The Reproductive System

Question 1

Male reproductive organs

Answer 1

The organs of the male reproductive system are:
the testes which produce sperm

Ducts and glands that store or transport sperm ▪

Accessory glands to add secretions (semen)

The penis introduces spermatozoa into the vagina.

Question 2

The testes

Answer 2

The testes or male gonads are a pair of oval glands which are supported by the scrotum.

They produce spermatozoa and the male hormone testosterone.

Spermatozoa are produced.

Question 3

Testosterone

Answer 3

Testosterone controls the development, growth and maintenance of the male sex organs.

It stimulates bone growth, sexual behaviour, final maturation of sperm and the development of male sexual characteristics.

Question 4

Vas deferens

Question 5

Scrotum

Answer 5

The scrotum is a sac which contains the testes, epididymis and the vas deferens. It hangs behind the penis

Function – it supports and protects the testes as well as maintain the correct temperature for them.

Question 6

Epididymis

Answer 6

A narrow, tightly-coiled tube that is attached to each of the testicles

Sperm cells move from the testicles into the epididymis, where they finish maturing and are stored.

Question 7

The prostate

Answer 7

The prostate’s primary function is to produce the fluid that nourishes and transports sperm (seminal fluid).

Question 8

The penis

Answer 8

The penis is the main external sex organ of the male.

Function - organ of excretion and of reproduction

Question 9

The female reproductive system

Answer 9

The organs of the female reproductive system are:
the ovaries which produce ova
the fallopian tubes which transport the ova to the uterus
the uterus or womb
the vagina
the mammary glands.

Question 10

Location of the ovaries

Answer 10

The ovaries, or female gonads, are a pair of glands positioned in the upper pelvic cavity on each side of the uterus.

Question 11

Function of the ovaries

Answer 11

They produce and discharge the ova and secrete the female sex hormones, progesterone, oestrogens and relaxin.

Question 12

The fallopian tubes

Answer 12

There are two fallopian or uterine tubes which extend laterally from the uterus transporting the ova from the ovaries to the uterus.

Question 13

The uterus

Answer 13

This is a hollow muscular organ lying in the pelvic cavity between the urinary bladder and the rectum.

It is the site of menstruation after puberty and the environment for the developing embryo during the 40-week gestation period.

Question 14

The vagina

Answer 14

This is a fibromuscular tube connecting the internal and external organs of reproduction.

Question 15

Function of the vagina.

Answer 15

It is a passageway for the menstrual flow and is the tube into which the penis is inserted during sexual intercourse and the lower part of the birth canal through which the baby is delivered.

Question 16

The mammary glands

Answer 16

The breasts, or mammary glands, are accessory glands of the female reproductive system.

Each gland consists of 15–20 lobes separated by adipose tissue.

The alveoli carry the milk into a series of secondary tubules and from there they pass into the mammary ducts.

Question 17

The menstrual cycle

Answer 17

An egg is released from an ovary and travels to the womb.

When the egg is not fertilised, the lining of the womb breaks up and is shed during the menstrual flow; a new lining then forms for the next egg to be released.

Question 18

Ova/Ovum

Answer 18

The single cell released from either of the female reproductive organs, the ovaries, which is capable of developing into a new organism when fertilized (united) with a sperm cell.