🎯 NEET 2026 Daily Practice Problem (DPP)
Topic: Breathing and Exchange of Gases | 20 High-Yield MCQs
Q1. Earthworms use which of the following for respiration?
- Tracheal tubes
- Moist cuticle
- Gills
- Lungs
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (2) Moist cuticle
Explanation: Earthworms breathe through their moist skin (cuticle), while insects use tracheal tubes and aquatic arthropods use gills.
Q2. The structure which prevents the entry of food into the larynx is:
- Glottis
- Epiglottis
- Pharynx
- Bronchi
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (2) Epiglottis
Explanation: During swallowing, the glottis is covered by a thin elastic cartilaginous flap called the epiglottis to prevent food from entering the larynx.
Q3. The volume of air inspired or expired during a normal respiration is called:
- Inspiratory Reserve Volume (IRV)
- Residual Volume (RV)
- Tidal Volume (TV)
- Expiratory Reserve Volume (ERV)
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (3) Tidal Volume (TV)
Explanation: Tidal volume is approximately 500 mL in a healthy man, totaling about 6000 to 8000 mL per minute.
Q4. Vital Capacity (VC) is equal to:
- TV + IRV + ERV
- TV + IRV + RV
- ERV + RV
- TV + ERV
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (1) TV + IRV + ERV
Explanation: Vital capacity is the maximum volume of air a person can breathe in after a forced expiration.
Q5. What is the partial pressure of $O_2$ ($pO_2$) in alveolar air?
- 40 mm Hg
- 95 mm Hg
- 104 mm Hg
- 159 mm Hg
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (3) 104 mm Hg
Explanation: Alveolar $pO_2$ is 104 mm Hg, while $pCO_2$ is 40 mm Hg. This gradient allows $O_2$ to diffuse into the blood.
Q6. About 70% of $CO_2$ is transported in the blood as:
- Carbamino-haemoglobin
- Bicarbonate ions
- Dissolved in plasma
- Carbonic acid
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (2) Bicarbonate ions
Explanation: 70% of $CO_2$ is carried as bicarbonate, 20-25% as carbamino-haemoglobin, and 7% dissolved in plasma.
Q7. The oxygen dissociation curve is:
- Linear
- Sigmoid
- Hyperbolic
- Parabolic
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (2) Sigmoid
Explanation: The sigmoid shape is due to the cooperative binding of oxygen to haemoglobin.
Q8. Which of the following factors shifts the oxygen-haemoglobin dissociation curve to the right?
- Low pCO_2
- High pH
- High H+ concentration
- Low temperature
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (3) High H+ concentration
Explanation: Conditions in tissues (High pCO_2, High H+, High temp) favor dissociation of O_2 from haemoglobin, shifting the curve to the right.
Q9. The pneumotaxic centre, which can moderate the functions of the respiratory rhythm centre, is located in:
- Medulla oblongata
- Pons varolii
- Cerebellum
- Cerebrum
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (2) Pons varolii
Explanation: The respiratory rhythm centre is in the medulla, while the pneumotaxic centre is in the pons.
Q10. Asthma is caused due to:
- Inflammation of bronchi and bronchioles
- Infection of the lungs
- Bleeding in the pleural cavity
- Damage to the diaphragm
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (1) Inflammation of bronchi and bronchioles
Explanation: Asthma is a respiratory disorder characterized by wheezing due to inflammation and narrowing of the airways.
Q11. Every 100 mL of deoxygenated blood delivers approximately how much $CO_2$ to the alveoli?
- 2 mL
- 4 mL
- 5 mL
- 10 mL
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (2) 4 mL
Explanation: Every 100 mL of oxygenated blood delivers 5 mL of $O_2$ to tissues, and 100 mL of deoxygenated blood delivers 4 mL of $CO_2$ to alveoli.
Q12. Occupational respiratory disorders like Silicosis are common in:
- Chemical industries
- Stone breaking and grinding industries
- Food processing plants
- Textile mills
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (2) Stone breaking and grinding industries
Explanation: Prolonged exposure to dust leads to fibrosis (proliferation of fibrous tissue), causing serious lung damage.
Q13. What is the site of actual gaseous exchange in humans?
- Nostrils
- Trachea
- Bronchioles
- Alveoli
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (4) Alveoli
Explanation: Alveoli and their ducts form the respiratory or exchange part of the respiratory system.
Q14. The conducting part of the respiratory system ends at:
- Trachea
- Primary bronchi
- Terminal bronchioles
- Alveoli
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (3) Terminal bronchioles
Explanation: The system from nostrils up to terminal bronchioles is the conducting part; alveoli and ducts are the exchange part.
Q15. Emphysema is characterized by:
- Damage to alveolar walls
- Fluid accumulation in lungs
- Bacterial infection of bronchi
- Spasm of smooth muscles
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (1) Damage to alveolar walls
Explanation: Chronic smoking is a major cause of emphysema, where the respiratory surface is decreased due to alveolar wall damage.
Q16. During inspiration, the diaphragm:
- Relaxes and becomes dome-shaped
- Contracts and becomes flattened
- Remains unchanged
- Moves upwards
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (2) Contracts and becomes flattened
Explanation: Contraction of the diaphragm increases the volume of the thoracic chamber in the antero-posterior axis.
Q17. The amount of air that remains in the lungs after a normal expiration is:
- Residual Volume
- Expiratory Capacity
- Functional Residual Capacity (FRC)
- Total Lung Capacity
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (3) Functional Residual Capacity (FRC)
Explanation: FRC = ERV + RV. It is the air left after a normal, passive breath out.
Q18. The diffusion membrane consists of how many layers?
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (2) Three
Explanation: The membrane has 3 layers: Alveolar squamous epithelium, capillary endothelium, and the basement substance in between.
Q19. Carbonic anhydrase is found in high concentration in:
- Plasma
- RBCs
- WBCs
- Platelets
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (2) RBCs
Explanation: Erythrocytes contain a high concentration of carbonic anhydrase to facilitate the formation of bicarbonates. Tiny amounts are present in plasma.
Q20. Which gas has the highest solubility in the blood?
- O_2
- N_2
- CO_2
- CO
✅ View Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (3) CO_2
Explanation: The solubility of CO_2 is 20-25 times higher than that of O_2, allowing it to diffuse faster through the membrane.