Arteries, capillaries and veins

Question 1

As blood leaves the heart, in what order does it travel through these blood vessel types:

veins, arteries and capillaries

Answer 1

Blood circulates from the heart through arteries to the capillaries then to the veins which carries the blood back to the heart

Question 2

Arteries carry blood _ from the heart and veins carry blood _ to the heart

fill the blanks

Answer 2

arteries carry blood away from the heart, veins carry blood back to the heart

Question 3

What is the lumen?

Answer 3

central cavity of a blood vessel

Question 4

What is the lumen lined with?

Answer 4

a thin layer of epithelial cells named the endothelium

Question 5

What are the features of an artery?

Answer 5

• narrow lumen
• Thick middle layer of smooth muscle and elastic fibres

-outer layer of connective tissue with more elastic fibres

• carry blood under high pressure

Question 6

What are the features of a vein?

Answer 6

• wide lumen
• thinner muscular layer containing elastic fibres (compared to arteries)
• contains valves
• carries blood at low pressures

Question 7

What is the function of valves in veins?

Answer 7

To prevent the back flow of blood

Question 8

Which type of blood vessel is important for the exchange of substances between the blood vessels and the surrounding tissue?

Answer 8

Capillaries

Question 9

Explain the structure of capillaries

Answer 9

Dense network of microscopic vessels which have only a single layer of epithelium, they are only one cell thick

Question 10

When a person is exercising how can blood vessels adapt in order to meet the bodies requirements?

Answer 10

• arterioles supplying working skeletal muscle can vasodilate to allow more blood to reach the muscle
• arterioles leading to the abdomen can vasoconstrict to reduce the amount of blood reaching the abdominal organs as digestion is less important during exercise.

Question 11

What does blood consist of?

Answer 11

• red blood cells
• white blood cells
• plasma
• platelets

Question 12

What is the difference between tissue fluid and plasma?

Answer 12

tissue fluid does not contain plasma proteins as they are too large to be filtered through the capillary wall

Question 13

What is lymph?

Answer 13

tissue fluid that has not been returned to blood capillaries, but instead has entered a lymphatic vessel

(once tissue fluid is within a lymphatic vessel it is called lymph)