Which natural suture material is cheap and has a good tensile strength?

• A. Silk
• B. Linen
• C. Cat gut
• D. Cotton

Answer: (B)

In this area, you weigh how a suture behaves in tissue: strength, duration of support, tissue reaction, handling, and cost. The question asks for a natural suture that is inexpensive yet has good tensile strength. Among natural options, linen offers a strong filament without the higher cost of silk, giving a reliable balance of strength and affordability. Catgut, while cheap, is absorbable and loses strength relatively quickly, so it isn’t ideal when lasting tensile strength is needed. Silk is strong but more expensive and can provoke more tissue reaction, and cotton tends to be weaker and less reliable for maintaining strength. So linen best meets the combination of being natural, affordable, and possessing good tensile strength.