Which statement describes a function of the urinary system?

Which statement describes a function of the urinary system?

• A. Eliminates nitrogenous wastes from the body
• B. Produces hormones
• C. Pumps blood through the heart
• D. Stores bile

Answer: (A)

The urinary system primarily filters the blood to remove metabolic wastes and help balance fluids, electrolytes, and acid-base levels. Nitrogenous wastes like urea, uric acid, and creatinine come from protein and nucleotide metabolism and must be excreted. The kidneys accomplish this by filtering the blood, reabsorbing what the body needs, and secreting the rest into urine, which leaves the body. That makes eliminating nitrogenous wastes the best description of a urinary system function. Producing hormones happens in the kidneys too (such as erythropoietin and renin), but this is a secondary role compared with waste elimination. Pumping blood through the heart is the job of the circulatory system, and storing bile relates to the digestive/hepatobiliary system, not the urinary system.

The urinary system primarily filters the blood to remove metabolic wastes and help balance fluids, electrolytes, and acid-base levels. Nitrogenous wastes like urea, uric acid, and creatinine come from protein and nucleotide metabolism and must be excreted. The kidneys accomplish this by filtering the blood, reabsorbing what the body needs, and secreting the rest into urine, which leaves the body. That makes eliminating nitrogenous wastes the best description of a urinary system function.

Producing hormones happens in the kidneys too (such as erythropoietin and renin), but this is a secondary role compared with waste elimination. Pumping blood through the heart is the job of the circulatory system, and storing bile relates to the digestive/hepatobiliary system, not the urinary system.