Which structure is NOT part of the upper respiratory system?

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Multiple Choice

Which structure is NOT part of the upper respiratory system?

Understanding which structures belong to the upper airway helps you classify them by location. The nose and the nasal cavity are classic parts of the upper respiratory system because they are at the entrance of the airway, warming, humidifying, and filtering inhaled air. The pharynx sits behind the nasal and oral cavities and serves as a passageway for air (and food), so it’s also considered part of the upper airway. The trachea, on the other hand, is a windpipe that conducts air from the larynx down into the bronchi and lungs. It lies in the thoracic cavity and is part of the lower respiratory tract, not the upper. So the structure not part of the upper respiratory system is the trachea.

Understanding which structures belong to the upper airway helps you classify them by location. The nose and the nasal cavity are classic parts of the upper respiratory system because they are at the entrance of the airway, warming, humidifying, and filtering inhaled air. The pharynx sits behind the nasal and oral cavities and serves as a passageway for air (and food), so it’s also considered part of the upper airway.

The trachea, on the other hand, is a windpipe that conducts air from the larynx down into the bronchi and lungs. It lies in the thoracic cavity and is part of the lower respiratory tract, not the upper. So the structure not part of the upper respiratory system is the trachea.

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