What is the urethra?

• A. One of two tubes, each leading from a single kidney to the urinary bladder
• B. Tube from the urinary bladder to the outside of the body
• C. The womb; the organ that holds the embryo/fetus as it develops. Only in women
• D. Internal organs in the main cavities (singular: viscus)

Answer: (B)

The urethra is the passage that carries urine from the urinary bladder out of the body. After urine collects in the bladder, it moves through this tube and exits when you urinate. In males, the urethra also serves as a route for semen during ejaculation, but its essential role in both sexes is to remove urine from the bladder to the outside.

The other descriptions refer to different structures: the tubes connecting the kidneys to the bladder are the ureters; the womb that holds a developing embryo is the uterus; and internal organs in the body cavities are called viscera. So the description that matches the urethra is the tube from the urinary bladder to the outside of the body.