Which body system covers and protects the body, with the skin as a major organ and including hair and nails?

Which body system covers and protects the body, with the skin as a major organ and including hair and nails?

• A. Integumentary system
• B. Skeletal system
• C. Digestive system
• D. Nervous system

Answer: (A)

The system that forms the external covering of the body and protects it, with the skin as a major organ and including hair and nails, is the integumentary system. Its main job is to act as a barrier against physical injury, pathogens, and water loss, while also helping regulate body temperature and providing sensory information through nerve endings in the skin. The skin is the largest organ of this system, and its accessory structures—hair, nails, and glands that produce sweat and oil—support these protective and regulatory roles. Hair helps with insulation and protection, nails shield the fingertips and aid in grip, and sweat glands participate in cooling the body. Other systems don’t form the external covering or include hair and nails, so they don’t fit this description.

The system that forms the external covering of the body and protects it, with the skin as a major organ and including hair and nails, is the integumentary system. Its main job is to act as a barrier against physical injury, pathogens, and water loss, while also helping regulate body temperature and providing sensory information through nerve endings in the skin. The skin is the largest organ of this system, and its accessory structures—hair, nails, and glands that produce sweat and oil—support these protective and regulatory roles. Hair helps with insulation and protection, nails shield the fingertips and aid in grip, and sweat glands participate in cooling the body. Other systems don’t form the external covering or include hair and nails, so they don’t fit this description.