Question 1

The bones of the middle ear
A) respond to a change in the position of the head.
B) transmit sound waves.
C) are sense receptors connected to the auditory nerve.
D) are named the malleus, incus, and otolith.
E) are connected to the tectorial membrane and oval window.

Accepted Answer

The bones of the middle ear, also known as the ossicles, including the malleus, incus, and stapes, transmit sound waves from the eardrum to the inner ear.

Question 2

Scott has lost his sense of smell due to an accident, although to look at him you would never know anything was wrong. Upon external examination, his doctor cannot see any damage either. What part of Scott's body has been damaged?
A) his oral cavity
B) his nasal cavity
C) his olfactory tract to the brain
D) his pharynx
E) his nose

Accepted Answer

The olfactory tract to the brain is responsible for transmitting signals from the olfactory receptors in the nose to the brain, where they are interpreted as smells. Damage to this pathway can result in a loss of smell (anosmia) without visible external injuries.

Question 3

Jennifer's doctor tells her that she is experiencing a problem with her proprioceptors. What symptoms must Jennifer be experiencing?
A) falling down
B) memory failure
C) intense pain
D) a fight-or-flight response
E) blindness

Accepted Answer

Proprioceptors are sensory receptors located in the muscles, tendons, and joints that provide feedback to the brain about body position and movement. If there is a problem with these receptors, it can lead to difficulties in balance and coordination, causing the person to be more prone to falling down. Therefore, choice A (falling down) is the best answer.

Question 4

From your understanding of the anatomy of the ear, what is the most likely explanation for a dog's ability to hear higher frequencies (pitch)?
A) more ear bones for greater amplification
B) larger outer ears
C) a thinner and therefore more sensitive tympanic membrane (eardrum)
D) a wider range to the tectorial membrane and hair cells
E) a more advanced brain section devoted to hearing

Accepted Answer

Dogs have a wider range to the tectorial membrane and hair cells, which allows them to hear higher frequencies.

Question 5

Which pair is mismatched?
A) semicircular canals-inner ear
B) ampulla-outer ear
C) auditory canal-outer ear
D) ossicles-middle ear
E) stapes-oval window

Accepted Answer

Ampulla is a structure located within the semicircular canals of the inner ear, not the outer ear.

Question 6

The malleus, incus, and stapes are
A) located in the inner ear.
B) equivalent terms for the saccule, utricle, and the otolith.
C) surrounded by fluid in a bony cavity.
D) located between the tympanic membrane and the oval window.
E) located between the tectorial membrane and the basilar membrane.

Accepted Answer

The malleus, incus, and stapes are located between the tympanic membrane (eardrum) and the oval window, which are part of the middle ear. The vibrations of the eardrum cause these three tiny bones to vibrate in turn, transmitting the sound waves from the outer ear to the inner ear.

Question 7

Puncturing the tympanic membrane would
A) make you totally deaf.
B) prevent the normal transmission of sound vibration.
C) destroy the sense receptors for hearing.
D) account for why some people who hear still cannot sing a tune.
E) account for dizziness and equilibrium problems.

Accepted Answer

The tympanic membrane (eardrum) is responsible for transmitting sound vibrations from the outer ear to the middle ear. Puncturing it would prevent the normal transmission of sound vibration, resulting in hearing loss. However, it would not necessarily destroy the sense receptors for hearing or account for dizziness and equilibrium problems. It may contribute to difficulties with singing, but this issue is complex and has multiple potential causes.

Question 8

A person who is farsighted cannot see close objects because
A) the lens is too small.
B) the optic nerve is damaged.
C) the eyeball is too short.
D) the eyeball is too long.
E) of a lack of rod receptors.

Accepted Answer

Farsightedness, also known as hyperopia, occurs when the eyeball is too short from the front to the back or the cornea is too flat. As a result, light entering the eye focuses behind the retina instead of directly on it, making near objects appear blurry.

