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Respiratory System Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Respiratory System Quizzes, Trivia

Respiratory System Trivia

Respiratory System Trivia Quizzes

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Breathe deeply before plunging into these quizzes about the human respiratory system. They may leave you breathless with either shock or delight.
12 Respiratory System quizzes and 120 Respiratory System trivia questions.
1.
  Each Breath We take    
Label Quiz
 10 Qns
Lung Volumes in Health and Disease
The amount of air we breathe with each breath is a small percentage of the air in our lungs. There are various parameters with the volume of air in the lungs that changes in both health and disease. Let's explore these different respiratory parameters.
Difficult, 10 Qns, 1nn1, Dec 29 22
Difficult
1nn1 gold member
Dec 29 22
249 plays
2.
  Tough The Respiratory System Trivia   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
How much do you know about the simple act of breathing?
Tough, 10 Qns, leith90, Aug 26 09
Tough
leith90 gold member
5517 plays
3.
  Take a Deep Breath and Have a Go   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A quiz about the human respiratory system.
Tough, 10 Qns, jamesf, Jul 07 07
Tough
jamesf
4708 plays
4.
How much do you know about the respiratory system?
Tough, 10 Qns, Morrigan716, May 19 20
Tough
Morrigan716 gold member
May 19 20
10120 plays
5.
  Breathe Easy   popular trivia quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
The respiratory system is essential to human life, but how much do you know about the various bits and bobs that make it up?
Average, 10 Qns, pagea, Sep 15 18
Average
pagea
Sep 15 18
357 plays
6.
  The Respiratory System and Pulmonary Circulation   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
In this quiz you can test your knowledge about the structure of the respiratory system and pulmonary circulation.
Tough, 10 Qns, Milky1989, Feb 24 09
Tough
Milky1989
2910 plays
7.
  10 Questions about The Respiratory System   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a quiz about the respiratory system, its components, and physiology.
Average, 10 Qns, cheech1313, Jun 06 23
Average
cheech1313
Jun 06 23
6587 plays
8.
  Mucus, the quiz you'd rather not take    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
We all need the stuff to survive, but how much do you actually know (or want to know) about it?
Tough, 10 Qns, satguru, Jun 19 12
Tough
satguru gold member
1819 plays
9.
  Lung Mechanics: Statics & Dynamics    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The pressure is on, as this quiz tests your knowledge about pressure in the respiratory system.
Tough, 10 Qns, Milky1989, Mar 26 09
Tough
Milky1989
1038 plays
10.
  The Phlegmatic Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
One of the four ancient humours, phlegm is something which lives in the lungs and becomes troublesome when over-produced.
Average, 10 Qns, satguru, Jul 21 17
Average
satguru gold member
Jul 21 17
260 plays
trivia question Quick Question
Mucus is a useful substance which protects and lubricates the body systems. But which system shouldn't have any inside it?

From Quiz "Mucus, the quiz you'd rather not take"




11.
  The Larynx - Nature's Boom Box    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a quiz designed to test your knowledge of the larynx. Also known as the "voice box," the larynx enables us to "boom" our voices and be heard. Good Luck!
Tough, 10 Qns, okieslp, Mar 05 16
Tough
okieslp
1188 plays
12.
  What's That Smell? - The Nasal Cavity    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Come in and see how much you know about this complex cavity and the surrounding tissues, which does more than provide us a sense of smell! The information is based on a lecture I received as part of my third year Anatomy degree, so may be quite in depth.
Difficult, 10 Qns, reeshy, Nov 30 10
Difficult
reeshy gold member
768 plays

Respiratory System Trivia Questions

1. Olfaction is the term given to the sense of smell. Which cranial nerve is the olfactory nerve?

From Quiz
What's That Smell? - The Nasal Cavity

Answer: I

The olfactory nerve is unusual in that the neurons continue to divide throughout a person's life. Also, they do not form trunks; instead, the fibers travel to the olfactory bulb, which is part of the forebrain. To test the integrity of each olfactory nerve, the patient's nostril is blocked on one side, and a strong odor is introduced to the other nostril.

2. During spirometry (measurement of gas coming in and out of the lungs), IRV, or inspiratory reserve volume, is measured at which point?

From Quiz Lung Mechanics: Statics & Dynamics

Answer: End of maximum inspiration

The inspiratory reserve volume (IRV) is measured at the end of maximum inspiration. In a healthy male weighing 70kg, this figure will be about 3000ml. The expiratory reserve volume (ERV) is measured at the end of maximum expiration, giving a figure of about 1000ml. The difference in volume at the end of normal inspiration and expiration is known as the tidal volume. This is usually about 500ml. As you cannot expirate all the gas in the lungs, there is a residual volume left inside which cannot be measured by spirometry. This is believed to be around 1200ml.

3. The primary function of the respiratory system is gas exchange, but it also involved in speech and smell. Which part of the respiratory system does air pass over to give rise to our sense of smell?

