Deck 22: Gas Exchange

Question 1

A waste product of cellular respiration is

A) electrons.
B) hydrogen peroxide.
C) carbon dioxide.
D) glucose.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which animal requires the largest and most complex lungs proportional to its overall body size?

A) frog
B) turtle
C) bear
D) salamander

Answer 2

C

Question 3

When you exhale, you

A) exchange CO2 for O2.
B) take up oxygen and release carbon dioxide to the blood.
C) take up carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
D) remove CO2 from the body.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The reason animals need a continuous supply of oxygen is to

A) make carbon dioxide.
B) dispose of carbon dioxide.
C) carry out glycolysis.
D) obtain energy from their food.

Question 5

Animals that effectively use their body surface for gas exchange must

A) be terrestrial.
B) have a high ratio of body surface area to volume.
C) have a low ratio of body surface area to volume.
D) have a special kind of hemoglobin.

Question 6

The tracheal system of an insect is most like which of the following?

A) the exhaust system of an automobile
B) the electrical wiring in a home
C) the air duct system in a building
D) leaves on a tree

Question 7

The evolution of aquatic vertebrates that could live on land likely involved an intermediate species that

A) could fly.
B) had a single lung.
C) had a tracheal system of branching internal tubes.
D) had both gills and lungs.

Question 8

Which of the following organisms has a respiratory system that does not require assistance from a circulatory system for gas exchange?

A) grasshopper
B) mouse
C) carp
D) crayfish

Question 9

One advantage of gas exchange in water is that

A) water can contain more oxygen than air.
B) carbon dioxide is easier to eliminate in water than in air.
C) it is easy to keep the exchange surface wet.
D) ventilating gills in water requires very little energy.

Question 10

During gas exchange, body cells

A) take up CO2 and release O2.
B) release O2 to red blood cells.
C) increase in size to accommodate the reuptake of O2.
D) release CO2 and take up O2.

Question 11

Gills are unsuitable for animals living on land because

A) the large external surface area of gills would allow dehydration of the animal.
B) air cannot diffuse across the gill surface.
C) there is no way to get air into the gills.
D) gills require high blood pressure.

Question 12

Which of the following animals would most likely be able to exchange gases effectively when placed in a dry desert environment?

A) an earthworm
B) a dolphin
C) a sea snail
D) a tuna fish

Question 13

Which of the following statements regarding breathing and circulation in insects is false?

A) Insects lose very little water by using a tracheal system to breathe.
B) The tracheal system of insects consists of a series of branching air tubes that extend from the surface to deep inside the body.
C) Terrestrial animals such as insects spend much more energy than aquatic animals to ventilate their respiratory surfaces.
D) The circulatory system of insects is not involved in transporting oxygen.

Question 14

Which of the following is likely to have the lowest concentration of O2?

A) warm salt water
B) cool salt water
C) cool fresh water
D) warm fresh water

Question 15

Which is a function of the nasal cavities in humans?

A) secreting enzymes for digestion
B) warming inhaled air
C) secreting excess carbon dioxide into exhaled air
D) determining O2 content in inhaled air

Question 16

Evolutionary adaptations for survival on land produced tetrapods, which later evolved into

A) amphibians only.
B) amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.
C) reptiles only.
D) birds only.

Question 17

Which of the following statements about fish gills is true?

A) They have a large surface area.
B) Because of their efficiency, they only need a small surface area.
C) They have a poor blood supply.
D) Like lungs, they have an exhale/inhale function.

Question 18

In the countercurrent exchange system of fish gills,

A) blood and water flow in the same direction.
B) blood and water flow in opposite directions.
C) blood and water are separated by a thick polysaccharide barrier.
D) blood flow in the gills reverses direction with every heartbeat.

Question 19

The organization of blood and water flow in a fish's gills increases the fish's ability to

A) extract oxygen from the water.
B) extract carbon dioxide from the water.
C) detect toxic materials in the water.
D) transport blood throughout the fish's body.

Question 20

Which option correctly lists the direction carbon dioxide travels as it leaves the body of a human?

