Audiology Praxis Study Guide UPDATED
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
What estimation of children in US are deaf or hard of hearing? - CORRECT ANSWER -
3-4 million
What is the estimate of people in US who are hearing impaired? - CORRECT ANSWER -
36 million
The ear is divided into 3 sections. What are they? - CORRECT ANSWER - outer ear,
middle ear, and inner ear
What is the outer ear comprised of? - CORRECT ANSWER - auricle or pinna, and
external auditory canal
Describe the auricle or pinna - CORRECT ANSWER - it funnels sound to ear canal and
helps localize sounds (this is most visible part of ear and composed primarily of cartilage)
Describe external auditory canal - CORRECT ANSWER - aka external auditory meatus,
which goes from the pinna to the tympanic membrane or ear drum
The external auditory canal is mostly made of what? - CORRECT ANSWER - muscular
tube, made mostly of cartilage
How is the external auditory canal shaped? - CORRECT ANSWER - like a S
Because the external auditory canal is shaped like a S, what must the specialist who examine the
ear canal do to the pinna? - CORRECT ANSWER - the specialist who examines the ear
canal must first pull the pinna up and back to insert the otoscope into the canal
,On average, how long is the external auditory canal? - CORRECT ANSWER -
approximately 2.5 cm (1 inch) long and resonates sound that enters it.
Where does the external auditory canal end? - CORRECT ANSWER - it ends at the
tympanic membrane, or eardrum
The external auditory canal has special cells that secrete what? - CORRECT ANSWER -
wax or cerumen
THe middle ear is an air cavity separated from the outer ear by what? - CORRECT
ANSWER - by the tympanic membrane
There are 3 small bones in the middle ear form what? - CORRECT ANSWER - ossicular
chain
The eustachian tube connects the middle ear to what? - CORRECT ANSWER - connects
the middle ear to the nasopharynx
A ruptured or puctured tympanic membrane may heal spontaneously, but repeated ruptures may
cause scar tissue, which does what? - CORRECT ANSWER - scar tissue reduces the
tympanic membrane's mobility
The tympanic membrane TM is describe - CORRECT ANSWER - elastic
thin
cone-shaped
flexible & tough
vibrates in response to sound pressure
How does the TM respond to frequencies? - CORRECT ANSWER - responds entirely to
low frequencies
,but only certain portions to high frequencies
What is the ossiculur chain composed of? - CORRECT ANSWER - it is suspended in the
middle ear by ligaments, it is composed of 3 tiny bones: the malleus, incus, and stapes
What is the 1st and largest of the three bones? - CORRECT ANSWER - it is the malleus-
Latin for hammer.
Because of the attachment, the vibrations of the tympanic membrane are transmitted to what? -
CORRECT ANSWER - to the malleus
One end of malleus is embedded where? - CORRECT ANSWER - tymapnic membrane
The malleus is attached to the 2nd bone called what? - CORRECT ANSWER - the inclus
(Latin for anvil)
Is there much movement between the malleus and the incus? - CORRECT ANSWER -
The malleus and the incus are connected in a tight joint that permits very little movmenet
The incus is attached to a third bone called what? - CORRECT ANSWER - it is called the
stapes (latin for stirrup)
The footplate, or the other end of the stapes, is inserted into what? - CORRECT
ANSWER - inserted into the oval window
the oval window leads to what? - CORRECT ANSWER - the oval window is a small
opening that leads to the inner ear
The ossiculuar chain amplifies incoming sound by how many dB before transmitting it into
what? - CORRECT ANSWER - the ossiculuar chain amplifies incoming sound by
approximately 30dB before transmitting it into fluids of the inner ear
, Y or N Does the ossicular chain transmit sound efficiently without distortion? - CORRECT
ANSWER - yes
There are 2 small muscles in the middle ear that dampen the vibrations of the tympanic
membrane and the ossicular chain. What are they? - CORRECT ANSWER - tensor
tympani, and stapedius muscle
The tensor tympani is innervated through what CN? - CORRECT ANSWER - cranial
nerve 5
The stapedius muscle, the smallest muscle in the body, is innervated by what CN? - CORRECT
ANSWER - by CN 7-the facial nerve
What does the stapedius muscle do to the ossicular chain? - CORRECT ANSWER - it
stiffens the ossicular chain so that its vibrations are reduced.
