Video Transcript
Fill in the blank. Blank is an organ of the male
reproductive system that is composed of spongelike tissue. (A) The penis, (B) a testis, (C)
the prostate, (D) the urethra.
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 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 and
released by the penis. We’ll eliminate answer choices as
we go.
Sperm is produced in the testes, or
testis as singular. These are sometimes called the
testicles. The testes are not composed of
spongelike tissue. So, answer choice (B) is
incorrect. 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 seminal
fluid from different glands to form semen. One of these glands is called the
prostate gland. The prostate is not made up of
spongelike tissue. So, answer choice (C) is
incorrect.
Now that semen is prepared, it can
be ejaculated, or ejected, from a tube called the urethra. The urethra is a tube and is not
made of spongelike tissue. So answer choice (D) is
incorrect. During sexual intercourse, the
penis becomes erect and can enter the vagina of the female reproductive system to
ejaculate semen. The penis is made up of spongelike
tissue that can fill up with blood and become rigid during an erection.
Therefore, to fill in the blank in
the statement “Blank is an organ of the male reproductive system that is composed of
spongelike tissue,” the correct option is answer choice (A), the penis.
