Ears and Hearing Trivia

1. Which part of the ear turns mechanical stimulus into electrical impulses?

From Quiz Deafening

Answer: Hair cells

Hair cells reside in a part of the cochlea called the organ of Corti and are mechanosensory cells that convert physical stimuli into electrical stimuli. The cochlea is a fluid filled organ and the frequency and amplitude of the sound wave determine which hair cell is activated. In mammals, there are actually two types of hair cells. There is a more abundant outer hair cell that amplifies the sound and a more sensitive inner hair cell that actually triggers the action potential to the auditory nerve. Hair cells are tiny and unfortunately do not regrow in humans, so as they get damaged the loss in hearing is permanent.

From Quiz I Can't Ear You

Answer: Outer Ear

The auricle is the outer ear that is clearly seen. It is also known as a pinna. The function of the auricle is to gather sounds and to direct them into the middle ear. It is also the part of the body that is often pierced.

From Quiz Waxing Lyrical

Answer: Improves hearing

Ear wax has a similar function to mucus in the respiratory system and elsewhere. It physically traps foreign bodies, lubricates the ear canal, flushes away dirt and has been found to have anti-bacterial properties as well. It also seals the inside of the ear from water. Hearing works by itself without the addition of ear wax.

From Quiz Loud, But Not Clear

Answer: Pinna

The pinna, or auricle, mainly consists of cartilage or fatty tissue. It includes the helix, antihelix, concha, tragus, and the lobe. Its function is to collect sound which is then passed through to the middle ear.

From Quiz All About Ears 2

Answer: von Bekesy

Georg von Bekesy was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1961. He was a professor at Harvard University at the time of the award.

From Quiz All about Ears!

Answer: Goat

The Greek word tragus translates to "goat" .

From Quiz Lend Me Your Ears

Answer: Auditory nerve

'Auditory' comes from the Latin 'audire', 'to hear', and the auditory nerve helps carry sound to the brain. It is also known as the cochlear nerve or acoustic nerve, and is part of the vestibulocochlear nerve, which transmits sound to the brain. It can be found in the cochlea, a part of the inner ear shaped like a spiral. The other part of the vestibulocochlear nerve is the vestibular nerve, which has a reverse function to the auditory nerve; it transmits information from the brain to the cochlea. The average human auditory nerve contains approximately 30,000 nerve fibres.

From Quiz I Can't Ear You

Answer: Cerumen

In the ear canal you can find a yellow waxy substance that is commonly known as earwax or cerumen. This substance provides lubrication to the inner ear and provides protection against bacteria, insects, fungi, and water. It is produced by the ceruminous and sebaceous glands.

From Quiz Waxing Lyrical

Answer: Haberdashery

The simple function of ear wax in haberdashery was to stop the ends of thread from fraying, it was removed from the ear and rolled onto them, and was also to allow them to be threaded more easily. Such thread is now manufactured ready waxed when required. Dentists can use wax to stop bleeding and to make casts but of course would use sterile wax in far larger quantities than can be extracted in one visit to the ears.

From Quiz Loud, But Not Clear

Answer: Auditory canal

The auditory canal has two main functions. The first is to carry sound from the outer ear to the middle ear. The second is to protect the ear from infection by filtering out dust and debris with its very fine hairs. The end result is cerumen, or earwax, which is then excreted from the body.

From Quiz All About Ears 2

Answer: endolymph

The fluid composition of the inner ear "drives" hearing. Endolymph is similar in composition to cerebrospinal fluid.

From Quiz All about Ears!

Answer: condyle

An improperly fit condyle can cause TMJ syndrome.

From Quiz I Can't Ear You

Answer: Incus, Stapes, Malleus

The bones in the ear are the smallest bones in the whole human body. They are known as the auditory ossicles and help with transmitting sound into the middle ear. They then conduct sounds from the middle ear to the inner ear where they are transferred into nerve signals.

From Quiz Waxing Lyrical

Answer: A book

Before synthetic products became standard, many bodily and similar fluids were used for pigment for ink and, as well as urine, one of these was ear wax. Egg is still commonly used in paint, but to fix the powder pigment rather than for the colour itself. You may find a little ear wax on the receiver of a telephone but only because it needs cleaning. I hope no one chose biscuits; ear wax is definitely not edible.

From Quiz Loud, But Not Clear

Answer: Tympanic membrane

The tympanic membrane, or eardrum, is approximately 1cm in size and is made of skin, fibrous material, and mucus. The delicate membrane vibrates as the sound passes through and these vibrations then transfer to the middle ear.