From Quiz The Respiratory System and Pulmonary Circulation

Answer: Olfactory Mucosa

Gas exchange is where oxygen is transported from the air to the blood so it can be delivered to our organs. It is also the removal of waste carbon dioxide from the blood, where it is the expirated into the air. The gases move by diffusion between blood capillaries and alveoli. Speech and smell are secondary functions of the respiratory system. When air passes over the olfactory mucosa it gives rise to our sense of smell. Air passing through the larynx is responsible for speech, hence why it is also known as the voicebox.

4. Mucus is a useful substance which protects and lubricates the body systems. But which system shouldn't have any inside it?

From Quiz Mucus, the quiz you'd rather not take

Answer: Circulatory system

Of course the mucus we're most familiar with is respiratory mucus, especially from the nose and lungs. But without a mucus lining the stomach would digest itself, and it lubricates and protects all three systems. In the circulatory system it would simply block the flow.

5. In the lungs, oxygen is absorbed into the blood. In which part of the lungs does this mainly happen?

From Quiz Take a Deep Breath and Have a Go

Answer: alveoli

The lungs contain around 700 million alveoli, with a total surface area of about 70 square metres.

6. What is a specialist of the respiratory system called?

From Quiz The Respiratory System

Answer: pulmonologist & pulmologist & respirologist & pneumologist & pneumonologist

The respiratory system is composed of the nose, mouth, pharynx, epiglottis, esophagus, trachea, lungs, bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli.

7. What colour is healthy phlegm?

From Quiz The Phlegmatic Quiz

Answer: Clear

Phlegm describes the mucus that lines the lungs and is clear. It can be over-produced due to irritation, usually allergies, when you have to cough up the excess, and becomes opaque when infected. The thicker and more coloured it is the worse the infection. Thick green phlegm is commonest with a chest cold but if there is also a fever the patient could have bronchitis or a similar chest infection. Yellow phlegm is closer to being pus.

8. Through which sieve-like structure of the ethmoid bone do the fibers of the olfactory nerve travel?

From Quiz What's That Smell? - The Nasal Cavity

Answer: Cribriform plate

The name comes from the Latin "cribrum", which means sieve. The cribriform plate is filled with foramina (holes) which transmit the olfactory fibers to the roof, the septum, and superior concha of the nose. There is also a foramen for the nasociliary nerve, which is a branch of the ophthalmic nerve (which in turn comes from the fifth cranial nerve, the trigeminal nerve).

9. What is contained within the larynx that enables human beings to vocalize?

From Quiz The Larynx - Nature's Boom Box

Answer: Vocal cords/folds

The vocal cords, or folds, vibrate as air passes over them causing an audible vocalization. The tension of the cords is what gives us our pitch; taut produces a high pitch, while less elastic gives a lower one.

10. What is the correct term for a collapsed lung?

From Quiz The Respiratory System

Answer: Pneumothorax

When air or gas escapes from the lung tissue into the chest cavity, it forces the lung to deflate, rather like a balloon. It may happen spontaneously in the setting of a pulmonary disease, or it may follow trauma to the chest wall. A haemothorax is a collection of blood in the pleural cavity, and a haemopneumothorax is a collection of air and blood.

11. The portion of the bronchial tree where the trachea branches off to the lungs is known as what?

From Quiz The Respiratory System

Answer: Hilar region

The trachea splits into the two mainstem bronchi at the carina in the hilar region.

12. What name is given to the maximum volume of air that can be breathed in or out of the lungs in one breath?

From Quiz Take a Deep Breath and Have a Go

Answer: vital capacity

Tidal volume is the volume a (normal) breath. Residual capacity is the volume of air left in the lungs after breathing out as much as one can. Inspiratory reserve volume is the extra air that could still be breathed in after a normal inspiration.

13. An outward breath is called expiration or exhalation. What is an inward breath called?

From Quiz The Respiratory System

Answer: inspiration & inhalation

With every inspiration through the nose or mouth, we inhale oxygen, use it, and convert it into carbon dioxide, which is expelled with every expiration.

14. What is the technical term for bringing up phlegm?

From Quiz The Phlegmatic Quiz

Answer: Expectoration

Hawking and hacking are common terms for bringing up phlegm from the sound made. Expectoration is the medical term, deriving from the Latin meaning 'out of the lungs'. Regurgitation is bringing something up from the alimentary canal, usually the stomach.

15. What is transpulmonary pressure?

From Quiz Lung Mechanics: Statics & Dynamics

Answer: The difference in pressures inside & outside the lung

The distending pressure across the lung, or transpulmonary pressure, is the difference in pressures inside and outside the lung. In other words, transpulmonary pressure is the difference between the alveolar pressure and intrapleural pressure.

