biology chapter weightage analysis. Expect 2 questions in NEET 2027.

Section 3 — Topic-wise Breakdown

Across the PYQ set, NTA returns to a clear cluster of topics. The highest-yield areas:

• Muscle contraction — the sliding-filament theory, the role of calcium and troponin/tropomyosin, the cross-bridge cycle, and the behaviour of the A, I and H bands. This is the single most-tested topic.
• Skeletal system — the 206 bones, axial versus appendicular division, vertebral counts, and the structure of ribs (true, false, floating; bicephalic articulation).
• Joints — the synovial joint subtypes (ball-and-socket, hinge, pivot, gliding, saddle) with examples.
• Disorders — myasthenia gravis, tetany, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, gout and osteoporosis, each with its precise cause.

Repeating NCERT concepts: the structure of the sarcomere, the chemical nature of the actin and myosin filaments, and the difference between the red and white muscle fibres.

Rarely or never asked — safe to deprioritise: exhaustive detail on amoeboid and ciliary movement beyond the basic definition. Practise the full set on the Locomotion and Movement PYQ page.

Section 4 — Question Format Analysis

Pre-2026: questions were mostly direct single-fact recall — "How many bones in the human body?", "Which ion triggers contraction?"

NEET 2026: the format went fully into multi-statement and matching. Of the three questions, two were multi-statement — one on the muscle contraction sequence, one on the endoskeleton — and one was a match-the-column on disorders. Each demanded that you evaluate four to five separate NCERT facts at once.

Going forward: expect Locomotion and Movement to stay statement-heavy. Knowing one step of contraction is not enough — you must judge the whole sequence true or false. If multi-statement and match-the-column formats are your weak spot, read Match-the-Column Questions: The Format That Destroys NEET Scores.

Section 5 — NEET 2026 Decoded

Here are the exact three Locomotion and Movement questions from the NEET 2026 paper, decoded:

1. Statements on muscle contraction (multi-statement) — Five statements; the correct ones are A, B, D and E. The trap is statement C — "increase in calcium inactivates the actin for breaking cross bridges" is false; rising calcium activates actin by exposing its myosin-binding sites. NCERT concept — a motor neuron carries the CNS signal to the sarcolemma, the action potential releases calcium into the sarcoplasm, actin binds the myosin head to form a cross bridge, and the sarcomere shortens as actin filaments are pulled towards the centre of the A band.
2. Statements on the human endoskeleton (multi-statement) — Five statements; the correct ones are B, C and E. The traps: statement A — the human skull is dicondylic, not monocondylic — and statement D — all ribs except the last two pairs are bicephalic is true, but the standard NCERT-aligned key marks it as a distractor in this set, so B, C and E form the correct combination. NCERT concept — the joint between adjacent vertebrae is cartilaginous, there are seven cervical vertebrae in all mammals, and the occipital condyles articulate with the atlas vertebra.
3. Match disorders with description (match-the-column) — The correct pairing is Tetany–wild muscle contraction due to low calcium in body fluid, Arthritis–inflammation of joints, Myasthenia gravis–autoimmune disorder affecting the neuromuscular junction, Muscular dystrophy–progressive degeneration of skeletal muscle. The trap: swapping tetany and muscular dystrophy. NCERT concept — each of these is a named disorder of the muscular or skeletal system with a distinct, textbook-stated cause.

Every one of these maps to a plain NCERT line — not a single question came from outside the textbook.

Section 6 — Strategy for This Chapter

• Time to allot: 2 focused days. The process content needs careful, sequential reading.
• NCERT sections to nail: the sliding-filament theory step by step, the sarcomere structure with band changes, the axial and appendicular skeleton counts, the synovial joint subtypes, and all the named disorders with causes.
• Common mistakes: (1) thinking calcium inactivates actin instead of activating it; (2) calling the skull monocondylic; (3) confusing tetany with muscular dystrophy; (4) forgetting the H zone disappears but the A band stays constant during contraction.
• How to approach it for RENEET / NEET 2027: rehearse the contraction sequence as an ordered checklist and test each step true or false. Drill the chapter on the Locomotion and Movement PYQ set and under timed conditions with the RENEET test series.

Section 7 — Most Repeated Concepts

The five concepts that recur most across Locomotion and Movement PYQs, with the NCERT lines to memorise word-for-word:

1. "Muscle contraction is initiated by a signal sent by the central nervous system via a motor neuron" — the neural signal generates an action potential which releases calcium into the sarcoplasm.
2. The sliding-filament theory states that contraction occurs by the sliding of thin (actin) filaments over the thick (myosin) filaments, shortening the sarcomere.
3. "The human skeleton is made up of 206 bones, grouped into the axial skeleton (80 bones) and the appendicular skeleton (126 bones)."
4. "Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder affecting the neuromuscular junction, leading to fatigue and weakening of skeletal muscles."
5. Tetany is the rapid spasm (wild contraction) of muscle caused by a low level of calcium in the body fluid.

Locomotion and Movement is a winnable chapter — the content is finite and entirely NCERT. Master the contraction sequence, lock in the skeletal numbers, and learn the disorders cold, and it converts into reliable marks. Start with the free Locomotion and Movement PYQ set and build your full plan around the chapter weightage data.