Video Transcript
What part of the male reproductive
system is responsible for carrying sperm from the testes to the urethra? (A) The sperm ducts, vasa
deferentia. (B) The prostate gland. (C) The scrotum. (D) The urinary bladder.
This question is asking us about
the male reproductive system, which we can see here. The purpose of this system is to
deliver semen, which contains sperm, to the female reproductive system using the
penis. A sperm cell can then combine with
an egg cell that’s been made by the female reproductive system to make a fertilized
egg. This fertilized egg can then make a
baby, which can develop in the female reproductive system.
To answer our question, let’s go
through the parts of the male reproductive system and see how sperm is produced so
it can be released by the penis. Sperm is produced in the testes, or
testis as singular. These are sometimes called the
testicles. Sperm are sensitive to high
temperatures. So the testes are kept outside the
body in a sac of skin called the scrotum. The sperm that are made in the
testes are stored in a region called the epididymis. When the male is sexually aroused,
the sperm can travel from the epididymis through a tube called the vas deferens. The sperm can then mix with fluids
from different glands to form semen. One of these glands is called the
seminal vesicle. Another gland that adds fluid to
make semen is the prostate gland.
Now that semen is prepared, it can
be ejaculated, or ejected, from a tube called the urethra. During sexual intercourse, the
ejaculated semen can enter the female reproductive system, where a sperm cell in the
semen can fertilize an egg cell. So the part of the male
reproductive system that carries sperm to the urethra is the vas deferens. Because there’s one for each
testicle, the plural form is the vasa deferentia. These are also known as the sperm
ducts.
Therefore, answer choice (A) is
correct: the sperm ducts, vasa deferentia.
