Name the blood vessel that joins the small intestine to the liver.

• A. Hepatic artery
• B. Inferior vena cava
• C. Hepatic portal vein
• D. Superior mesenteric artery

Answer: (C)

The connection being tested is the portal venous system that links the digestive tract to the liver. Blood from the small intestine drains into the superior mesenteric vein, which combines with other vessels to form the hepatic portal vein. This vein carries nutrient-rich blood directly to the liver for processing before it returns to the heart. The liver receives this blood, detoxifies and metabolizes nutrients, then blood exits via hepatic veins to the inferior vena cava.

The other vessels aren’t the route that directly connects the gut to the liver: the hepatic artery supplies oxygen-rich blood to the liver from the systemic circulation, not from the intestines; the superior mesenteric artery supplies the small intestine itself; and the inferior vena cava carries blood back to the heart, not from the gut to the liver.