You and a friend are having a contest to see who can hold his or her breath the longest. Your friend hyperventilates before holding his breath, and subsequently wins the contest. Why did hyperventilation give him an advantage?

Explain what would happen to the pressure inside a cylinder if you decreased its volume, according to Boyle's law.

If you swallow a large bite of food without properly chewing it first, you will feel discomfort during ventilation. Explain this, considering the arrangement of the trachea and the esophagus.

Predict what would happen to the tidal volume and inspiratory reserve volume if the phrenic nerves were severed. Which muscles would contract to try to compensate for this?

Inflammation of the epiglottis, called epiglottitis, is considered an emergency. Explain why this situation is so serious.

When a person hyperventilates, what happens to his or her blood pH? A person who is hyperventilating is often told to breathe into a paper bag. Why might this help to correct the pH imbalance?

Some athletes train at higher altitudes. Over time, this results in higher levels of erythrocytes and the chemical BPG. What would be the advantages to these changes?

Prolonged vomiting can result in significant loss of hydrogen ions from the blood, and a subsequent increase in the blood's pH. Would you expect a person suffering from this condition to hypoventilate or hyperventilate? Explain.

Mrs. Jordan is brought to the emergency room by paramedics, who report that she lost consciousness while at the grocery store. You notice that her respiratory rate is elevated and her breath has a 'fruity' odor. You suspect that she is suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis.

What is diabetic ketoacidosis?

Mrs. Jordan is brought to the emergency room by paramedics, who report that she lost consciousness while at the grocery store. You notice that her respiratory rate is elevated and her breath has a 'fruity' odor. You suspect that she is suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis.

Does Mrs. Jordan likely have type I or type II diabetes mellitus? Explain.

Mrs. Jordan is brought to the emergency room by paramedics, who report that she lost consciousness while at the grocery store. You notice that her respiratory rate is elevated and her breath has a 'fruity' odor. You suspect that she is suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis.

What has likely happened to the pH of her blood, and why?

Mrs. Jordan is brought to the emergency room by paramedics, who report that she lost consciousness while at the grocery store. You notice that her respiratory rate is elevated and her breath has a 'fruity' odor. You suspect that she is suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis.

Explain why she is hyperventilating.

What happens to the metabolic rate of skeletal muscle tissue during exercise? What waste products are produced from metabolic reactions? How and why does this affect your rate of ventilation during exercise?

Which of the following are functions of the respiratory system? Circle all that apply.

a. Providing for speech

b. Regulating the autonomic nervous system

c. Maintaining the acid-base balance of the blood

d. Temperature homeostasis

e. Raising the pressure in the abdominopelvic cavity

f. Assisting in blood pressure regulation

Air enters the lungs through the hollow passages known collectively as the _____, which terminate in grapelike clusters called _____. The lungs are encased in the ____ membranes.

Mark the following statements as true or false. If a statement is false, correct it to make a true statement.

The trachea contains O-shaped rings of hyaline cartilage.

Mark the following statements as true or false. If a statement is false, correct it to make a true statement.

Goblet cells secrete serous fluid into the respiratory tract.

Mark the following statements as true or false. If a statement is false, correct it to make a true statement.

The framework of the larynx is formed by nine pieces of cartilage, the largest of which is the thyroid cartilage.

Mark the following statements as true or false. If a statement is false, correct it to make a true statement.

The pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium of the respiratory tract warms, filters, and humidifies the inspired air.

Mark the following statements as true or false. If a statement is false, correct it to make a true statement.

The epithelium of the oropharynx changes from stratified columnar epithelium to simple squamous epithelium to enable it to resist abrasion from food.

The function of the epiglottis is to:

a. Contract muscularly to cover the laryngopharynx

b. Vibrate to produce sound

c. Trigger a cough reflex

d. Cover the glottis during swallowing

Fill in the blanks: The structures that vibrate to produce sound are called the_____. A higher-pitched sound is produced when they are_____ ; a lower-pitched sound is produced when they are______ .

Which of the following structural changes does not take place as we progress down the bronchial tree?

a. More smooth muscle tissue

b. More goblet cells

c. Less cartilage

d. Decrease in the height of the epithelium

All the following statements about the alveoli and respiratory membrane are false. Correct each to make a true statement.

Type I alveolar cells secrete a chemical called surfactant.

All the following statements about the alveoli and respiratory membrane are false. Correct each to make a true statement.

Alveolar macrophages are squamous epithelial cells that constitute 90% of the total cells in the alveoli.

All the following statements about the alveoli and respiratory membrane are false. Correct each to make a true statement.

The respiratory membrane consists of the type II alveolar cells, the pulmonary capillaries' endothelial cells, and their shared basal lamina.

All the following statements about the alveoli and respiratory membrane are false. Correct each to make a true statement.

The respiratory membrane must be thick to function effectively in gas exchange.

Which of the following statements about pulmonary ventilation is false?

a. Normal expiration requires the use of the expiratory muscles to decrease lung volume.

b. The inspiratory muscles increase lung volume, which decreases intrapulmonary pressure.

c. For inspiration to occur, intrapulmonary pressure must decrease below atmospheric pressure.

d. The intrapleural pressure is less than the intrapulmonary pressure; this prevents the lungs from collapsing during expiration.

Match each term with the correct definition. 

Airway resistance     

Surface tension     

Surfactant     

Pulmonary compliance     

V/Q ratio

a. A detergent-like chemical secreted by bronchial smooth muscle that reduces surface tension

b. The matching of ventilation to perfusion

c. Largely determined by the diameter of the airways

d. Caused by the formation of hydrogen bonds between water molecules

e. Determined by the surface tension of the alveoli, the elastic tissue of the lungs, and the condition of the chest wall

Mark the following statements as true or false. If a statement is false, correct it to make a true statement.

The functional residual capacity is the volume of air normally left in the lungs after a tidal expiration.