OCR General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Biology Practice Exam

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Which vessel carries blood away from the heart?

Veins
Capillaries
Arteries
Vena cava

The correct answer is: Arteries

The vessel that carries blood away from the heart is the arteries. Arteries are thick-walled blood vessels designed to handle the high pressure of blood as it is pumped from the heart. They transport oxygenated blood throughout the body, except for the pulmonary arteries, which carry deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs for reoxygenation. Veins, in contrast, carry blood back towards the heart and are equipped with valves to prevent backflow. Capillaries are microvessels where the exchange of gases, nutrients, and waste occurs between blood and tissues, but they do not carry blood away from the heart. The vena cava is a major vein that returns deoxygenated blood back to the heart. Therefore, the correct understanding of arterial function highlights why arteries are the appropriate answer to the question of which vessel carries blood away from the heart.