A) alveoli, bronchioles, bronchi, trachea, pharynx, larynx
B) alveoli, bronchi, bronchioles, trachea, larynx, pharynx
C) alveoli, bronchioles, bronchi, trachea, larynx, pharynx
D) alveoli, bronchi, bronchioles, trachea, pharynx, larynx

Question 21

Oxygen moves from blood into the interstitial fluid and then to body cells because it

A) diffuses from a region of higher partial pressure to a region of lower partial pressure.
B) diffuses from a region of lower partial pressure to a region of higher partial pressure.
C) descends down an osmotic gradient, following the movement of water.
D) diffuses from a higher to a lower pH.

Question 22

Most CO2 is transported to the lungs in which of the following ways?

A) dissolved in the plasma
B) as carbonic acid
C) bound to water
D) attached to hemoglobin or as bicarbonate ions

Question 23

Consider an animal that exchanges gases through its skin. Which of the following body shapes would provide the most surface area for gas exchange?

A) a flat rectangle with sides measuring 3 inches and 4 inches
B) a flat square with sides measuring 2 inches each
C) a flat rectangle with sides measuring 2 inches and 9 inches
D) a flat square with sides measuring 4 inches each

Question 24

In a mammal, blood leaving the lungs goes to the

A) heart.
B) limbs.
C) liver.
D) brain.

Question 25

Labored breathing, coughing, lung infections, and respiratory failure are characteristics defining

A) asthma.
B) meningitis.
C) chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.
D) myasthenia gravis.

Question 26

The oxygen-carrying component in red blood cells is

A) hemoglobin.
B) bicarbonate ions.
C) iron atoms freely floating in the blood plasma.
D) the cell membrane.

Question 27

Compared to the vital capacity, how much air can lungs actually hold?

A) always less
B) sometimes less
C) always more
D) sometimes more

Question 28

Within the lungs of humans, gas exchange occurs across

A) alveoli.
B) bronchioles.
C) tracheae.
D) bronchi.

Question 29

Medullary breathing centers directly sense and respond to

A) blood pH and CO2 concentration.
B) blood O2 concentration.
C) alveolar O2 concentration.
D) blood pH and O2 concentration.

Question 30

Air leaving human lungs during exhalation contains

A) no oxygen.
B) no carbon dioxide.
C) only carbon dioxide.
D) carbon dioxide and unused oxygen.

Question 31

Inhalation in humans is achieved by

A) contraction of back muscles.
B) relaxation of back muscles.
C) relaxation of the diaphragm and muscles between the ribs.
D) contraction of the diaphragm and muscles between the ribs.

Question 32

When you are breathing normally, exhalation results mainly from

A) the contraction of muscles in the chest.
B) the contraction of the diaphragm.
C) the relaxation of the diaphragm and muscles between the ribs.
D) low pressure in the lungs.

Question 33

Oxygen is mostly transported through the body in which of the following forms?

A) dissolved in the blood
B) dissolved in red blood cells
C) bound to hemoglobin
D) bound to dissolved iron

Question 34

The average vital capacity for college-aged males is

A) 2.8 L.
B) 3.4 L.
C) 4.2 L.
D) 4.8 L.

Question 35

What part of the human brain contains control centers that establish a breathing rhythm?

A) midbrain
B) cerebellum
C) medulla oblongata
D) thalamus

Question 36

Cigarette smoke can affect the white blood cells that reside in our lungs, whose function is to

A) prevent emphysema.
B) engulf foreign particles.
C) enhance oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange.
D) maintain appropriate pH and moisture levels within the lungs.

Question 37

The ________ is a passageway shared by both food and air.

A) trachea
B) pharynx
C) larynx
D) nasal cavity

Question 38

When you hold your breath, which of the following blood gas changes leads initially to the urge to breathe again?

A) rising oxygen concentration
B) rising carbon dioxide concentration
C) falling oxygen concentration
D) falling carbon dioxide concentration

Question 39

What is the name of the muscle that helps move air in and out of the lungs?

A) trachea
B) alveolus
C) diaphragm
D) bronchus

Question 40

Cigarette smoking causes cancer due to the

A) effects they have on our breathing mechanisms.
B) chemical compounds in the smoke.
C) fact that the chemical compounds are resistant to human immune systems.
D) immunosuppressive effects they display.

