During expiration, air will leave the lungs when the pressure inside the lungs is
- A.equal to the atmospheric pressure
- B.less than the atmospheric pressure
- C.more than the atmospheric pressure
- D.when the diaphragm contracts
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, more than the atmospheric pressure. Air always moves from a region of higher pressure to one of lower pressure, so it flows out of the lungs only when the pressure inside them rises above that of the outside air. During expiration the diaphragm relaxes and moves up into its dome shape, and the intercostal muscles between the ribs relax, so the ribs move down and inward. This reduces the volume of the chest cavity, which raises the pressure in the lungs and pushes the air out. Inspiration is the reverse: the diaphragm contracts and flattens, the chest cavity grows, lung pressure falls below atmospheric pressure and air rushes in. Option A is wrong because when the pressures are equal no air moves; this happens for a moment between breaths. Option B is wrong because lower pressure inside the lungs draws air in, which is inspiration. Option D is wrong because contraction of the diaphragm enlarges the chest and causes inspiration, not expiration. Exam tip: inspiration means the diaphragm contracts and lung pressure falls; expiration means it relaxes and lung pressure rises.
Practice Questions
View allThe fact that the planets move around the Sun, not in circles but in ellipses, was first demonstrated by
- A.Galileo
- B.Martin Luther
- C.Johannes Kepler
- D.Copernicus
Show answer
In 1609 Kepler showed that the planets move around the Sun in elliptical orbits, with the Sun at one focus of the ellipse.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements is correct?
- A.Urea is produced in liver.
- B.Urea is produced in blood.
- C.Urea is produced from digestion of starch.
- D.Urea is produced in lung and kidney.
Show answer
Liver cells turn the toxic ammonia released from the breakdown of amino acids into urea through the ornithine cycle, also called the urea cycle.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is the correct sequence of passage of light in a compound microscope?
- A.Condenser-Objective lens-Eyepiece-Body tube
- B.Objective lens-Condenser-Body tube-Eyepiece
- C.Condenser-Objective lens-Body tube-Eyepiece
- D.Eyepiece-Objective lens-Body tube-Mirror
Show answer
Light passes through the condenser to the specimen, is picked up by the objective lens, travels up the body tube and reaches the eye through the eyepiece.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements regarding haemoglobin is correct?
- A.Haemoglobin present in RBC can carry only oxygen but not carbon dioxide.
- B.Haemoglobin of RBC can carry both oxygen and carbon dioxide.
- C.Haemoglobin of RBC can carry only carbon dioxide.
- D.Haemoglobin is only used for blood clotting and not for carrying gases.
Show answer
It binds oxygen at its iron-containing haem groups and carries some carbon dioxide on its protein chains. Each haemoglobin molecule has four polypeptide chains and four haem groups, and each haem iron can hold one oxygen molecule, forming oxyhaemoglobin in the lungs.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements regarding histone proteins is correct?
- A.Histones are proteins that are present in mitochondrial membrane.
- B.Histones are proteins that are present in nucleus in association with DNA.
- C.Histones are proteins associated with lipids in the cytosol.
- D.Histones are proteins associated with carbohydrates in the cytosol.
Show answer
They are the proteins around which DNA winds to form chromatin in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. Histones are small basic proteins, rich in the positively charged amino acids lysine and arginine, which attract the negatively charged phosphate groups of DNA.
Read the full explanation →