Reproductive System

Question 1

Gonads

Answer 1

Both male and female reproductive systems have organs called gonads that produce gametes.

Question 2

Gametes

Answer 2

A gamete is a haploid cell that combines with another haploid gamete during fertilization, forming a single diploid cell called a zygote.

Question 3

Sex Hormones

Answer 3

Besides producing gametes, the gonads also produce sex hormones. Sex hormones are endocrine hormones that control development of sex organs before birth, sexual maturation at puberty, and reproduction once sexual maturation has occurred.

Question 4

Homologous Structures

Answer 4

Undifferentiated embryonic tissues develop into different structures in male and female fetuses. Structures that arise from the same tissues in males and females are called homologous structures.

Question 5

Testosterone

Answer 5

The main sex hormones are testosterone in males and estrogen in females.

Question 6

Estrogen

Answer 6

The main sex hormones are testosterone in males and estrogen in females.

Question 7

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Answer 7

Sex hormones, in turn, lead to the growth and maturation of the reproductive organs, rapid body growth, and the development of secondary sex characteristics. Secondary sex characteristics are traits that are different in mature males and females, but are not directly involved in reproduction. They include facial hair in males and breasts in females.

Question 8

Testes

Answer 8

The two testes (singular, testis) hang between the thighs in a sac of skin called the scrotum. The testes produce both sperm and testosterone.

Question 9

Scrotum

Answer 9

The two testes (singular, testis) hang between the thighs in a sac of skin called the scrotum. The testes produce both sperm and testosterone.

Question 10

Epididymis

Answer 10

Resting atop each testis is a coiled structure called the epididymis (plural, epididymes). The function of the epididymes is to mature and store sperm.

Question 11

Penis

Answer 11

The penis is a tubular organ that contains the urethra.

Question 12

Vas Deferens

Answer 12

The ducts, which include the vas deferens (also called the ductus deferens), transport sperm from the epididymis to the urethra.

Question 13

Prostate Gland

Answer 13

The glands, which include the prostate gland and seminal vesicles, produce fluids that become part of semen.

Question 14

Spermatogenesis

Answer 14

The process of producing sperm is known as spermatogenesis.

Question 15

Ovaries

Answer 15

The main structures of the female reproductive system are internal to the body. They include the paired ovaries, which are small, ovoid structures that produce eggs and secrete estrogen.

Question 16

Fallopian Tubes

Answer 16

The two Fallopian tubes start near the ovaries and end at the uterus. Their function is to transport eggs from the ovaries to the uterus.

Question 17

Uterus

Answer 17

The two Fallopian tubes start near the ovaries and end at the uterus. The uterus is a pear-shaped muscular organ that functions to carry a fetus until birth.

Question 18

Vagina

Answer 18

The vagina is a tubular tract connecting the uterus to the outside of the body.

Question 19

Placenta

Answer 19

The placenta is a temporary organ that consists of a mass of maternal and fetal blood vessels through which the mother’s and fetus’s blood exchange substances.

Question 20

Oogenesis

Answer 20

The process of producing eggs in the ovaries of a female fetus is called oogenesis.