Question

Two friends are eating together on a dining table. One of them suddenly starts coughing while swallowing some food. This coughing would have been due to improper movement of
A) Epiglottis
B) Diaphragm
C) Neck
D) All of these

Answer 1

Hint: There is an accidental entry of food in the windpipe because of improper closure of flap-like cartilage.

Complete Answer:
We can understand this question by knowing about a flap-like structure present on top of the glottis.
1) The epiglottis is a leaf-like cartilage flap which is present at the top of the larynx, or voice box. The function of the epiglottis is to seal the windpipe while eating, so that food does not accidentally does not enters windpipe.
2) The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscular partition which separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity in mammals. It has a major role in breathing because its contraction results in increasing the volume of the thorax and so results in inflation of the lungs.
3) The neck is a part of the body in many vertebrates which connects the head with the torso (body) and is responsible for providing mobility as well as the movement of the head.

Thus the correct answer is option (A) Epiglottis.

Additional information:
When we swallow, there are muscles called aryepiglottic and thyroepiglottic which pull down epiglottis in order to close the entry into the larynx, thus, preventing anything from entering the trachea.

Note: There is a bacterial infection which is the most common cause of epiglottitis. Bacteria can enter the body when we breathe in through droplet, infected epiglottis. The most common strain of bacteria causing this condition is Haemophilus influenzae type b, which is also known as Hib.