16. The larynx is made up of three cartilaginous structures, the epiglottis, the cricoid and the what?

From Quiz The Larynx - Nature's Boom Box

Answer: Thyroid

The thyroid cartilage gives us the main body of the laryngeal structure. It is what is thought of as the Adam's apple.

17. What is the similar word mucous used as?

From Quiz Mucus, the quiz you'd rather not take

Answer: An adjective

Although it galls me every time someone spells the substance with an o, the o makes it a description rather than a substance. The commonest usage is in 'mucous membrane', the membranes in the body that are lubricated with and produce mucus.

18. At what point does the trachea bifurcate into the right and left main bronchi?

From Quiz The Respiratory System

Answer: Carina

The carina is the keel shaped cartilage at the base of the trachea where it branches into the right and left main bronchi. It sits approximately the level of the aortic arch, the fifth thoracic vertebra, or just below the level of the angle of Louis.

19. Many of the airways in the lungs have goblet cells in their walls. What do these do?

From Quiz Take a Deep Breath and Have a Go

Answer: secrete mucus

The goblet cells secrete mucus to trap bacteria and dust that may be breathed in. The mucus is then moved up, away from the lungs, by cilia.

20. Why do we sniff when we want to smell something?

From Quiz What's That Smell? - The Nasal Cavity

Answer: To divert air to the sphenoethmoidal recess

As suggested by its name, the sphenoethmoidal recess sits at the junction between the sphenoid sinus (within the sphenoid bone) and the air cells of the ethmoid bone. It is lined by olfactory epithelium, which is a special type of nervous tissue. Neurons project from the epithelium to the olfactory nerve, which is responsible for the sense of smell. By sniffing, air is diverted past the meatuses in the nose toward this olfactory epithelium, which allows the detection of odors.

21. In a normal adult, the recoil of the chest wall and the lungs are equal, creating a intrapleural pressure of -5 cm H2O. What happens to the recoil in a person with emphysema?

From Quiz Lung Mechanics: Statics & Dynamics

Answer: Recoil of the lung decreases

In emphysema, there is decreased recoil of the lung, but the chest wall recoil can balance this out, leading to a less negative intrapleural pressure of -3. This can cause "barrel chest" as the chest may spring outwards due to less lung recoil. In fibrosis, there is increased lung recoil, and the chest wall recoil can balance this out leading to a more negative intrapleural pressure of -7. This will cause the FRC to decrease.

22. What do secondary bronchi lead to?

From Quiz The Respiratory System and Pulmonary Circulation

Answer: To the lung lobes

The trachea first splits into two primary bronchi which lead to the left and right lung. Primary bronchi then divide into secondary bronchi, which lead to the lobes of the lung. The right lung has three lobes (superior, middle and inferior) and the left lung has two lobes (superior and inferior). The left lung only has two lobes as the area where the middle lobe would be is home to the heart instead. Secondary bronchi then divide into tertiary bronchi which lead to the subdivisions of the lobes, known as segments. Tertiary bronchi divide into bronchioles which eventually divide into terminal bronchioles, leading to the alveoli where gas exchange takes place.

23. The cricoid cartilage is what shape?

From Quiz The Larynx - Nature's Boom Box

Answer: Circular

The cricoid cartilage is the circular, ring-like cartilage that is attached to the top of the airway. It helps to keep the airway open, among other duties.

24. What is the difference between phlegm and sputum?

From Quiz Mucus, the quiz you'd rather not take

Answer: Sputum is anything coughed up including phlegm

A doctor or nurse needs to know these differences. In respiratory diseases many clues can be gained from analysing the sputum coughed up, and it describes any substance ejected from the lungs, which is most frequently phlegm but you can probably imagine the alternatives.

25. What muscular movements cause air to be drawn into the lungs?

From Quiz Take a Deep Breath and Have a Go

Answer: diaphragm and external intercostal muscles contract

Contraction of these muscles causes expansion of the thorax (chest), due to the ribs being raised and the diaphragm moving down. This expansion of the thorax causes a reduction of pressure, allowing air to enter.

26. What is the medical term for the Adam's apple?

From Quiz The Respiratory System

Answer: Thyroid cartilage

The glottis is the area between the vocal cords the epiglottis covers the larynx during swallowing , preventing food from entering the trachea, or windpipe.

27. What may people be discouraged from taking when they have a chest infection?

From Quiz The Phlegmatic Quiz

Answer: Cough suppressant

Because phlegm is similar to pus the most important thing to do is to get rid of it by natural coughing. Suppressing the cough reflex can overwhelm the lungs with phlegm and cause pneumonia.

28. Which part of the nostril is lined with skin and hair?

From Quiz What's That Smell? - The Nasal Cavity

Answer: Vestibule

The vestibule is covered with stratified squamous, keratinized epithelium. The hairs that are present are called vibrissae, otherwise known as whiskers. The vibrissae filter dust and other particles that are breathed in, and they can be seen most prominently on older males.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:46 AM
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