Which blood vessel carries oxygen-rich blood away from the heart?

• A. Vein
• B. Artery
• C. Capillary
• D. Venule

Answer: (B)

The blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood away from the heart is an artery. Arteries are specialized blood vessels designed to transport oxygenated blood from the left side of the heart to various tissues and organs throughout the body. This process is crucial for delivering the oxygen required for cellular metabolism and various bodily functions.

The structure of arteries, characterized by their thick, elastic walls, allows them to withstand the high pressure of blood being pumped from the heart. They branch off into smaller arterioles and eventually lead to capillaries, where the exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and waste products occurs with surrounding tissues.

In contrast, veins are responsible for carrying deoxygenated blood back to the heart, capillaries are the sites of exchange between blood and tissues, and venules are small vessels that gather blood from the capillaries and channel it into veins. Therefore, understanding the unique functions of these blood vessels highlights the critical role arteries play in the circulatory system by distributing oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.