Question 41

Many amphibians (including many frogs, toads, and salamanders) spend the early part of their lives in water but live on land as adults. The adults of many species return to water to breed and lay their eggs. Frogs have small lungs and supplement their oxygen intake by breathing through the skin. Although large frogs have more total surface area than smaller frogs, the larger frogs have a lower surface area/volume ratio (less skin surface relative to their total body volume). To keep their respiratory surfaces moist, frogs are generally found in wet or very moist locations.
In an experiment designed to investigate oxygen consumption in relation to body size, frogs from five different species were weighed and placed in a respirometer (a machine that measures oxygen consumption) for 1 hour. The table shows the results of the experiment.
$$\begin{array} { | c | c | c | } \hline \text { Species } & \begin{array} { c } \text { Average Weight } \\\text { (grams) }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Oxygen } \\\text { Consumption in } \\\text { One Hour (cc) }\end{array} \\\hline \text { A } & 7 & 0.35 \\\hline \text { B } & 11 & 0.55 \\\hline \text { C } & 15 & 0.75 \\\hline \text { D } & 21 & 1.05 \\\hline \text { E } & 37 & 1.85 \\\hline\end{array}$$

-From the data in the table, it is reasonable to conclude that

A) smaller frogs consume less oxygen per gram of body weight.
B) each tested species consumes a different amount of oxygen per gram of body weight.
C) oxygen consumption per gram of body weight is the same for all tested species.
D) oxygen consumption per gram of body weight for the largest species is much higher than that for the smallest species.

Question 42

The flow rate of a gas through a tube is proportional to the diameter of the tube. Through which structure in the human respiratory system does air flow the fastest?

A) bronchiole
B) trachea
C) bronchus
D) alveoli

Question 43

Which part of the diagram shows alveoli?

A) part A
B) part B
C) part C
D) part D

Question 44

Which of the figures shown represents countercurrent exchange? The arrows indicate direction of flow, and the numbers indicate concentration of a gas.

A) figure A
B) figure B
C) figure C
D) figure D

Question 45

What part of the respiratory system does cigarette smoke most adversely affect?

A) alveoli
B) trachea
C) bronchi
D) diaphragm

Question 46

Some crocodiles and turtles have an exceptional ability to divert blood flow through the heart when they are diving and no longer breathing and exchanging gases. Which of the following most likely occurs when these animals dive?

A) Instead of flowing to the lungs, blood travels to the rest of the body to support bodily functions.
B) Instead of flowing to the body, blood travels to the lungs to exchange gases.
C) Instead of flowing to the capillaries, blood travels to alveoli to exchange gases.
D) Blood flow ceases altogether since gases cannot be exchanged while diving.

Question 47

Sometime after a human baby is born, the production of the fetal hemoglobin protein ceases and the production of the adult hemoglobin protein begins. Imagine that a baby is born and this switch from fetal to adult hemoglobin does not occur. In which part of the world would this baby be well adapted to living?

A) high-altitude cities
B) open grasslands
C) sea level at the beach
D) a tropical rain forest

Question 48

Which respiratory structure likely has the largest surface area for gas exchange to occur?

A) the body surface of a worm
B) the lungs of a pig
C) the tracheal system of a house fly
D) the gills of a trout

Question 49

When bar-headed geese fly at very high altitudes (possibly over Mount Everest!), they breathe very thin air where the partial pressure of oxygen is very low compared to that at sea level. They are able to do this because they have a modified version of the hemoglobin protein. To which of the following is their hemoglobin protein most likely similar in terms of its ability to bind oxygen?

A) an adult human
B) a human fetus
C) a bird that lives at sea level
D) an earthworm

Question 50

What prompts a newborn baby to start to breathe?

A) an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the baby's blood
B) a decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the baby's blood
C) a change in the temperature on the surface of the skin
D) exposure to air

Question 51

Use the figure below to answer the questions that follow.

At which point(s) in the following figure would the blood have the highest concentration of CO2?

A) point A only
B) points B and C
C) point D only
D) points C and E

Question 52

Many amphibians (including many frogs, toads, and salamanders) spend the early part of their lives in water but live on land as adults. The adults of many species return to water to breed and lay their eggs. Frogs have small lungs and supplement their oxygen intake by breathing through the skin. Although large frogs have more total surface area than smaller frogs, the larger frogs have a lower surface area/volume ratio (less skin surface relative to their total body volume). To keep their respiratory surfaces moist, frogs are generally found in wet or very moist locations.
In an experiment designed to investigate oxygen consumption in relation to body size, frogs from five different species were weighed and placed in a respirometer (a machine that measures oxygen consumption) for 1 hour. The table shows the results of the experiment.
$$\begin{array} { | c | c | c | } \hline \text { Species } & \begin{array} { c } \text { Average Weight } \\\text { (grams) }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Oxygen } \\\text { Consumption in } \\\text { One Hour (cc) }\end{array} \\\hline \text { A } & 7 & 0.35 \\\hline \text { B } & 11 & 0.55 \\\hline \text { C } & 15 & 0.75 \\\hline \text { D } & 21 & 1.05 \\\hline \text { E } & 37 & 1.85 \\\hline\end{array}$$

