Jane and Tom are worried about their newborn baby who has just begun to nurse, but chokes and turns blue whenever she is fed. Their baby most likely has a defect in her _____.
A. muscle in the lower two-thirds of her esophagus
B. tongue muscles
C. muscle in the upper-third of her esophagus
D. epiglottis
E. soft palate
Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
· What type of thinking is required?
Gather Content
· What do you know about the anatomical structure that malfunctions in choking? What other information is related to the question?
Choose Answer
· Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
D. epiglottis
Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
o The question asks about the anatomical structure that malfunctions in choking.
· What type of thinking is required?
o You are being asked to analyze explanations for choking in a baby.
Gather Content
· What do you know about the anatomical structure that malfunctions in choking? What other information is related to the question?
o Neurons within the walls of the pharynx send impulses to the swallowing center in the brain. In response, electrical impulses in motor neurons stimulate muscles to contract and raise the larynx (voice box). This pushes the glottis, the opening from the larynx into the trachea (windpipe), against a flap of tissue called the epiglottis. These actions keep food out of the respiratory tract, directing it instead into the esophagus.
Choose Answer
· Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
o If the epiglottis does not close properly when the baby is nursing then milk will enter the lungs causing a choking reflex as the baby tries to cough the milk out of their lungs. The esophagus has muscles that move food by peristalsis and a lack of this function could cause reflux or regurgitation, but probably not choking. The tongue and palate are used in the mouth to mechanically break down food and would not contribute to choking, especially in digesting a liquid food like milk.
Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
o This question asked you to analyze explanations for choking in a baby. If you got the correct answer, great job! If you got an incorrect answer, where did the process break down? Did you think that the tongue and palate were necessary to digest a liquid food like milk? Did you think that the esophagus would be necessary to keep food out of the lungs?
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