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The Un-breathe-lievable Lung Trivia Quiz

Take a deep breath... and get ready to use your brain! Your lungs work tirelessly every second of every day, but how much do you actually know about these incredible, life-sustaining organs? Time to separate the experts from the 'air-heads.' Let's go.

A multiple-choice quiz by Tarkowski. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
Tarkowski

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
421,770

Updated
Nov 06 25

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
99

Last 3 plays: sw11 (10/10), lethisen250582 (10/10), CICELYALASKA (4/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Your lungs are not perfectly symmetrical. The left lung is slightly smaller than the right lung. Why is this? Hint

It's an evolutionary remnant from when humans had asymmetrical gills

To make room for the heart

To allow for greater expansion of the stomach after a large meal

Because the liver pushes up on the right lung, making it seem larger

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. The lungs are encased in a 'bag' made of two thin membranes, with a tiny bit of fluid between them. What is this 'bag' called? Hint

Diaphragm

Pericardium

Bronchial sheath

Pleura

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Question 3 of 10

3. The right lung and left lung are divided into lobes. How many lobes does EACH lung have? Hint

Right 2; Left 3

Right 3; Left 3

Right 2; Left 2

Right 3; Left 2

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Question 4 of 10

4. The 'windpipe' (trachea) is a simple, flexible tube made only of muscle, allowing it to collapse easily to save space.

True

False

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Question 5 of 10

5. After the trachea, the airway branches into two main tubes, one for each lung. What are these first two branches called? Hint

Bronchioles

Capillaries

Alveoli

Main Bronchi

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Question 6 of 10

6. What is the primary muscle of respiration, responsible for about 75% of the work of breathing when you are at rest? Hint

Intercostal muscles

Abdominal muscles

Diaphragm

Pectoral muscles

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Question 7 of 10

7. Gas exchange (oxygen in, CO2 out) happens in millions of tiny, grape-like air sacs at the very end of the bronchial tree. What are these sacs called? Hint

Villi

Nephrons

Lobules

Alveoli

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. The tiny air sacs are coated with a slippery, fatty substance that prevents them from collapsing on themselves when you exhale. What is this vital substance called? Hint

Mucus

Plasma

Surfactant

Collagen

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Question 9 of 10

9. The lungs have a unique 'dual' blood supply. Which vessel brings deoxygenated (blue) blood from the heart to the lungs to get oxygen? Hint

Pulmonary vein

Pulmonary artery

Aorta

Bronchial artery

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Question 10 of 10

10. If you could spread all the alveoli in your lungs out flat, their total surface area would be roughly the size of... what? Hint

A ping pong table

A king size bed

A tennis court

A postage stamp

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Your lungs are not perfectly symmetrical. The left lung is slightly smaller than the right lung. Why is this?

Answer: To make room for the heart

The heart, which sits slightly to the left in the chest cavity (mediastinum), nestles into a depression in the left lung called the 'cardiac notch'. This anatomical 'politeness' gives the heart the space it needs to beat.

2. The lungs are encased in a 'bag' made of two thin membranes, with a tiny bit of fluid between them. What is this 'bag' called?

Answer: Pleura

The pleura consists of two layers: the 'visceral pleura' (clinging to the lung) and the 'parietal pleura' (lining the chest wall). The 'pleural fluid' between them acts like two wet pieces of glass-they can slide but are hard to pull apart, keeping your lungs 'stuck' to your chest wall as it expands.

3. The right lung and left lung are divided into lobes. How many lobes does EACH lung have?

Answer: Right 3; Left 2

The right lung has three lobes (superior, middle, and inferior), separated by two fissures. The smaller left lung only has two lobes (superior and inferior), separated by one fissure. This is all to accommodate the heart on the left side.

4. The 'windpipe' (trachea) is a simple, flexible tube made only of muscle, allowing it to collapse easily to save space.

Answer: False

'False' because it is not a simple tube. It's cleverly reinforced by 16-20 C-shaped rings of cartilage. These rings keep the airway from collapsing when you inhale. The 'open' part of the 'C' faces backward, towards the esophagus, giving it flexibility to bulge when you swallow food.

5. After the trachea, the airway branches into two main tubes, one for each lung. What are these first two branches called?

Answer: Main Bronchi

The trachea divides at a point called the 'carina' into the right and left main bronchi (plural of bronchus). The right main bronchus is wider, shorter, and more vertical than the left, which is why if you accidentally inhale a small object, it's more likely to end up in the right lung.

6. What is the primary muscle of respiration, responsible for about 75% of the work of breathing when you are at rest?

Answer: Diaphragm

This large, dome-shaped sheet of muscle separates the chest from the abdomen. When you inhale, it contracts and flattens, pulling the lungs downward and drawing in air. When you exhale, it relaxes back into its dome shape, pushing the air out. It's the tireless workhorse of breathing.

7. Gas exchange (oxygen in, CO2 out) happens in millions of tiny, grape-like air sacs at the very end of the bronchial tree. What are these sacs called?

Answer: Alveoli

(Singular: alveolus). You have about 300-500 million of these! Their walls are incredibly thin (one cell thick) and are wrapped in a web of tiny blood vessels (capillaries). This minimal thickness allows oxygen and CO2 to diffuse (pass across) almost instantly.

8. The tiny air sacs are coated with a slippery, fatty substance that prevents them from collapsing on themselves when you exhale. What is this vital substance called?

Answer: Surfactant

Pulmonary surfactant is a complex mix of lipids and proteins that acts like a detergent. It breaks up the surface tension of the water lining the alveoli, which would otherwise cause the tiny sacs to stick shut (a condition called atelectasis). Premature babies are often born without enough, leading to respiratory distress.

9. The lungs have a unique 'dual' blood supply. Which vessel brings deoxygenated (blue) blood from the heart to the lungs to get oxygen?

Answer: Pulmonary artery

This is a classic trick question! Veins usually carry deoxygenated blood, but the pulmonary vein is the exception-it carries fresh, oxygenated (red) blood away from the lungs and back to the heart.

The pulmonary artery is the other exception. Arteries usually carry oxygenated blood, but the pulmonary artery is the only one that carries deoxygenated blood from the heart's right ventricle to the lungs to pick up a fresh supply of oxygen.

10. If you could spread all the alveoli in your lungs out flat, their total surface area would be roughly the size of... what?

Answer: A tennis court

Estimates range from 50 to 75 square meters (540-810 sq ft), which is about half a tennis court to a full one. All of this incredible surface area is folded up to fit inside your chest, all to ensure you can get oxygen to your blood in a fraction of a second.

Source: Author Tarkowski

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