-If you could alter the shape of a frog so that it was long and thin instead of compact, the frog's oxygen transfer efficiency would

A) increase, because the frog would be larger.
B) decrease, because there would be more skin area to keep moist.
C) increase, because the frog would have more surface area in relation to body volume.
D) not change at all, because the body volume would remain constant.

Question 53

If the hemoglobin molecules in your red blood cells suddenly were unable to bind carbon dioxide and hydrogen ions, what would happen to your blood pH?

A) It would increase.
B) It would stay the same.
C) It would decrease.

Question 54

There is a condition that affects the lungs such that the lungs cannot remove all of the CO2 that the body produces. Fortunately, animals' bodies respond to rising CO2 levels, which can prevent this condition from occurring. Which of the following processes occur when CO2 rises?

A) Ventilation rate decreases.
B) Bicarbonate ion concentration decreases.
C) The blood becomes acidic.
D) The blood pH increases.

Question 55

Pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disease that is characterized by damage and scarring of lung tissue. This results in the lungs becoming stiff and inelastic. What function is most likely to be impaired in someone with pulmonary fibrosis?

A) contraction of the diaphragm
B) relaxation of the diaphragm
C) gas exchange at the alveoli
D) expansion of the lungs

Question 56

Which of the following contributes to gas exchange in the human fetus?

A) the lower blood pH of the embryo
B) the lack of turbulence in fetal blood
C) the high oxygen levels maintained in the amniotic fluid by the placenta
D) the stronger attraction, when compared to adult hemoglobin, that fetal hemoglobin has for oxygen

Question 57

When you hyperventilate (breathe too fast), respiratory alkalosis (decreased concentration of hydrogen ions in the blood) can occur, which can cause you to faint. A common but potentially dangerous method to reverse respiratory alkalosis is to hold a paper bag over your mouth and take normal breaths, thereby rebreathing the exhaled air. How might this method reverse respiratory alkalosis?

A) Inhaling oxygen exhaled into the bag will cause oxygen to diffuse back into the blood and react with water to form carbonic acid, and blood pH will decrease.
B) Inhaling oxygen exhaled into the bag will cause oxygen to diffuse back into the blood and react with water to form carbonic acid, and blood pH will increase.
C) Inhaling carbon dioxide exhaled into the bag will cause carbon dioxide to diffuse back into the blood and react with water to form carbonic acid, and blood pH will increase.
D) Inhaling carbon dioxide exhaled into the bag will cause carbon dioxide to diffuse back into the blood and react with water to form carbonic acid, and blood pH will decrease.

Question 58

Cigarette smoking can sometimes lead to development of a "smoker's cough," which results from paralysis of cilia in the airways. Why would the paralysis of cilia lead to smoker's cough?

A) Paralyzed cilia can no longer clear the airways of mucus, so coughing helps remove it.
B) Paralyzed cilia can no longer provide an immune response to protect the airways from harmful compounds in the smoke, so coughing is used to try to prevent the compounds from damaging the airways.
C) Paralyzed cilia lead to a nervous response that "tickles" the airways and induces coughing.
D) Paralyzed cilia push mucus downward into the alveoli, which coughing attempts to remove.

Question 59

Use the figure below to answer the questions that follow.

At which point(s) in the figure is blood oxygen-rich?

A) points A and B
B) points A and D
C) point C only
D) points D and E

Question 60

When bar-headed geese fly at very high altitudes (possibly over Mount Everest!), they breathe very thin air where the partial pressure of oxygen is very low compared to that at sea level. Which of the following adaptions would help the geese efficiently exchange gases when flying at high altitudes?

