Which structure is the windpipe?

Which structure is the windpipe?

• A. Larynx
• B. Trachea
• C. Esophagus
• D. Diaphragm

Answer: (B)

The windpipe is the trachea. It’s the main airway that carries air from the larynx down to the bronchi and into the lungs. The trachea is a flexible tube reinforced by C-shaped cartilage rings to stay open, with a lining of ciliated cells that move mucus out of the lungs. The larynx sits above it and is the voice box; the esophagus runs behind it and carries food downward; the diaphragm is the breathing muscle at the base of the chest. So the structure that functions as the windpipe is the trachea.

The windpipe is the trachea. It’s the main airway that carries air from the larynx down to the bronchi and into the lungs. The trachea is a flexible tube reinforced by C-shaped cartilage rings to stay open, with a lining of ciliated cells that move mucus out of the lungs. The larynx sits above it and is the voice box; the esophagus runs behind it and carries food downward; the diaphragm is the breathing muscle at the base of the chest. So the structure that functions as the windpipe is the trachea.