COMD 5070 UPDATED 2026 EXAM SCRIPT QUESTIONS
AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔How does vocal fatigue influence phonation threshold pressure - ✔✔Vocal folds
become slightly swollen, which requires more pressure to get them to oscillate.
✔✔What influences phonation threshold pressure in clinical voice disorders - ✔✔-folds
are looser for easy onsets (less pressure needed)
-Folds are stiffer for harsh onsets (more pressure is needed)
-phonation threshold pressure will be higher for abrupt starts
- vocal fold lesions increase mass of vocal folds
-PTP is higher in many pathologies
✔✔T or F: Many lesions stiffen the mucosa lining of the vocal folds - ✔✔True
✔✔pressure, flow and resistance equation - ✔✔pressure=flow x resistance
resistance = pressure/flow
✔✔T or F: you can measure Psub and estimate Flow - ✔✔Falsee...you can estimate
Psub and measure flow
✔✔What will the oral air pressure be like when producing a vowel? - ✔✔the same as
atmospheric pressure around person's head.
✔✔If measuring pressure on lung side of a fricative constriction /s/ what would pressure
be like? - ✔✔much higher than atmospheric pressure.
✔✔If you were to produce a stop consonant, like a /t/ or a /d/, pressure would be higher
or lower than a fricative? - ✔✔higher than a fricative
✔✔Ohm's law states: - ✔✔Pressure, flow, and resistance are all linear related to one
another
✔✔What does it mean when it is said that there is a pressure drop across the glottis -
✔✔The pressure below the larynx is higher and the pressure above the larynx is lower
✔✔Difference of pressure from below and above the larynx
(pressure below-pressure above) - ✔✔Transglottal pressure
✔✔How do you measure the transglottal pressure - ✔✔pressure below-pressure above
✔✔What determines how much air flows through the larynx - ✔✔resistance
, ✔✔How does resistance determine how much air flows through the larynx - ✔✔-higher
resistance means lower flow;
-lower resistance means higher flow
✔✔How can we compute an estimate of laryngeal resistance - ✔✔Measuring the flow
with a pnuemotach mask by estimating the subglottic pressure during the closure for "p"
when you measure oral air pressure
✔✔What is the equation for Laryngeal airway resistance (Rlaw) - ✔✔Psub (cmH2O)/
Flow(L/s)
✔✔How do we measure exhaled volume - ✔✔A Spirometer- Helps calculate FEV1
(Forces exhibitory volume in one second)
✔✔How can we get direct measures of subglottal pressure - ✔✔-Tracheal puncture
-Esophageal pressure
✔✔What is a tracheal puncture - ✔✔doctor punctures hole into trachea, below the
larynx, and measures pressure with a miniature pressure transducer
✔✔What is Esophageal Pressure - ✔✔sends an esophageal balloon down part way into
the esophagus, and the sensor measures the pressure on the shared wall of the
trachea and esophagus (posterior trachea meets with anterior esophagus)
✔✔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
AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔How does vocal fatigue influence phonation threshold pressure - ✔✔Vocal folds
become slightly swollen, which requires more pressure to get them to oscillate.
✔✔What influences phonation threshold pressure in clinical voice disorders - ✔✔-folds
are looser for easy onsets (less pressure needed)
-Folds are stiffer for harsh onsets (more pressure is needed)
-phonation threshold pressure will be higher for abrupt starts
- vocal fold lesions increase mass of vocal folds
-PTP is higher in many pathologies
✔✔T or F: Many lesions stiffen the mucosa lining of the vocal folds - ✔✔True
✔✔pressure, flow and resistance equation - ✔✔pressure=flow x resistance
resistance = pressure/flow
✔✔T or F: you can measure Psub and estimate Flow - ✔✔Falsee...you can estimate
Psub and measure flow
✔✔What will the oral air pressure be like when producing a vowel? - ✔✔the same as
atmospheric pressure around person's head.
✔✔If measuring pressure on lung side of a fricative constriction /s/ what would pressure
be like? - ✔✔much higher than atmospheric pressure.
✔✔If you were to produce a stop consonant, like a /t/ or a /d/, pressure would be higher
or lower than a fricative? - ✔✔higher than a fricative
✔✔Ohm's law states: - ✔✔Pressure, flow, and resistance are all linear related to one
another
✔✔What does it mean when it is said that there is a pressure drop across the glottis -
✔✔The pressure below the larynx is higher and the pressure above the larynx is lower
✔✔Difference of pressure from below and above the larynx
(pressure below-pressure above) - ✔✔Transglottal pressure
✔✔How do you measure the transglottal pressure - ✔✔pressure below-pressure above
✔✔What determines how much air flows through the larynx - ✔✔resistance
, ✔✔How does resistance determine how much air flows through the larynx - ✔✔-higher
resistance means lower flow;
-lower resistance means higher flow
✔✔How can we compute an estimate of laryngeal resistance - ✔✔Measuring the flow
with a pnuemotach mask by estimating the subglottic pressure during the closure for "p"
when you measure oral air pressure
✔✔What is the equation for Laryngeal airway resistance (Rlaw) - ✔✔Psub (cmH2O)/
Flow(L/s)
✔✔How do we measure exhaled volume - ✔✔A Spirometer- Helps calculate FEV1
(Forces exhibitory volume in one second)
✔✔How can we get direct measures of subglottal pressure - ✔✔-Tracheal puncture
-Esophageal pressure
✔✔What is a tracheal puncture - ✔✔doctor punctures hole into trachea, below the
larynx, and measures pressure with a miniature pressure transducer
✔✔What is Esophageal Pressure - ✔✔sends an esophageal balloon down part way into
the esophagus, and the sensor measures the pressure on the shared wall of the
trachea and esophagus (posterior trachea meets with anterior esophagus)
✔✔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