A) hemoglobin that has a high affinity for oxygen
B) hemoglobin that has a low affinity for oxygen
C) hemoglobin that has a high affinity for carbon dioxide
D) hemoglobin that has a low affinity for carbon dioxide

Question 61

After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow.
Physicians routinely give their patients pulmonary function tests in order to measure characteristics of lung function. The most common of these tests, spirometry, measures both the volume and the speed of air entering and exiting the lungs. In this test, a person first breathes normally while breathing into a spirometer, a machine that measures air volume and air speed. Then the person takes the deepest breath possible and exhales as hard as possible for 6 seconds into the spirometer. The resulting data are plotted on a graph of volume (y axis) versus time (x axis). Spirometry is useful not only for assessing lung function in healthy patients but also for characterizing patients with lung conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, or emphysema.
A sample graph for a healthy adult male is shown below. Normal breathing occurs between points A and B, a maximal inhalation occurs at point C, and a maximal exhalation occurs at point D. Normal breathing resumes between points E and F.

For this data set, what is the residual volume of the lungs?

A) 500 mL
B) 1,200 mL
C) 2,300 mL
D) 2,800 mL

Question 62

After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow.
Physicians routinely give their patients pulmonary function tests in order to measure characteristics of lung function. The most common of these tests, spirometry, measures both the volume and the speed of air entering and exiting the lungs. In this test, a person first breathes normally while breathing into a spirometer, a machine that measures air volume and air speed. Then the person takes the deepest breath possible and exhales as hard as possible for 6 seconds into the spirometer. The resulting data are plotted on a graph of volume (y axis) versus time (x axis). Spirometry is useful not only for assessing lung function in healthy patients but also for characterizing patients with lung conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, or emphysema.
A sample graph for a healthy adult male is shown below. Normal breathing occurs between points A and B, a maximal inhalation occurs at point C, and a maximal exhalation occurs at point D. Normal breathing resumes between points E and F.

Patients with emphysema have lungs that are less elastic than normal. As a result, they cannot exhale as much air as a healthy person can, thereby leaving additional residual volume in the lungs. How would the preceding graph differ if an emphysema patient's data were plotted instead of a healthy person's?

A) The difference in volume between points A and B would be larger.
B) The difference in volume between points C and D would be larger.
C) Point A would be at a smaller volume.
D) Point D would be at a larger volume.

Question 63

After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow.
Physicians routinely give their patients pulmonary function tests in order to measure characteristics of lung function. The most common of these tests, spirometry, measures both the volume and the speed of air entering and exiting the lungs. In this test, a person first breathes normally while breathing into a spirometer, a machine that measures air volume and air speed. Then the person takes the deepest breath possible and exhales as hard as possible for 6 seconds into the spirometer. The resulting data are plotted on a graph of volume (y axis) versus time (x axis). Spirometry is useful not only for assessing lung function in healthy patients but also for characterizing patients with lung conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, or emphysema.
A sample graph for a healthy adult male is shown below. Normal breathing occurs between points A and B, a maximal inhalation occurs at point C, and a maximal exhalation occurs at point D. Normal breathing resumes between points E and F.

For this data set, how much air is exhaled during a normal breath?

A) 500 mL
B) 1,200 mL
C) 2,300 mL
D) 2,800 mL

Question 64

After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow.
Physicians routinely give their patients pulmonary function tests in order to measure characteristics of lung function. The most common of these tests, spirometry, measures both the volume and the speed of air entering and exiting the lungs. In this test, a person first breathes normally while breathing into a spirometer, a machine that measures air volume and air speed. Then the person takes the deepest breath possible and exhales as hard as possible for 6 seconds into the spirometer. The resulting data are plotted on a graph of volume (y axis) versus time (x axis). Spirometry is useful not only for assessing lung function in healthy patients but also for characterizing patients with lung conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, or emphysema.
A sample graph for a healthy adult male is shown below. Normal breathing occurs between points A and B, a maximal inhalation occurs at point C, and a maximal exhalation occurs at point D. Normal breathing resumes between points E and F.

For this data set, what is the vital capacity?

A) 1,200 mL
B) 2,800 mL
C) 4,600 mL
D) 5,800 mL

Question 65

After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow.
Formaldehyde is a simple organic molecule with important industrial uses; however it is a known carcinogen (cancer-causing compound). Researchers have long known that formaldehyde is present in cigarette smoke, but it was only recently in 2014 that researchers determined that formaldehyde is also present in e-cigarette vapor. For this and other reasons, the U.S. FDA is now overseeing production and distribution of e-cigarettes.
The data below are compiled from several studies examining the levels of formaldehyde in cigarette smoke and low- and high-voltage e-cigarette vapor (increasing the voltage of an e-cigarette allows for increased nicotine intake). The data in bar A are from individuals consuming 20 cigarettes a day. The data in bar B are from individuals consuming 3 mL of e-cigarette fluid a day when the e-cigarette is set to low voltage (n.d. = not detectable). The data in bar C are from individuals consuming 3 mL of e-cigarette fluid a day when the e-cigarette is set to high voltage.
What can you conclude from these data?

