Question

What is the pulmonary volume of air inhaled by a person under normal condition after he forcefully exhales out?

• A. TV only
• B. TV + ERV
• C. TV + IRV
• D. TV + ERV + IRV

Answer 1

The correct option is B TV + ERV

Tidal Volume (TV) is the amount of air inhaled or exhaled during normal inspiration. Approximately 6000-8000 ml of air per minute is the average value of tidal volume in a healthy man.
Inspiratory Reserve Volume (IRV) is the additional amount of air a person can forcefully inhale apart from the tidal volume. It is about 2500-3000 ml.
Expiratory Reserve Volume (ERV) is the additional amount of air a person can forcefully exhale apart from tidal volume. It is about 1000-1100 ml.
If a person exhales air forcefully, both the tidal volume and the expiratory reserve volume is expelled out from the lungs. In other words, that is the amount of vacuum created in the lungs. So, when a person inhales normally without any effort, he inhales an amount of air, that is equal to the amount of air expelled from the lungs, which is TV + ERV.