Which statement best describes the orientation of collagen fibers in the annulus fibrosus lamellae?

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The arrangement of collagen in the annulus fibrosus is designed to resist twisting and bending by layering fibers in a crosshatched pattern. Within each thin layer, the fibers run parallel to each other in a single oblique direction. The next layer above reverses that orientation, so adjacent lamellae are in opposite directions. This means you have the same direction within a lamella, but opposite directions in neighboring lamellae. That alternation creates a strong, multi-directional tensile network that distributes stress and helps prevent delamination when the spine twists. If all lamellae ran in the same direction, or if fiber orientations were random within a lamella, the disc would be far less resistant to torsion and shear.