COMD 5070 FINAL EXAM 2026 ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔How can you get a reasonable estimate of subglottal pressure? - ✔✔Measuring
intraoral air pressure when the pressure in the mouth is the same as the pressure below
the larynx, which is when the person produces a "p" and vowel: PA PA PA
✔✔What is laryngeal devoicing gesture - ✔✔When the vocal folds are abducted which
equalizes pressure (during the point of lip closure when producing /p/)
✔✔how does the laryngeal devoicing gesture equalize pressure between trachea and
mouth - ✔✔When vocal folds abduct, the trachea and mouth are linked, which causes
the pressure to equalize very quickly (no pressure drop at larynx)
✔✔Why is there no pressure drop at the larynx during the laryngeal devoicing gesture -
✔✔because the /p/ is voiceless
✔✔What does a pneumotachograph do - ✔✔device that shows the speed at which air is
flowing
✔✔What happens in a pneumotach - ✔✔you pass the air flow through a resistance
✔✔What is the pressure like upstream from the resistance in a pneumotachgraph -
✔✔pressure is higher
✔✔What is the pressure like downstream from the resistance in a pneumotachograph -
✔✔the pressure is lower
✔✔What is the difference between upstream and downstream of a pneumotachograph
called - ✔✔differential pressure
(upstream-downstream)
✔✔True or false: Differential pressure increases with flow - ✔✔true
✔✔What is the fundamental frequency? - ✔✔the lowest frequency and the highest
amplitude harmonic component of all the individual waves that add up together.
✔✔What does the fundamental frequency reflect? - ✔✔It reflects the rate at which the
vocal folds are vibrating
✔✔What is a oscillation period? - ✔✔the time it takes to go from one peak to another
peak.
, ✔✔How do you calculate frequency? - ✔✔f=1/p
✔✔How do you calculate period? - ✔✔1/f0
✔✔what is a semi tone - ✔✔1/12 of an octave
✔✔what is semitone standard deviation - ✔✔calculates stand deviation using semitones
which makes values comparable for high or low F0 (comparing males to females)
✔✔How do the numbers reflect our perception of intonation in speech - ✔✔using
semitones reflects our perception of speech more closely
✔✔what is a register - ✔✔A pattern of vocal fold vibration
✔✔True or False: The physiology never changes across registers - ✔✔False: vocal
quality does change at pitch extremes and physiology does change across registers
✔✔What are the different registers - ✔✔-modal register
-pulse register
-loft register
✔✔modal register - ✔✔-"chest voice"
-typical speaking voice
-used in mid range singing
-wide dynamic range
-whole mass of vocal fold oscillates
✔✔Pulse register - ✔✔-"vocal fry"
-pulsate quality
-occurs at a very low F0 range
-vocal folds relatively slack
-low driving pressure from lungs
-limited pitch and loudness range
✔✔Loft register - ✔✔-"falsetto"
-vocal folds are stretched tightly
-high end of f0 range
-cover of vocal folds oscillate medially
-little/no involvement of TA in vibration
-oscillation almost sinusoidal
✔✔What is the source-filter theory - ✔✔-larynx serves as source and the vocal tract is
filter
**independent of each other
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔How can you get a reasonable estimate of subglottal pressure? - ✔✔Measuring
intraoral air pressure when the pressure in the mouth is the same as the pressure below
the larynx, which is when the person produces a "p" and vowel: PA PA PA
✔✔What is laryngeal devoicing gesture - ✔✔When the vocal folds are abducted which
equalizes pressure (during the point of lip closure when producing /p/)
✔✔how does the laryngeal devoicing gesture equalize pressure between trachea and
mouth - ✔✔When vocal folds abduct, the trachea and mouth are linked, which causes
the pressure to equalize very quickly (no pressure drop at larynx)
✔✔Why is there no pressure drop at the larynx during the laryngeal devoicing gesture -
✔✔because the /p/ is voiceless
✔✔What does a pneumotachograph do - ✔✔device that shows the speed at which air is
flowing
✔✔What happens in a pneumotach - ✔✔you pass the air flow through a resistance
✔✔What is the pressure like upstream from the resistance in a pneumotachgraph -
✔✔pressure is higher
✔✔What is the pressure like downstream from the resistance in a pneumotachograph -
✔✔the pressure is lower
✔✔What is the difference between upstream and downstream of a pneumotachograph
called - ✔✔differential pressure
(upstream-downstream)
✔✔True or false: Differential pressure increases with flow - ✔✔true
✔✔What is the fundamental frequency? - ✔✔the lowest frequency and the highest
amplitude harmonic component of all the individual waves that add up together.
✔✔What does the fundamental frequency reflect? - ✔✔It reflects the rate at which the
vocal folds are vibrating
✔✔What is a oscillation period? - ✔✔the time it takes to go from one peak to another
peak.
, ✔✔How do you calculate frequency? - ✔✔f=1/p
✔✔How do you calculate period? - ✔✔1/f0
✔✔what is a semi tone - ✔✔1/12 of an octave
✔✔what is semitone standard deviation - ✔✔calculates stand deviation using semitones
which makes values comparable for high or low F0 (comparing males to females)
✔✔How do the numbers reflect our perception of intonation in speech - ✔✔using
semitones reflects our perception of speech more closely
✔✔what is a register - ✔✔A pattern of vocal fold vibration
✔✔True or False: The physiology never changes across registers - ✔✔False: vocal
quality does change at pitch extremes and physiology does change across registers
✔✔What are the different registers - ✔✔-modal register
-pulse register
-loft register
✔✔modal register - ✔✔-"chest voice"
-typical speaking voice
-used in mid range singing
-wide dynamic range
-whole mass of vocal fold oscillates
✔✔Pulse register - ✔✔-"vocal fry"
-pulsate quality
-occurs at a very low F0 range
-vocal folds relatively slack
-low driving pressure from lungs
-limited pitch and loudness range
✔✔Loft register - ✔✔-"falsetto"
-vocal folds are stretched tightly
-high end of f0 range
-cover of vocal folds oscillate medially
-little/no involvement of TA in vibration
-oscillation almost sinusoidal
✔✔What is the source-filter theory - ✔✔-larynx serves as source and the vocal tract is
filter
**independent of each other
