Praxis SLP Exam - Anatomy and Cranial Nerves with solutions
Primary motor innervation to the larynx and velum is provided by which cranial nerve?
A.V
B.VII
C.IX
D.X - Option (D) is correct. Primary innervation to the larynx and velum is provided by
cranial nerve X, the vagus nerve. The other answer choices identify cranial nerves that are not
primarily involved in motor innervation to the larynx and velum.
A client exhibits weakness, atrophy, and fasciculations of the right side of the tongue and lower
face. The client also has right vocal-fold weakness and nasal regurgitation of fluid when
swallowing. These problems are the result of damage to which part of the nervous system?
A.Brain stem
B.Cerebellum
C.Left cerebral cortex
D.Right cerebral cortex - Option (A) is correct. Weakness, atrophy, fasciculations, and the
other described symptoms are all consistent with a lower motor neuron locus and suspected
cranial nerve abnormalities (primarily CN X and XII). These cranial nerves emerge directly from
the brain stem and help mediate the transfer of messages from the brain to the brain stem and
to the structures of the head and neck.
After sustaining a CVA, Ms. Williams, age 75, was referred to an SLP for a speech and language
evaluation. While Ms. Williams was describing the cookie-theft picture, the SLP observed that
her grammatical structure appeared to be intact and her prosody was normal but that many of
her sentences were meaningless, did not fit the context, and included nonsensical paraphasic
errors. Additional testing also revealed that Ms. Williams exhibited poor repetition and naming
skills, did not respond appropriately to many simple commands, and had difficulty reading. Ms.
Williams appeared happy and talked excessively. She did not appear to be aware of her
communication deficits. What is the most likely location of the lesion?
A.Left posterior superior temporal gyrus
B.Left inferior frontal gyrus
, C.Left superior frontal gyrus
D.Left inferior parietal gyrus - Option (A) is correct. The symptoms that are described in
the scenario are consistent with damage to the left posterior superior temporal gyrus.
A 67-year-old male patient with no history of swallowing problems has undergone a
cardiothoracic surgical procedure. Postoperatively, he is found to be aspirating while swallowing
and is diagnosed with a left vocal-fold paralysis and left pharyngeal paresis. Which of the
following is the most likely etiology?
A.An intraoperative CVA in the right pons
B.Damage to the right recurrent laryngeal nerve
C.Damage to the left recurrent laryngeal nerve
D.A left hemispheric stroke - Option (C) is correct. The left recurrent laryngeal nerve
courses under the aortic arch in its course back to innervate the left larynx and the inferior
pharynx. The nerve can be damaged in cardiothoracic operations including aortic arch or valve
repairs. Only the left (and not the right) recurrent laryngeal nerve has this course.
Control over the fundamental frequency of the laryngeal tone is most closely related to the
activity of which of the following muscles?
A.Posterior cricoarytenoid
B.Lateral cricoarytenoid
C.Cricothyroid
D.Sternocleidomastoid - Option (C) is correct. The cricothyroid muscle has the greatest
control over the fundamental frequency of the laryngeal tone by lengthening or tensing the
vocal folds.
The sensorimotor integration of the muscles of the lower face depends on which two of the
cranial nerves?
A.The accessory and hypoglossal
B.The trigeminal and facial
C.The vagus and glossopharyngeal
D.The phrenic and facial - Option (B) is correct. The trigeminal nerve has a motor
component which is involved in mastication (and thus the lower face) and a sensory component,
Primary motor innervation to the larynx and velum is provided by which cranial nerve?
A.V
B.VII
C.IX
D.X - Option (D) is correct. Primary innervation to the larynx and velum is provided by
cranial nerve X, the vagus nerve. The other answer choices identify cranial nerves that are not
primarily involved in motor innervation to the larynx and velum.
A client exhibits weakness, atrophy, and fasciculations of the right side of the tongue and lower
face. The client also has right vocal-fold weakness and nasal regurgitation of fluid when
swallowing. These problems are the result of damage to which part of the nervous system?
A.Brain stem
B.Cerebellum
C.Left cerebral cortex
D.Right cerebral cortex - Option (A) is correct. Weakness, atrophy, fasciculations, and the
other described symptoms are all consistent with a lower motor neuron locus and suspected
cranial nerve abnormalities (primarily CN X and XII). These cranial nerves emerge directly from
the brain stem and help mediate the transfer of messages from the brain to the brain stem and
to the structures of the head and neck.
After sustaining a CVA, Ms. Williams, age 75, was referred to an SLP for a speech and language
evaluation. While Ms. Williams was describing the cookie-theft picture, the SLP observed that
her grammatical structure appeared to be intact and her prosody was normal but that many of
her sentences were meaningless, did not fit the context, and included nonsensical paraphasic
errors. Additional testing also revealed that Ms. Williams exhibited poor repetition and naming
skills, did not respond appropriately to many simple commands, and had difficulty reading. Ms.
Williams appeared happy and talked excessively. She did not appear to be aware of her
communication deficits. What is the most likely location of the lesion?
A.Left posterior superior temporal gyrus
B.Left inferior frontal gyrus
, C.Left superior frontal gyrus
D.Left inferior parietal gyrus - Option (A) is correct. The symptoms that are described in
the scenario are consistent with damage to the left posterior superior temporal gyrus.
A 67-year-old male patient with no history of swallowing problems has undergone a
cardiothoracic surgical procedure. Postoperatively, he is found to be aspirating while swallowing
and is diagnosed with a left vocal-fold paralysis and left pharyngeal paresis. Which of the
following is the most likely etiology?
A.An intraoperative CVA in the right pons
B.Damage to the right recurrent laryngeal nerve
C.Damage to the left recurrent laryngeal nerve
D.A left hemispheric stroke - Option (C) is correct. The left recurrent laryngeal nerve
courses under the aortic arch in its course back to innervate the left larynx and the inferior
pharynx. The nerve can be damaged in cardiothoracic operations including aortic arch or valve
repairs. Only the left (and not the right) recurrent laryngeal nerve has this course.
Control over the fundamental frequency of the laryngeal tone is most closely related to the
activity of which of the following muscles?
A.Posterior cricoarytenoid
B.Lateral cricoarytenoid
C.Cricothyroid
D.Sternocleidomastoid - Option (C) is correct. The cricothyroid muscle has the greatest
control over the fundamental frequency of the laryngeal tone by lengthening or tensing the
vocal folds.
The sensorimotor integration of the muscles of the lower face depends on which two of the
cranial nerves?
A.The accessory and hypoglossal
B.The trigeminal and facial
C.The vagus and glossopharyngeal
D.The phrenic and facial - Option (B) is correct. The trigeminal nerve has a motor
component which is involved in mastication (and thus the lower face) and a sensory component,
