Name ______Per. _____

Ear Questions – Chapter 8 Special Senses

Directions – answer questions on the back or on separate paper.

  1. Which region(s) of the ear (external, middle, or internal) serve hearing only?
  2. Which structures of the ear transmit sound vibrations from the eardrum to the oval window?
  3. What sense do the vestibule and semicircular canals serve?
  4. Benji is enjoying a boat ride until a storm suddenly descends on the bay. Soon he is nauseated and can barely stand up. Which equilibrium receptors-static or dynamic- is operating furiously during such a rough voyage?
  1. What are otoliths, and what is their role in equilibrium?
  2. From the air outside the body, through what substances do sound waves travel to excite the receptor cells of the cochlea?
  3. Which nerve transmits impulses from the spiral organ of Corti to the brain?
  4. Do high-pitched sounds peak close to or far from the oval window?
  5. How do sensorieneural and conductive deafness differ from each other?
  6. What is presbycusis?
  7. Which of the following are paired incorrectly?

Name ______Per. _____

  1. Cochlear duct – cupula
  2. Vestibule – macula
  3. Ampulla-otoliths
  4. Semicircular-ampulla

Name ______Per. _____

  1. Movement of the______membrane triggers bending of hairs of the hair cells on the organ of Corti.

Name ______Per. _____

  1. tympanic
  2. tectorial
  3. basilar
  4. vestibular

Name ______Per. _____

  1. Sounds of the exrernal acoustic meatus are eventually converted to nerve impulses via a chain of events including

Name ______Per. _____

  1. vibration of the ear drum
  2. motion of ossicles against the round window
  3. stimulation of hair cells the organ of Corti
  4. resonance of the cupula

Name ______Per. _____

  1. Give two causes of conductive deafness.
  1. Normal balance depends on information transmitted from a number of sensory receptor types. Name at least three of these receptors.
  1. An engineering student has been working in a disco to earn money to pay for his education. After about eight months, he notices that he is having problems hearing high-pitched tones. What is the cause-effect relationship here?
  1. Sylvia Marcus, age 70, recently underwent surgery for otosclerosis. The operation was a failure and did not improve her condition. What was the purpose of the surgery, and exactly what was it trying to accomplish?
  1. While visiting her father on the 25th floor of the Harris Building, five-year-old Katie wandered away into the hall. Fascinated by the buttons in the elevator, she entered and pressed 1, and the high-speed elevator plummeted to the first floor. Later she told her father that she felt like she “kept on going” when the elevator stopped. Explain her sensation.