Which statement about arteries is correct?

Which statement about arteries is correct?

• A. Arteries carry blood away from the heart under pressure.
• B. Arteries carry blood toward the heart under pressure.
• C. The pulmonary artery carries oxygenated blood to the lungs.
• D. The largest artery is the vena cava.

Answer: (A)

Arteries carry blood away from the heart under pressure. This reflects their role in delivering oxygenated blood (in the systemic circulation) from the heart to tissues, driven by the force of heart contractions. Their walls are thick and muscular to withstand and regulate the high pressure they encounter as blood is pumped out. The other statements don’t fit: the veins, not arteries, carry blood toward the heart and operate at lower pressure. The pulmonary artery actually carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs, not oxygenated blood. And the largest artery is the aorta, while the vena cava is a large vein, not an artery.

Arteries carry blood away from the heart under pressure. This reflects their role in delivering oxygenated blood (in the systemic circulation) from the heart to tissues, driven by the force of heart contractions. Their walls are thick and muscular to withstand and regulate the high pressure they encounter as blood is pumped out.

The other statements don’t fit: the veins, not arteries, carry blood toward the heart and operate at lower pressure. The pulmonary artery actually carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs, not oxygenated blood. And the largest artery is the aorta, while the vena cava is a large vein, not an artery.