Which statement about the nail plate is true?

Which statement about the nail plate is true?

• A. It contains nerves
• B. It is the living tissue
• C. It is the visible area composed of hardened cells with no nerves
• D. It grows from the nail matrix

Answer: (C)

The nail plate is the visible, hard surface of the nail, formed by keratinized cells that have already died. Because these cells are dead, the plate has no nerve endings, so it cannot feel. Sensation comes from the underlying nail bed, not the plate itself. Growth occurs at the nail matrix, where new cells are produced and pushed forward to become part of the plate as they keratinize. So the key fact is that the nail plate is the visible, hardened layer made of dead cells with no nerves.

The nail plate is the visible, hard surface of the nail, formed by keratinized cells that have already died. Because these cells are dead, the plate has no nerve endings, so it cannot feel. Sensation comes from the underlying nail bed, not the plate itself. Growth occurs at the nail matrix, where new cells are produced and pushed forward to become part of the plate as they keratinize. So the key fact is that the nail plate is the visible, hardened layer made of dead cells with no nerves.