A) Smoking cigarettes results in the highest daily intake of formaldehyde.
B) E-cigarettes cause cancer.
C) The researchers did not conduct any studies with low-voltage e-cigarettes.
D) High-voltage e-cigarettes yield the highest daily amount of formaldehyde.

Question 66

Many amphibians (including many frogs, toads, and salamanders) spend the early part of their lives in water but live on land as adults. The adults of many species return to water to breed and lay their eggs. Frogs have small lungs and supplement their oxygen intake by breathing through the skin. Although large frogs have more total surface area than smaller frogs, the larger frogs have a lower surface area/volume ratio (less skin surface relative to their total body volume). To keep their respiratory surfaces moist, frogs are generally found in wet or very moist locations.
In an experiment designed to investigate oxygen consumption in relation to body size, frogs from five different species were weighed and placed in a respirometer (a machine that measures oxygen consumption) for 1 hour. The table shows the results of the experiment.
$$\begin{array} { | c | c | c | } \hline \text { Species } & \begin{array} { c } \text { Average Weight } \\\text { (grams) }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Oxygen } \\\text { Consumption in } \\\text { One Hour (cc) }\end{array} \\\hline \text { A } & 7 & 0.35 \\\hline \text { B } & 11 & 0.55 \\\hline \text { C } & 15 & 0.75 \\\hline \text { D } & 21 & 1.05 \\\hline \text { E } & 37 & 1.85 \\\hline\end{array}$$

-You have obtained a frog from a species closely related to the frogs used in the preceding study. If the frog weighs 30 grams, what do you expect its oxygen consumption in 1 hour to be?

A) 0.30 cc
B) 1.00 cc
C) 1.50 cc
D) 2.00 cc

Question 67

After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow.
Formaldehyde is a simple organic molecule with important industrial uses; however it is a known carcinogen (cancer-causing compound). Researchers have long known that formaldehyde is present in cigarette smoke, but it was only recently in 2014 that researchers determined that formaldehyde is also present in e-cigarette vapor. For this and other reasons, the U.S. FDA is now overseeing production and distribution of e-cigarettes.
The data below are compiled from several studies examining the levels of formaldehyde in cigarette smoke and low- and high-voltage e-cigarette vapor (increasing the voltage of an e-cigarette allows for increased nicotine intake). The data in bar A are from individuals consuming 20 cigarettes a day. The data in bar B are from individuals consuming 3 mL of e-cigarette fluid a day when the e-cigarette is set to low voltage (n.d. = not detectable). The data in bar C are from individuals consuming 3 mL of e-cigarette fluid a day when the e-cigarette is set to high voltage.
Assuming e-cigarettes contain many similar chemical compounds to traditional cigarettes, what part of the respiratory system do they likely negatively affect?

A) bronchi
B) trachea
C) alveoli
D) diaphragm

Question 68

After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow.
Physicians routinely give their patients pulmonary function tests in order to measure characteristics of lung function. The most common of these tests, spirometry, measures both the volume and the speed of air entering and exiting the lungs. In this test, a person first breathes normally while breathing into a spirometer, a machine that measures air volume and air speed. Then the person takes the deepest breath possible and exhales as hard as possible for 6 seconds into the spirometer. The resulting data are plotted on a graph of volume (y axis) versus time (x axis). Spirometry is useful not only for assessing lung function in healthy patients but also for characterizing patients with lung conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, or emphysema.
A sample graph for a healthy adult male is shown below. Normal breathing occurs between points A and B, a maximal inhalation occurs at point C, and a maximal exhalation occurs at point D. Normal breathing resumes between points E and F.

How is spirometry a potentially flawed experimental method to measure lung volume?

A) The test does not sample data for when the patient is breathing normally.
B) There is no way to calculate vital capacity using this method.
C) Patients with lung diseases or disorders cannot take spirometry tests.
D) The patient may be noncompliant and not put forth their best effort in the test.