The tensor tympani muscle tenses what? - CORRECT ANSWER - the tensor tympani
muscle tenses the tympanic membrane so its vibrations are reduced
What is the acoustic reflex? - CORRECT ANSWER - when a person hears a very loud
noise that could damage the ears, the middle ear muscles contract in a reflexive action called the
acoustic reflex
What does the acoustic reflex stiffen? - CORRECT ANSWER - the acoustic reflex stiffens
the middle ear systems, especially the tympanic membrane
Where does the eustachian tube connect? - CORRECT ANSWER - the eustachian tube
goes from the anterior middle ear wall to the posterior wall of the nasopharynx
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
What estimation of children in US are deaf or hard of hearing? - CORRECT ANSWER -
3-4 million
What is the estimate of people in US who are hearing impaired? - CORRECT ANSWER -
36 million
The ear is divided into 3 sections. What are they? - CORRECT ANSWER - outer ear,
middle ear, and inner ear
What is the outer ear comprised of? - CORRECT ANSWER - auricle or pinna, and
external auditory canal
Describe the auricle or pinna - CORRECT ANSWER - it funnels sound to ear canal and
helps localize sounds (this is most visible part of ear and composed primarily of cartilage)
Describe external auditory canal - CORRECT ANSWER - aka external auditory meatus,
which goes from the pinna to the tympanic membrane or ear drum
The external auditory canal is mostly made of what? - CORRECT ANSWER - muscular
tube, made mostly of cartilage
How is the external auditory canal shaped? - CORRECT ANSWER - like a S
Because the external auditory canal is shaped like a S, what must the specialist who examine the
ear canal do to the pinna? - CORRECT ANSWER - the specialist who examines the ear
canal must first pull the pinna up and back to insert the otoscope into the canal
,On average, how long is the external auditory canal? - CORRECT ANSWER -
approximately 2.5 cm (1 inch) long and resonates sound that enters it.
Where does the external auditory canal end? - CORRECT ANSWER - it ends at the
tympanic membrane, or eardrum
The external auditory canal has special cells that secrete what? - CORRECT ANSWER -
wax or cerumen
THe middle ear is an air cavity separated from the outer ear by what? - CORRECT
ANSWER - by the tympanic membrane
There are 3 small bones in the middle ear form what? - CORRECT ANSWER - ossicular
chain
The eustachian tube connects the middle ear to what? - CORRECT ANSWER - connects
the middle ear to the nasopharynx
A ruptured or puctured tympanic membrane may heal spontaneously, but repeated ruptures may
cause scar tissue, which does what? - CORRECT ANSWER - scar tissue reduces the
tympanic membrane's mobility
The tympanic membrane TM is describe - CORRECT ANSWER - elastic
thin
cone-shaped
flexible & tough
vibrates in response to sound pressure
How does the TM respond to frequencies? - CORRECT ANSWER - responds entirely to
low frequencies
,but only certain portions to high frequencies
What is the ossiculur chain composed of? - CORRECT ANSWER - it is suspended in the
middle ear by ligaments, it is composed of 3 tiny bones: the malleus, incus, and stapes
What is the 1st and largest of the three bones? - CORRECT ANSWER - it is the malleus-
Latin for hammer.
Because of the attachment, the vibrations of the tympanic membrane are transmitted to what? -
CORRECT ANSWER - to the malleus
One end of malleus is embedded where? - CORRECT ANSWER - tymapnic membrane
The malleus is attached to the 2nd bone called what? - CORRECT ANSWER - the inclus
(Latin for anvil)
Is there much movement between the malleus and the incus? - CORRECT ANSWER -
The malleus and the incus are connected in a tight joint that permits very little movmenet
The incus is attached to a third bone called what? - CORRECT ANSWER - it is called the
stapes (latin for stirrup)
The footplate, or the other end of the stapes, is inserted into what? - CORRECT
ANSWER - inserted into the oval window
the oval window leads to what? - CORRECT ANSWER - the oval window is a small
opening that leads to the inner ear
The ossiculuar chain amplifies incoming sound by how many dB before transmitting it into
what? - CORRECT ANSWER - the ossiculuar chain amplifies incoming sound by
approximately 30dB before transmitting it into fluids of the inner ear
, Y or N Does the ossicular chain transmit sound efficiently without distortion? - CORRECT
ANSWER - yes
There are 2 small muscles in the middle ear that dampen the vibrations of the tympanic
membrane and the ossicular chain. What are they? - CORRECT ANSWER - tensor
tympani, and stapedius muscle
The tensor tympani is innervated through what CN? - CORRECT ANSWER - cranial
nerve 5
The stapedius muscle, the smallest muscle in the body, is innervated by what CN? - CORRECT
ANSWER - by CN 7-the facial nerve
What does the stapedius muscle do to the ossicular chain? - CORRECT ANSWER - it
stiffens the ossicular chain so that its vibrations are reduced.
The tensor tympani muscle tenses what? - CORRECT ANSWER - the tensor tympani
muscle tenses the tympanic membrane so its vibrations are reduced
What is the acoustic reflex? - CORRECT ANSWER - when a person hears a very loud
noise that could damage the ears, the middle ear muscles contract in a reflexive action called the
acoustic reflex
What does the acoustic reflex stiffen? - CORRECT ANSWER - the acoustic reflex stiffens
the middle ear systems, especially the tympanic membrane
Where does the eustachian tube connect? - CORRECT ANSWER - the eustachian tube
goes from the anterior middle ear wall to the posterior wall of the nasopharynx