Question 9

When a baseball player is hit in the back by a ball, what is detected by the pain receptors?
A) chemicals that are released by the damaged cells
B) the pressure produced by the trauma
C) the body's position during the time of the injury
D) the temperature of the day
E) None of the answer choices would be detected by the pain receptors.

Accepted Answer

Pain receptors detect chemicals that are released by damaged cells, which trigger the sensation of pain. In the case of a baseball player being hit by a ball, the pain receptors would detect the chemicals released by the cells that were impacted by the ball.

Question 10

Rotational equilibrium depends on which of the following structures?
A) utricle and saccule
B) semicircular canals
C) stapes and saccule
D) auditory canal
E) utricle and semicircular canals

Accepted Answer

The semicircular canals are responsible for detecting rotational movements and maintaining rotational equilibrium.

Question 11

Which of the following statements is true?
A) Hearing is not dependent on the inner ear.
B) All parts of the organ of Corti hear all ranges of sound.
C) Loud music does not damage your ears.
D) Hearing is dependent on mechanical pressure.
E) Sound is similar to light insofar as it is transmitted through the vacuum of space.

Accepted Answer

Hearing is dependent on mechanical pressure, specifically the vibrations of the middle ear bones that create pressure waves in the inner ear. A, B, and E are all false. Loud music can damage your ears, especially if listened to at high volumes for extended periods of time. Sound cannot be transmitted through the vacuum of space; it requires a medium such as air, water, or solid objects to travel through.

Question 12

What structures are responsible for detecting odor?
A) receptor proteins on the olfactory cells
B) receptor lipids on the olfactory cells
C) receptor carbohydrates on the olfactory cells
D) receptor proteins on the sclera
E) receptor proteins on the ossicles

Accepted Answer

The olfactory cells in the nasal cavity have receptor proteins that detect odor molecules.

Question 13

The direction of movement of the head relative to gravity is determined by
A) stereocilia in a gelatinous material called a cupula.
B) movement of fluid in the ampulla.
C) displacement of otoliths on the otolithic membrane.
D) asymmetric nerve impulses from proprioceptors on the left and right side of the head.
E) integration of the visual and auditory signals in the equilibria center of the cortex.

Accepted Answer

The direction of movement of the head relative to gravity is determined by the displacement of otoliths on the otolithic membrane. This occurs in the utricle and saccule of the inner ear, where otoliths (tiny calcium carbonate crystals) move in response to changes in head position, affecting the hair cells beneath them and thus signaling head position relative to gravity.

Question 14

What two structures are associated with gravitational equilibrium?
A) utricle and saccule
B) semicircular canal and cupula
C) utricle and semicircular canal
D) saccule and cupula
E) utricle and cupula

Accepted Answer

Gravitational equilibrium is associated with the utricle and saccule, which are two structures located in the vestibule of the inner ear. They contain sensory receptors that detect changes in the position of the head relative to gravity. The other structures listed (semicircular canals and cupula) are associated with detecting rotational movement of the head.

Question 15

It is very hot in the room but Jamie does not seem to notice. Her exteroreceptors have detected the heat and sent the message to her brain, but her brain has not correctly determined the message. What does Jamie have a problem with?
A) exteroreceptors
B) detection
C) sensation
D) perception
E) thermoreceptors

Accepted Answer

Jamie's issue is with perception, as her brain is not correctly interpreting the message sent by her thermoreceptors.

Question 16

Julie can see very well close up, but has more problems with distance vision. She really has trouble when looking from her paper up to the professor at the front of the class and back again. What part of her eye is most likely the problem?
A) optic nerve
B) fovea
C) cornea
D) ciliary muscle
E) suspensory ligaments

Accepted Answer

The ciliary muscle is responsible for changing the shape of the lens to adjust for distance vision. If Julie has trouble looking from close up to distance, it suggests that her ciliary muscles may not be working properly to adjust the lens shape for distance viewing.

