Which type of valves lies between the ventricles and the major arteries leaving the heart?

Which type of valves lies between the ventricles and the major arteries leaving the heart?

• A. Semilunar valves
• B. AV valves
• C. Tricuspid valve
• D. Bicuspid valve

Answer: (A)

Semilunar valves lie between the ventricles and the major arteries leaving the heart. They sit at the outflow points: the aortic valve from the left ventricle to the aorta and the pulmonary valve from the right ventricle to the pulmonary trunk. Their three cusps form a crescent shape and open during ventricular contraction to eject blood, then close during relaxation to prevent blood from flowing back into the heart. In contrast, the atrioventricular valves—tricuspid on the right and mitral (bicuspid) on the left—lie between the atria and ventricles and prevent backflow into the atria, not at the ventricles’ outflow into arteries. So the valves between the ventricles and the major arteries are the semilunar valves.

Semilunar valves lie between the ventricles and the major arteries leaving the heart. They sit at the outflow points: the aortic valve from the left ventricle to the aorta and the pulmonary valve from the right ventricle to the pulmonary trunk. Their three cusps form a crescent shape and open during ventricular contraction to eject blood, then close during relaxation to prevent blood from flowing back into the heart. In contrast, the atrioventricular valves—tricuspid on the right and mitral (bicuspid) on the left—lie between the atria and ventricles and prevent backflow into the atria, not at the ventricles’ outflow into arteries. So the valves between the ventricles and the major arteries are the semilunar valves.