Deck 25: Special Senses: Hearing and Equilibrium

Question 1

Why is it difficult for "weightless" astronauts in space to know whether they are right side up or upside down?

A) Maculae that report head position depend upon the gravitational pull on the otoliths.
B) Sunrise and sunset are no longer linked to a 24-hour day.
C) They can't see a horizon.
D) The direction in which they are traveling changes rapidly.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Sound waves pass through this canal on their way toward the eardrum.

A) cochlear duct
B) external acoustic meatus
C) auditory tube
D) semicircular canal

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Conduction deafness occurs when sound waves cannot reach the fluids of the inner ear. Which one of the conditions below will not cause conduction deafness?

A) inflammation of the middle ear
B) damage to the ossicles
C) damage to cochlear hair cells
D) a perforated eardrum

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The middle ear .

A) carries and amplifies the vibrations of sound waves across three little bones
B) contains the actual organs of hearing (the cochlea) and equilibrium (the vestibular apparatus)
C) conducts sound waves through a canal toward the tympanic membrane

Question 5

Within the inner ear, this structure is involved in dynamic equilibrium.

A) the semicircular canals
B) saccule
C) utricle
D) cochlea

Question 6

The auditory ossicles transmit and amplify sound waves in the middle ear. In sequence, sound waves pass from: _ _.

A) malleus-stapes-incus
B) incus-malleus-stapes
C) incus-stapes-malleus
D) malleus-incus-stapes

Question 7

The pharyngotympanic (auditory) tube connects the to the nasopharynx.

A) tympanic membrane (eardrum)
B) external ear
C) internal ear
D) middle ear

Question 8

Which of the structures below report head acceleration to the central nervous system?

A) maculae
B) vestibule
C) semicircular canals
D) cristae ampullares

Question 9

Which of the following might cause sensorineural deafness?

A) rotating the head to relax neck muscles
B) excess earwax in the external auditory canal
C) fusion of the auditory ossicles
D) listening to very loud music on a daily basis

Question 10

Tests for conduction deafness include .

A) placing tuning forks on bones of the head
B) walking a straight line with the eyes closed
C) audiometry testing

Question 11

The receptor cells for hearing lie within the _ in the _.

A) cochlear duct (scala media); utricle
B) cochlear duct (scala media); spiral organ
C) scala tympani; spiral organ
D) scala vestibuli; semicircular canal

Question 12

The hair cells that detect sound vibrations lie on the membrane.

A) basilar
B) tympanic
C) vestibular
D) tectorial

Question 13

Hair cells in the crista ampullaris are _ _.

A) embedded in the otolithic membrane
B) responsive to gravitational pull
C) topped with "heavy" crystals called otoliths
D) embedded in a gelatinous cap

Question 14

Sound localization can be tested by _ .

A) listening for the tick of a watch as the watch is held in various locations around the head
B) placing a tuning fork on the frontal bone
C) placing a tuning fork on the mastoid process
D) undergoing an audiometry test

Question 15

Nystagmus is .

A) trailing of eyes in one direction followed by rapid movement in the other direction
B) a sensation of dizziness and rotational movement when such movement is not occurring
C) maintaining the eyes in a fixed forward direction during rotation

Question 16

The bony labyrinth is part of the .

A) middle ear
B) external ear
C) internal ear

Question 17

The cochlear duct (scala media) contains .

A) perilymph
B) otolymph
C) epilymph
D) endolymph

Question 18

The name of the receptor region containing hair cells involved in detecting static equilibrium is .

A) ampulla
B) ampullary cupula
C) crista ampullaris
D) macula

Question 19

An aging gentleman suspects that his hearing is failing. He sees a specialist who performs this test to determine the precise nature of his suspected hearing loss.

A) Barany test
B) Rinne test
C) Weber test
D) audiometry test

Question 20

Pressure waves passing through the perilymph of the cochlea compress the vestibular membrane, and ultimately displace the basilar membrane. What is true of these waves?

A) High frequency waves (high notes) depress the basilar membrane closest to the middle ear.
B) High frequency waves (high notes) depress the basilar membrane all along its length.
C) High frequency waves (high notes) depress the basilar membrane closest to the distal end of the cochlea.
D) High frequency waves (high notes) depress the basilar membrane midway along its length.

Question 21

Besides visual input, what other sensations contribute to the sense of equilibrium?

A) mental activities, such as counting backwards
B) strong leg muscles
C) proprioceptors detecting information about neck muscles
D) sound detected in the cochlea

Question 22

Which of the following structures in the inner ear is essential for maintaining static equilibrium?

A) cochlea
B) semicircular canals
C) saccule
D) utricle

Question 23

Which of the following are good tests of the equilibrium apparatus?

A) being rotated on a chair, after which the observers look for nystagmus
B) standing and simultaneously beginning a task that requires mental concentration
C) walking in a straight line, one foot in front of the other
D) walking in a straight line placing one foot in front of the other, standing and simultaneously beginning a task that requires mental concentration, and being rotated on a chair, after which the observers look for nystagmus

Question 24

Which test assesses the conduction deafness by comparing bone and air conduction hearing?

A) Romberg test
B) Barany test
C) Rinne test
D) Weber test

Question 25

What test assesses the proprioceptors involved with posture?

A) Rinne test
B) Romberg test
C) Barany test
D) Weber test

Question 26

Of the following tests of balance, which one demonstrates that vision is important for balance?

A) standing and simultaneously beginning a task that requires mental concentration
B) being rotated on a chair, after which the observers look for nystagmus
C) walking in a straight line, one foot in front of the other