Final answer:
Skeletal growth speeds up dramatically during puberty in response to hormonal changes. Long bones lengthen due to hormonal influences at the epiphyseal plate, but this growth in length ceases once skeletal maturity is reached in the late teens or early twenties. option d.
Step-by-step explanation:
During puberty, skeletal growth is affected by hormonal changes in the body. One of the pivotal hormones controlling this process is testosterone, which triggers the adolescent growth spurt. This is a period of rapid growth in height and weight, along with significant changes in body composition and shape.
The correct answer to the student's question is that skeletal growth speeds up dramatically in response to the hormonal changes of puberty.
During this period, long bones continue to lengthen, potentially until adolescence, through the addition of bone tissue at the epiphyseal plate. The rate of longitudinal growth is at its peak during this time.
However, when chondrocytes in the epiphyseal plate cease their proliferation and cartilage is replaced by bone, longitudinal growth stops. After reaching skeletal maturity in the late teens or early twenties, further growth in bone length is not possible, although bones can increase in thickness.
It is important to note that the use of anabolic steroids by teens can disrupt normal growth patterns, leading to a shorter stature in adulthood. This is because steroids can accelerate skeletal maturity, shortening the period of cartilage growth before it fuses.
So Option d.