What is the name given to the most superficial layer of the integument?

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The integument comprises the epidermis and dermis, and the stratum corneum is its most superficial layer, a dead, keratinized covering that shields the body. The papillary dermal layer is in the dermis, beneath the epidermis, not superficial. The stratum lucidum, a thin layer in thick skin, lies just below the corneum, not above it. Superficial fascia (hypodermis) is below the dermis, not part of the integument proper. The stratum corneum's position as the outermost, horny layer makes it the correct answer, consistent with its role as the skin's first line of defense.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Sweat glands, or sudiferous glands, include eccrine (merocrine), which secrete watery sweat to the skin surface, and apocrine, which secrete into hair follicles. 'Merocrine gland' is synonymous with eccrine, describing its secretion method, so it's a sweat gland. Endocrine glands, like the thyroid, secrete hormones into the bloodstream, not sweat onto the skin, making them unrelated to sudiferous glands. Apocrine glands are a distinct sweat gland type. The misfit is endocrine, as it doesn't belong to the skin's sweat-producing category, per glandular classification.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Skin produces melanin (via melanocytes) for UV protection, regulates temperature through sweat and blood flow, and minimizes water loss with the stratum corneum. Fat storage is in the hypodermis, not skin. Bile excretion is a liver function. Trapping air via hair aids insulation, but it's less central than the chosen trio. Keratin production and immunity (via Langerhans cells) are valid, but dendrocytes (dendritic cells) aren't produced by skin. The set of melanin, temperature regulation, and water retention captures key skin roles effectively.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Sudiferous glands, meaning sweat glands, include eccrine (merocrine), which secrete to the skin surface, and apocrine, which secrete into hair follicles both types fall under this term. Sebaceous glands produce oil (sebum), not sweat. Ceruminous glands make earwax, and mammary glands produce milk, neither being sudiferous. Pairing eccrine and apocrine captures the full range of sweat glands, aligning with the definition of sudiferous in skin physiology, making this the correct synonym.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The integumentary system includes skin (epidermis, dermis), hair, nails, and glands (sebaceous, sweat). Sebaceous glands, hair, nails, and mammary glands (skin derivatives) are all part. Apocrine glands, sebaceous glands, Merkel discs, and hair follicles are integumentary. Melanocytes, keratinocytes, Merkel cells, and dendrocytes are skin cells. Meissner's corpuscles, eccrine glands, and oil (sebaceous) glands are integumentary, but the hypodermis isn't, making this list the one with a non-integumentary element.