Question 23M.3.SL.TZ2.8
| Date | May 2023 | Marks available | [Maximum mark: 6] | Reference code | 23M.3.SL.TZ2.8 |
| Level | SL | Paper | 3 | Time zone | TZ2 |
| Command term | Explain, Identify, State | Question number | 8 | Adapted from | N/A |
The diagram shows the structures of the human ear.
[Source: Gorman, Benjamin. (2018). A Framework for Speechreading Acquisition Tools.]
State the part of the ear that detects movement of the head.
[1]
semicircular canals;
Many candidates could state that the semicircular canals detected movement.
Identify the type of sensory receptor that detects movement of the head.
[1]
mechanoreceptor;
Very few identified this as a mechanoreceptor. The candidates may have been confused by the script having four lines allocated for a one-word answer.
Explain the function of the cochlea in the perception of sound.
[4]
- (sound waves) cause movement of fluid (in the inner ear);
- (movement of the fluid) causes movement of hair/sensory cells (in the cochlea);
- different frequencies/wavelengths cause vibrations of different hair cells;
- the size/amplitude of the vibration determines the intensity/loudness of the sound;
- hair cells change movement to electric impulses/signals;
- send impulse to the auditory nerve (to be interpreted by brain);
There were varied responses explaining the function of the cochlea, with many candidates choosing to write everything they knew about the ear. Many failed to mention the fluid in the inner ear or that different frequencies trigger different hair cells. In most cases, poor vocabulary and lack of precision were used when explaining the function of the cochlea. For example, few candidates were able to state that the role of the hair cells is to change the movement into an impulse/signal, simply responding that cochlea sent a message to the auditory nerve.
