Systems: An Organ Recital Trivia Quiz

Answer: circulatory system

The circulatory system, or cardiovascular system, consists of all of those organs and tissues that transport water, nutrients, hormones, and oxygen to a body's cells and waste materials away from those cells. The heart, of course, is the primary organ in this system, but so also are all the arteries, veins, and capillaries. Blood is also obviously a very important component of this system, but it is usually considered a tissue rather than an organ.

The circulatory system also provides transportation for the body's disease-fighting agents; thus, the lymphatic system, though sometimes considered a separate system, is often considered part of the circulatory system.

Answer: respiratory system

The respiratory system includes the mouth, the nose, the pharynx or throat, the trachea and the larynx, the bronchi, the bronchioles, the lungs, and the diaphragm. Its purpose is, of course, to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air and the bloodstream. All of the mentioned parts, except for the diaphragm, create the pathway in which air travels within the body.

The actual gas exchange, or diffusion, takes between the blood and the air in tiny sacs within the lungs that are called alveoli.

The diaphragm, or breathing muscle so to speak, contracts and expands the chest cavity so that air is drawn into the lungs.

Answer: digestive system

The digestive system consists of all the organs and tissues that contribute to the ingestion, break down, and absorption of food and nutrients. It primarily consists of the mouth (salivary glands, tongue, teeth, etc.), the pharynx, the esophagus, the stomach, the small intestine, the liver, the pancreas, the gall bladder, and the colon or large intestine.

While the pancreas is an endocrine gland that regulates glucose in the blood, it also secretes enzymes that aid in digestion. As a side note, the alimentary canal is sometimes used to refer to the pathway food travels from its entry into the body through the mouth to its exit from the body through the rectum.

Answer: excretory system

The excretory system gathers and concentrates waste materials resulting from the body's functions and then removes them from the body. It consists primarily of the kidneys, the ureters, the urinary bladder, and the urethra. However, the liver removes certain toxins and converts them into bile and urea, both of which are eventually eliminated from the body.

The sweat glands release a minimal amount of waste through perspiration.

Answer: nervous system

The nervous system initiates, controls, and coordinates the body's functions, activities, and responses as well as gathers and interprets sensory information from both within and without the body. It consists primarily of the brain and all of its parts, the spinal cord, cranial nerves, spinal nerves, nerve plexuses, and sensory organs (such as the eyes, ears, etc.).

The nervous system is often divided into two parts: the central nervous system, which consists of the brain and the spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system, which consists of all the nerves and ganglia that branch away from the central nervous system.

Answer: endocrine system

The endocrine system produces hormones, stores them and secretes them directly into the circulatory system, where they travel to specific target organs or tissues. It consists primarily of the pituitary gland, the pineal body, the thyroid gland, the parathyroid glands, the adrenal glands, and the pancreas. Generally, the glands that belong to this system do not have ducts. Furthermore, other organs that secrete chemicals directly into the bloodstream may also be included in this system.

These may include the kidneys, testes, ovaries, and various organs of the digestive system.

Answer: integumentary system

The word "integumentary" refers to an outer membrane or covering. Thus, this system consists primarily of the skin but also its appendages (hair, nails, etc.) and various organs within the skin that help to maintain and nourish it. The integumentary system has several functions: protection of inner tissues and organs from abrasions and disease-causing agents, prevention of water loss, protection from sunburn, formation of vitamin D, regulation of body temperature, housing for nerve endings that serve as receptors for sensation, and many others.

The skin consists of three layers: the epidermis, the dermis, and the hypodermis.

Answer: skeletal system

The skeletal system creates structure, support, and form to the body, allows the body to move, protects many of the body's organs and tissues, and produces blood cells within the bone marrow. There are 206 bones in the adult human skeleton; however, we start out with 270 of them before some of them are fused as we grow into adults.

The skeletal system also includes the teeth, cartilage, and ligaments.

Answer: muscular system

The muscular system's most obvious function is to allow body movement; however, the body's muscles and tendons also maintain the body's posture and circulate blood through the body. The heart is, of course, a muscle, but arteries and veins and such also possess muscle tissue within their walls.

There are about 700 named muscles within the adult human body, and all of this muscle mass accounts for around fifty percent of the body's weight. Muscles are generally divided into three categories: skeletal muscles (which allow for voluntary movement), smooth muscles (which allow for movement of an involuntary kind, such as the motions of the digestive and circulatory systems), and cardiac muscle (the unique muscles of the heart).

Answer: reproductive system

The reproductive system consists of all the organs that work together to contribute to the process of sexual reproduction. This is the only system in the human body that consists of differently developed organs that are the result of human gender. In other words (and most obviously), the male's reproductive organs develop differently from those of the female.