Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Oxygen is exchanged between blood and tissues primarily at the capillaries. Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels where the exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and waste products occurs between the blood and the tissues. This exchange process is crucial for delivering oxygen to the body's cells and eliminating carbon dioxide waste. Veins carry blood back to the heart, arteries carry blood away from the heart, and ventricles are the lower chambers of the heart responsible for pumping blood. Therefore, capillaries are the correct answer for where oxygen is exchanged between blood and tissues.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Progesterone plays a key role in the regulation and preparation of the endometrial lining of the uterus for potential pregnancy. It also inhibits contractions of the uterus as the ovum is released and stimulates milk production in the breasts. However, the expression of secondary sexual characteristics, such as enlarged breasts, is primarily influenced by estrogen, not progesterone. Therefore, choice A is the correct answer as it is not a function directly attributed to progesterone in the female reproductive system.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: semilunar valves. Semilunar valves are primarily responsible for preventing blood flow from major blood vessels to the heart. These valves are located at the base of the aorta and the pulmonary artery, ensuring blood flows in one direction only by closing when the ventricles relax to prevent blood from flowing back into the heart. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect. Atrioventricular valves (choice A) include the tricuspid and bicuspid valves, which prevent backflow between the atria and ventricles, not major blood vessels. Tricuspid valves (choice C) and bicuspid valves (choice D) are specific types of atrioventricular valves located between the atria and ventricles, not at the base of major blood vessels.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The property of water that is responsible for its ability to dissolve important nutrients like ionic salt compounds is its high polarity. Water is a polar molecule with a positive and negative end, which allows it to attract and surround individual ions from salt compounds, causing them to dissociate and dissolve in water. This property makes water an excellent solvent for various substances necessary for life functions. Adhesion refers to the ability of water molecules to stick to other substances, cohesion is the attraction between water molecules themselves, and high specific heat is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of water. While these properties are important characteristics of water, they are not directly responsible for its ability to dissolve ionic salt compounds.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Lipids are non-soluble biological macromolecules composed mostly of hydrocarbons such as fatty acids. They act as an essential source of energy storage for the body, providing efficient storage of energy in the form of fats. Carbohydrates are also an energy source for the body, but lipids excel in long-term energy storage. Nucleic acids are not known for energy storage; instead, they are involved in genetic information transmission and protein synthesis. Proteins play diverse roles in the body, such as enzymatic functions, structural support, and immune response, but they are not primarily known as a source of energy storage.