Final answer:
A transverse section below the nipple passes through both the pleural cavities (containing the lungs) and the pericardial cavity (containing the heart). The correct answer is E) both the pleural cavities and the pericardial cavity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the body cavities that would be intersected by a transverse section at the level immediately below the nipple. The thoracic cavity is the more superior subdivision of the anterior (ventral) cavity, enclosed by the rib cage and containing the lungs and heart. The pleural cavities house the lungs, and the pericardial cavity within the mediastinum holds the heart.
The diaphragm forms the floor of the thoracic cavity and separates it from the abdominopelvic cavity, which suggests that the abdominopelvic cavity is not intersected at this level. So, a transverse section below the nipple would pass through the pleural cavities (that contain the lungs) and the pericardial cavity (that contains the heart). Therefore, the correct answer to this question would be E) both the pleural cavities and the pericardial cavity.