CHAPTER 28 Test Your Knowledge

DRIVING QUESTION 1

What structures make up the respiratory system?

By answering the questions below and studying Infographics 28.1 and 28.6, you should be able to generate an answer for the broader Driving Question above.

KNOW IT

Add the names of the structures indicated by the labels A-F in the diagram below.

Which part of the respiratory system is the site of exchange of gases between blood and air?
a. alveoli

b. bronchioles

c. trachea

d. pharynx

e. bronchi

Inhalation is accompanied by
a. muscular relaxation and a decrease in lung volume.

b. muscular relaxation and an increase in lung volume.

c. muscular contraction and a decrease in lung volume.

d. muscular contraction and an increase in lung volume.

e. muscular contraction and no change in lung volume.

USE IT

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Emphysema is a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this disease, the alveoli have been damaged, most often by cigarette smoking. The alveolar damage results in overinflation of the alveoli that can’t exchange their “spent air,” and causes an affected person to exhale through pursed lips.
a. From this description, explain the following symptoms of emphysema: breathlessness; inability to exercise.

b. Explain why supplemental oxygen is often a treatment for emphysema.

Asthma is a disease that causes swelling and constriction of the airways. Compare the predicted symptoms of asthma with the predicted symptoms of emphysema. Can you think of any treatments for asthma that might be different from treatments for emphysema?

DRIVING QUESTION 2

How do the respiratory and cardiovascular systems cooperate to deliver oxygen to body cells and remove carbon dioxide from tissues?

By answering the questions below and studying Infographics 28.2 and 28.3, you should be able to generate an answer for the broader Driving Question above.

KNOW IT

How is O2 transported throughout the body?
a. dissolved in the plasma of blood

b. bound to hemoglobin in plasma

c. bound to hemoglobin in white blood cells

d. bound to hemoglobin in red blood cells

e. dissolved in the cytoplasm of red blood cells

What can cause a drop in blood pH?
a. a decrease in O2

b. an increase in O2

c. a decrease in CO2

d. an increase in CO2

e. b or d

USE IT

If blood pH drops, what happens to the breathing rate? Explain your answer.

Oxygen diffuses from the air in alveoli to the blood in lung capillaries. Diffusion occurs rapidly over short distances, but decreases dramatically with increases in distance. Pneumonia is an accumulation of fluid in the alveolar air spaces. Why does pneumonia cause shortness of breath and give a bluish tint to the skin and nails?

Breathing in and out of a paper bag will ________ pH and therefore ________ ventilation.
a. not change; not change

b. increase; increase

c. increase; decrease

d. decrease; decrease

e. decrease; increase

DRIVING QUESTION 3

What factors influence the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood and breathing rate?

By answering the questions below and studying Infographics 28.3, 28.4, 28.8, and 28.9, you should be able to generate an answer for the broader Driving Question above.

KNOW IT

Relative to a tissue at rest, actively exercising tissues have
a. higher temperature, higher , and higher pH.

b. higher temperature, lower and lower pH.

c. higher temperature, higher and lower pH.

d. lower temperature, higher and higher pH.

e. lower temperature, lower and lower pH.

What is the particular feature of altitude that increases the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood?
a. the actual height (elevation)

b. the reduced atmospheric (barometric) pressure

c. the reduced partial pressure of oxygen

d. the increased atmospheric (barometric) pressure

e. the decreased relative humidity

USE IT

Hemoglobin releases O2 at low pH. Give two reasons why a tissue would have a low pH.

Carbon monoxide (CO) binds to hemoglobin more tightly than oxygen does. In fact, CO can displace oxygen from hemoglobin. Predict the symptoms of CO poisoning, and provide an explanation.

Why do people “suck wind” (that is, breathe very heavily) with vigorous exercise?

DRIVING QUESTION 4

How can scientific knowledge of the respiratory system be used to design training regimens for elite athletes?

By answering the questions below and studying Infographics 28.5, 28.7, and 28.9, you should be able to generate an answer for the broader Driving Question above.

KNOW IT

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Which of the following mimics high altitude?
a. sleeping in a high-O2 chamber

b. sleeping in a low-O2 chamber

c. transfusing RBC into the circulation

d. a and c

e. b and c

What does EPO do?
a. stimulates RBCs to release stored O2

b. stimulates RBC production

c. increases the number of heme groups per molecule of hemoglobin

d. increases ventilation rate.

e. b and c

Design an experiment to determine whether hypoxic chambers confer an advantage relative to altitude training. Consider how you will set up your experiment, including appropriate controls, and the variables that you will consider and measure.

USE IT

WADA must be able to test for a variety of banned substances. How could WADA test for each of the following? Rank them in order of easiest to detect (1) to hardest to detect (4).
______ EPO doping
______ Transfusion of whole blood
______ Transfusion of RBC
______ Use of a hypoxic chamber

INTERPRETING DATA

Look at Infographic 28.7.
a. Start with the 3000-m performance data for the elite athletes. How many seconds did the men improve by? How many seconds did the women improve by? Now determine that improvement as a % of the pre-altitude race time. What % improvement did altitude training confer? In your opinion, is this method of training worth it for that % improvement?

b. Now look at the graph with both the collegiate and the elite athletes. Even if the graph were not labeled, how could you know which group was which? (Hint: Look at their pre-altitude race times.) Did every athlete experience an improvement in race time? Was the change in race time identical for every athlete? Given the variability in results in this small sample size of conditioned athletes, what do you think you can extrapolate about altitude training in a larger population of active people?

BRING IT HOME

Your friend wants to join a new gym. The gym has many amenities, including personal trainers (for an additional fee) and a hypoxic chamber for “performance training.” There is a steep sign-up fee and high monthly dues at this gym. Another gym is offering a no-fee sign-up and lower monthly dues. This gym has the same cardiovascular equipment and access to personal trainers (at an additional fee comparable to that at the new gym). Your friend is fit. She runs local 10K races, and often places in the top 10 in her age group in your small town. Given the costs of the two gyms and your friend’s fitness level and goals, would you advise her to join the new gym or the old one? Explain your reasoning.