Each cranial nerve:

Question

A. Emerges from the spinal cord.
B. Is numbered according to its place of attachment.
C. Innervates the head, neck, and face.
D. Carries motor and sensory information.

Answer 1

ANS: B
Rationale: The cranial nerves are a series of 12 nerve pairs that emerge from the surface of the brain and are numbered according to their sites of attachment to the brain, from anterior to posterior. Cranial nerves I, II, and VIII carry only sensory information, whereas nerves III, IV, VI, X, and XII carry primarily motor information. The remaining cranial nerves (V, VII, IX, and XI) are mixed, carrying both motor and sensory signals. Although most cranial nerves innervate structures of the head, neck, and face, the vagus nerve (X) also innervates abdominal and thoracic structures.