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation?
A) The act of trying to read a book while riding in a car causes eyestrain.
B) When it is totally dark, the rods and cones of the eyes do not send any visual impulses.
C) After the wound healed, the pain also went away.
D) You notice the smell of liver and onions cooking when you enter the kitchen, but soon you do not notice the odor although they are still cooking.
E) At first you did not like rock music but as you became older, you found you liked it.

Accepted Answer

Sensory adaptation is when our sensory systems become less sensitive to constant stimuli. In option D, the person initially notices the smell of cooking liver and onions, but as the stimulus remains constant, they become less aware of the odor due to sensory adaptation.

Question 18

David has a problem with his vision. He sees very well but everything is black and white. The problem is most likely with what part of his eye?
A) the cornea
B) the cones
C) the lens
D) the fovea centralis
E) the retina

Accepted Answer

Cones are responsible for color vision, and if they are not working properly, it can cause a person to see in black and white. The other parts listed (cornea, lens, fovea centralis, and retina) may impact vision, but they are not directly related to color vision.

Question 19

Glaucoma is caused by
A) hardening of the lens.
B) inadequate drainage of the aqueous humor.
C) loss of the otoliths.
D) loss of taste cells.
E) overstimulation of the ampulla.

Accepted Answer

Glaucoma is caused by inadequate drainage of the aqueous humor, which leads to increased intraocular pressure and damage to the optic nerve. Hardening of the lens, loss of the otoliths, loss of taste cells, and overstimulation of the ampulla are not associated with glaucoma.

Question 20

Which correctly traces the path of a sound vibration?
A) auditory canal → tympanic membrane → malleus → incus → stapes → oval window → cochlea → cochlear nerve
B) auditory canal → malleus → incus → stapes → tympanic membrane → oval window → cochlea → cochlear nerve
C) auditory canal → tympanic membrane → malleus → incus → stapes → cochlea → oval window → cochlear nerve
D) auditory canal → tympanic membrane → oval window → cochlea → malleus → incus → stapes → cochlear nerve
E) auditory canal → malleus → incus → stapes → oval window → tympanic membrane → cochlea → cochlear nerve

Accepted Answer

The correct path of a sound vibration starts at the auditory canal, then moves to the tympanic membrane (eardrum), through the ossicles (malleus, incus, stapes), to the oval window, into the cochlea, and finally to the cochlear nerve. This sequence accurately describes how sound waves are transmitted from the outer ear through the middle ear and into the inner ear where they are converted into nerve impulses.

Quiz 18: Senses

The bones of the middle ear

Scott has lost his sense of smell due to an accident, although to look at him you would never know anything was wrong. Upon external examination, his doctor cannot see any damage either. What part of Scott's body has been damaged?

Jennifer's doctor tells her that she is experiencing a problem with her proprioceptors. What symptoms must Jennifer be experiencing?

From your understanding of the anatomy of the ear, what is the most likely explanation for a dog's ability to hear higher frequencies (pitch) ?

Which pair is mismatched?

The malleus, incus, and stapes are

Puncturing the tympanic membrane would

A person who is farsighted cannot see close objects because

When a baseball player is hit in the back by a ball, what is detected by the pain receptors?

Rotational equilibrium depends on which of the following structures?

Which of the following statements is true?

What structures are responsible for detecting odor?

The direction of movement of the head relative to gravity is determined by

What two structures are associated with gravitational equilibrium?

It is very hot in the room but Jamie does not seem to notice. Her exteroreceptors have detected the heat and sent the message to her brain, but her brain has not correctly determined the message. What does Jamie have a problem with?

Julie can see very well close up, but has more problems with distance vision. She really has trouble when looking from her paper up to the professor at the front of the class and back again. What part of her eye is most likely the problem?

Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation?

David has a problem with his vision. He sees very well but everything is black and white. The problem is most likely with what part of his eye?

Glaucoma is caused by

Which correctly traces the path of a sound vibration?