ASVAB Practice Test

According to the text, what is the main function of the middle ear in the hearing process?

1. Transmitting pressure waves to the cochlea

2. Amplifying sound energy

3. Ensuring balance and equilibrium

4. Preventing infections

The correct answer is: Transmitting pressure waves to the cochlea

The main function of the middle ear in the hearing process is to amplify sound energy. The middle ear contains several crucial components, including the ossicles (the malleus, incus, and stapes), which work together to increase the strength of sound waves. When sound waves hit the eardrum, they cause it to vibrate, and this vibration is transferred to the ossicles. The ossicles act as a lever system that magnifies the vibrations before they are transmitted to the inner ear (the cochlea). This amplification is necessary because the subsequent transmission of sound waves through the fluid-filled cochlea requires a greater amount of energy than what is provided by the sound waves in the air. While transmitting pressure waves to the cochlea is part of the function of the middle ear, it is specifically the amplification of sound energy that allows this transmission to be effective. Ensuring balance and equilibrium is primarily a function of the inner ear, not the middle ear, while preventing infections does not pertain to the function of the middle ear in the hearing process.