Answers to “Questions for Study and Review”

appearing in Memmler’s Structure and Function of the Human Body, 9th Edition

Barbara Janson Cohen

Jason Taylor

Following are answers to the “Questions for Study and Review” at the end of each chapter in the

textbook. Answers are arranged by chapter, using the same headings as the questions in the text:

Fill in the blanks, Matching, and Multiple choice : The questions in this section test

students’ factual recall, and the answers provided here are straightforward, typically

consisting of a single word or phrase.

Understanding Concepts : Questions in this section reinforce students’ understanding of

concepts by asking them to define, describe, or compare/contrast. Answers are provided

in narrative form.

Conceptual Thinking : Because the short-essay questions are meant to test students’

critical-thinking skills, answers will be somewhat subjective and will vary from student

to student. Even so, any answer should contain certain key elements, and to that end we

have provided a list of bulleted points listing essential information that the student’s

answer should include.

SFHB 9 e Answers to Questions for Study and Review 1© Wolters Kluwer Health, 2009. Instructor’s Resource DVD to accompany Cohen: Memmler’s Structure and Function of the Human Body, 9th Edition

Chapter 10. The Sensory System

Building Understanding

Fill in the blanks

1. receptor

2. refraction

3. vestibulocochlear

4. proprioceptors

5. sensory adaptation

Matching

6. (d) organ of Corti

7. (a) retina

8. (c) macula

9. (e) tactile corpuscle

10. (b) free nerve endings

Multiple choice

11. (d) pain

12. (d) sclera, choroid, and retina

13. (a) cornea

14. (b) optic nerve

15. (d) equilibrium

Understanding Concepts

16. a) A special sense is localized in a special sense organ while a general sense is widely

distributed throughout the body.

SFHB 9 e Answers to Questions for Study and Review 2© Wolters Kluwer Health, 2009. Instructor’s Resource DVD to accompany Cohen: Memmler’s Structure and Function of the Human Body, 9th Edition

b) The aqueous humor is a watery fluid anterior to the lens that helps maintain the eyeball’s

shape. The vitreous body is a jellylike substance posterior to the lens that also helps to

maintain the eyeball’s shape.

c) Rods are retinal receptor cells used for vision in dim light. Cones are retinal receptor cells

used for color vision in bright light.

d) Endolymph is a fluid found in the ear’s membranous labyrinth. Perilymph is a fluid found

in the ear’s bony labyrinth.

e) Static equilibrium is the sense of position while moving in a straight line. Dynamic

equilibrium is the sense of position while spinning or rotating.

17. The pathway of light from the outside of the eye to the retina is cornea, aqueous humor, lens,

vitreous body, and retina.

18. The process of convergence centers both eyes on the same visual field. An inability to

converge the eyes is called strabismus. The process of accommodation allows the eyes’

lenses to focus on near or far objects. As we age, our lenses become less elastic and less

able to accommodate, a condition called presbyopia.

19. The pathway of sound waves through the ear to the receptors of hearing is external auditory

canal, tympanic membrane, malleus, incus, stapes, oval window, perilymph, endolymph,

tectorial membrane, and hair cells.

20. Static equilibrium is the sense of position of the head or the position of the body when

moving in a straight line. It is sensed by maculae in the vestibule of the inner ear. Dynamic

equilibrium is the sense of position of the body when it is spinning or moving in different

directions. It is sensed by cristae in the semicircular canals of the inner ear.

SFHB 9 e Answers to Questions for Study and Review 3© Wolters Kluwer Health, 2009. Instructor’s Resource DVD to accompany Cohen: Memmler’s Structure and Function of the Human Body, 9th Edition

21. The four basic tastes—sweet, salty, sour, and bitter—are detected by taste receptors (taste

buds) located on the surface of the tongue. The facial and glossopharyngeal cranial nerves

(VII and IX) transmit the sensation of taste to the brain.

22. Nerve impulses from the olfactory receptors are carried by the olfactory nerve to the

olfactory center in the temporal lobe.

23. Some pain-relieving drugs are NSAIDS, narcotics, and anesthetics. Other pain-relieving

methods include massage, acupressure, electrical stimulation, application of heat and cold,

and relaxation techniques.

Conceptual Thinking

24. ● Tears drain from the eye into the nose via the nasolacrimal duct and then into the oral

cavity.

● It is also possible to taste eye drops because of this anatomical connection between the

eye and oral cavity.

25. ● The roller-coaster ride has affected your friend’s dynamic equilibrium, putting in motion

the fluid inside of her semicircular canals.

● For a short time after the ride, the fluid continues to move, sending a message to your

friend’s brain that she is still in motion and affecting her balance.

26. ● A cataract is a cloudiness (opacity) of the lens’ outer covering and is an age-related

disorder.

● Other age-related disorders of the sensory system include presbyopia, glaucoma, and

presbycusis.

SFHB 9 e Answers to Questions for Study and Review 4© Wolters Kluwer Health, 2009. Instructor’s Resource DVD to accompany Cohen: Memmler’s Structure and Function of the Human Body, 9th Edition