Which statement about the Atria is true?

The correct statement is that the atria are responsible for collecting blood returning to the heart. The atria, consisting of the right and left atrium, serve as the chambers that receive blood from the body and lungs before it moves into the ventricles, which then pump it out of the heart.

The right atrium collects deoxygenated blood from the body via the superior and inferior vena cavae, while the left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs through the pulmonary veins. This collection function is crucial for ensuring that the heart has adequate blood volume to effectively pump to the lungs and the rest of the body.

Other statements do not accurately describe the function of the atria. For instance, while the ventricles do pump blood into the lungs (from the right ventricle) and to the rest of the body (from the left ventricle), the atria themselves do not directly perform this function. Additionally, the walls of the ventricles are thicker than those of the atria because they need the added muscle strength to pump blood out of the heart at higher pressures. Finally, while the heart does generate electrical impulses through the sinoatrial (SA) node and other components of the cardiac conduction system, this process primarily