Question

The chorda tympani is a content of which part of the ear?

• A. Middle ear
• B. Inner ear
• C. External auditory canal
• D. None of the above

Hint:

It crosses the tympanic cavity between malleus and incus.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: The middle ear, or tympanic cavity, is an air-filled space whose contents are tested frequently. They include the three ear ossicles (malleus, incus, stapes), two muscles (tensor tympani and stapedius), the tympanic plexus, and the chorda tympani nerve.

Step 2: The chorda tympani is a branch of the facial nerve. It enters the middle ear, crosses the tympanic cavity between the handle of the malleus and the long process of the incus, and then leaves to join the lingual nerve.

Step 3: Because it traverses the tympanic cavity, the chorda tympani is listed among the contents of the middle ear, not the inner ear or external canal.

Step 4: Therefore the correct answer is the middle ear. The inner ear contains the cochlea and vestibular apparatus, and the external auditory canal is a simple skin-lined tube, neither of which contains the chorda tympani.