Practice Questions: Chapter 6

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1. Amplification of sound through hearing aids:

A. is useful only on elderly people
B. can be used successfully regardless of age
C. are most useful in overcoming a sensorineural hearing loss
D. are most useful in persons exhibiting poor speech discrimination
E. are recommended for person suffering central auditory lesions

2. The traveling wave that is set up on the basilar membrane in response to sound has the following behavior:

A. the traveling wave always begins at the base and moves towards the apex of the cochlea
B. the higher the stimulus frequency the closer to the cochlear apex is the place of maximal amplitude of vibration
C. low frequency sounds cause the traveling wave to reach its maximal amplitude near the stapes
D. the velocity of the traveling wave is about that of the velocity of sound in fluid
E. the traveling wave arises because the basilar membrane has about the same stiffness along its entire length

3. The physical property of the basilar membrane that provides a "place mechanism" for frequency analysis of sounds reaching the inner ear is:

A. changes in mass from base to apex
B. changes in stiffness from base to apex
C. transverse tension
D. changes in damping from base to apex
E. the presence of the helicotrema

4. The spiral ganglion of the inner ear contains

A. structural elements of the cochlea that provide support for the organ of Corti.
B. sensory receptor cells of the inner ear
C. modified epithelial cells that line the walls of the membranous labyrinth
D. secretory cells that produce endolymph
E. sensory neurons whose axons contribute to the auditory nerve bundle

5. Th "volley theor" of hearing is based on the fact that:

A. auditory nerve fibers are tuned to a narrow band of frequencies
B. in response to low frequency sounds, action potentials transmitted by auditory nerve fibers are time locked to the stimulus waveform.
C. the basilar membrane is a resonant structure
D. the tympanic membrane vibrates in response to very low amplitude signals
E. the lowest threshold for hearing in humans is in the range of frequencies found in speech.