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Question

Two friends are eating in a restaurant. One of them suddenly starts coughing and choking on his food. This is due to the improper movement of

A
diaphragm
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B
neck
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C
tongue
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D
epiglottis
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Solution

The correct option is D epiglottis
The pharnyx is a passage common to the digestive and the respiratory systems. Both food and air pass through it. Normally, air passes through the pharynx into the larynx and the trachea. However, when a person eats or drinks, the food or the drink needs to go into the oesophagus instead of the larynx. This is achieved with the help of the epiglottis, which is a cartilaginous flap that prevents the entry of food into the opening of the windpipe (trachea) during swallowing.

Sometimes, when a person is eating or drinking too fast or is talking while eating, the epiglottis fails to close over the larynx, with the result that food or drink enters the trachea. This is when a person chokes and starts coughing to get the food or drink out of their respiratory system.

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