Question 19M.3.HL.TZ2.4a.ii
| Date | May 2019 | Marks available | [Maximum mark: 3] | Reference code | 19M.3.HL.TZ2.4a.ii |
| Level | HL | Paper | 3 | Time zone | TZ2 |
| Command term | Describe | Question number | a.ii | Adapted from | N/A |
Hearing loss can range from mild to severe. Cochlear implants have been used in those with profound hearing loss such as children who are born deaf. The image shows a cross section of the ear with a cochlear implant.
[Source: NIDCD (www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/cochlear-implants)]
Describe the use of cochlear implants in deaf patients.
[3]
a. sound picked up by microphone relayed electronically to speech processor ✔
b. speech processor filters background noise/selects only speech frequencies ✔
c. «radio» signal from transmitter to receiver/stimulator which converts it to electric signal ✔
d. «electrical impulses» sent to electrode «array» in cochlea
OR
cochlear implant bypasses the hair cells in the cochlea ✔
e. electrode/electrical signal stimulates auditory nerve «fibers in cochlea» ✔
f. signals «generated by implant» sent to brain «which recognizes signals as sound» ✔
OWTTE
Most had a general idea of how cochlear implants work, but a large number could either not use the correct terminology (provided in the diagram), nor distinguish between sound waves, electrical impulses, nerve impulses and/or structure their answer in a logical or chronological order.