From Quiz All About Ears 2

Answer: nystagmus

Most people do not realize that the inner ear also has a vestibular portion responsible for balance and eye stabilization.

From Quiz All about Ears!

Answer: conductive

Since the role of the outer and middle ears is to conduct the sound to the inner ear, a loss in that area would cause a conduction or "conductive" hearing loss.

From Quiz Lend Me Your Ears

Answer: Tinnitus

The most common form of tinnitus is a ringing noise, though it can also manifest as buzzing, whooshing or throbbing, and it can also be associated with hearing loss. It can be caused by head injuries or prolonged exposure to noise, amongst other things. It can be extremely distressing to experience, and can have a negative effect on mental health and sleep. Unfortunately, there is no cure for tinnitus, but there are ways of reducing or managing symptoms. The NHS website in the UK recommends yoga and relaxation techniques, listening to soft music as a distraction, or improving sleeping habits as ways of managing tinnitus; there are also support groups for tinnitus sufferers.

From Quiz I Can't Ear You

Answer: Endolymph

The fluid composition of the inner ear helps you hear. It is similar to cerebrospinal fluid but contains positively-charged ions of potassium. This fluid is contained within the membranous labyrinth of the inner ear.

From Quiz Waxing Lyrical

Answer: The age of whales

Unlike some other animals the age of a fully grown whale is quite hard to determine, but their ear wax does not come out as fast as it is created so, like tree rings, it can be measured and the amount can represent the number of years it has been building up for.

From Quiz Loud, But Not Clear

Answer: Eustachian tube

The Eustachian tube was named after Italian anatomist, Bartolomeo Eustachi, in the 16th century. One of its key roles is to equalise air pressure in the middle ear and drain any mucus to stop infection. A popping sound can sometimes be heard when we swallow or yawn and this happens when air pressure is released from the middle ear through the Eustachian tube.

From Quiz All About Ears 2

Answer: Basilar Membrane

The basilar membrane serves as the floor of the membranous labyrinth and supports the Organ of Corti, or end organ of hearing. The other membrane at the top is known as Reissner's membrane but that wasn't a choice for this question!

From Quiz All about Ears!

Answer: Facial and Auditory

Sometimes when you stimulate the ear at high intensity levels, you can cause a fluttering sensation in the face because of the close proximity between the facial and the auditory nerves.

From Quiz Loud, But Not Clear

Answer: Ossicles

Another set of names for the ossicles is hammer, anvil and stirrup. The three small bones help carry sound from the eardrum, through the middle ear and in to the inner ear.

From Quiz All About Ears 2

Answer: Shrapnell's Membrane

This membrane is the small, triangular, flaccid portion of the tympanic membrane lying above the malleolar folds, attached directly to the petrous bone at the notch of Rivinus. It is named after Henry Jones Shrapnell.

From Quiz All about Ears!

Answer: conductive

The tympanic membrane is more commonly known as the eardrum. Since it is located in a portion of the ear which conducts sound, a condition affecting it will cause a conductive hearing loss.

From Quiz I Can't Ear You

Answer: It transforms sound into nerve impulses that travel to the brain

The cochlea is a spiral-shaped part of the inner ears. Sound is conducted to the cochlea where it is transformed into nerve impulses. These impulses then travel to the brain.

From Quiz Loud, But Not Clear

Answer: Oval window

The stapes bone, or stirrup, is attached to the oval window. The sound waves which have come through the middle ear vibrate against the thin membrane of the oval window. This membrane is attached to the cochlea at the entrance to the inner ear.

From Quiz All about Ears!

Answer: malleus, incus, stapes

While they are commonly referred to as "hammer, anvil, and stirrup," the correct names for these bones are malleus, incus and stapes. They also happen to be the smallest bones in the human body. Collectively, these bones are referred to as ossicles.

From Quiz Waxing Lyrical

Answer: Fatty acids and dead skin cells

Fatty acids are secreted by the sebaceous and ceruminous glands and given bulk by the keratinocyte skin cells, the wax should be the optimum amount. Too little leaves the ear open to bacterial and fungal infections, while too much will also allow infection through causing a blockage, and interfere with hearing. Due to its sticky nature, it is hard to determine whether some ingredients are made in the wax or caught by it after it is created, so there is no definitive composition of the minor substances, but it also includes alcohol, squalene and cholesterol which are made by the wax producing cells. Sebum is similar but for lubricating the scalp and making the skin waterproof and is secreted by the sebaceous glands.

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Last Updated Apr 28 2026 6:10 AM

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