Respiration – Disorders of Respiratory System: NEET MCQs with Answers

15 free questions on Respiration – Disorders of Respiratory System for NEET (UG), starting with previous-year NEET and AIPMT questions. Try each one, then tap Show answer for the answer and a short explanation.

Syllabus covered: Disorders of Respiratory System: Asthma, Emphysema, Occupational respiratory disorders

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Question 1

Previous-year question
Match List-I with List-II and choose the correct option. [NEET (Sawaimadhopur) 2024]
List-I:
A. Emphysema
B. Asbestosis
C. Asthma
D. Fibrosis
List-II:
I. Proliferation of fibrous tissues
II. Alveolar walls are damaged and respiratory surface is decreased
III. Serious lung damage
IV. Difficulty in breathing due to inflammation of bronchi and bronchioles
  1. A-II, B-III, C-IV, D-I
  2. A-IV, B-III, C-II, D-I
  3. A-I, B-II, C-IV, D-III
  4. A-I, B-III, C-IV, D-II
Show answer
Answer: (A) A-II, B-III, C-IV, D-I
Explanation: Emphysema: alveolar walls are damaged and respiratory surface is decreased (A-II); asbestosis, an occupational disorder, causes serious lung damage (B-III); asthma: difficulty in breathing due to inflammation of bronchi and bronchioles (C-IV); fibrosis: proliferation of fibrous tissue (D-I).

Question 2

Previous-year question
Which one of the following is the correct statement for respiration in humans? [AIPMT 2012]
  1. Cigarette smoking may lead to inflammation of bronchi
  2. Neural signals from the pneumotaxic centre in the pons region of the brain can increase the duration of inspiration
  3. Workers in grinding and stone-breaking industries may suffer from lung fibrosis
  4. About 90% of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is carried by haemoglobin as carbamino haemoglobin
Show answer
Answer: (C) Workers in grinding and stone-breaking industries may suffer from lung fibrosis
Explanation: Long exposure to silica and other dust in grinding and stone-breaking industries causes inflammation leading to fibrosis of the lungs. The pneumotaxic centre in the pons reduces the duration of inspiration, and only about 20-25 percent of CO2 is carried as carbamino-haemoglobin.

Question 3

Previous-year question
Name the pulmonary disease in which the alveolar surface area involved in gas exchange is drastically reduced due to damage in the alveolar walls. [AIPMT 2015]
  1. Pleurisy
  2. Emphysema
  3. Pneumonia
  4. Asthma
Show answer
Answer: (B) Emphysema
Explanation: Emphysema is a chronic respiratory disease in which the air sacs of the lung become over-inflated. The alveolar walls are damaged, drastically reducing the surface area available for gas exchange, and this causes a decline in lung function and frequent breathlessness.

Question 4

Previous-year question
Asthma may be attributed to [NEET 2016]
  1. inflammation of the trachea
  2. accumulation of fluid in the lungs
  3. bacterial infection of the lungs
  4. allergic reaction of the mast cells in the lungs
Show answer
Answer: (D) allergic reaction of the mast cells in the lungs
Explanation: Asthma is an allergic condition in which the tissues surrounding the bronchioles swell and compress them, causing difficulty in breathing. The allergy is mediated mainly by IgE antibodies and by chemicals such as histamine and serotonin released from mast cells.

Question 5

Previous-year question
Name the chronic respiratory disorder caused mainly by cigarette smoking. [NEET 2016, Phase I]
  1. Asthma
  2. Respiratory acidosis
  3. Respiratory alkalosis
  4. Emphysema
Show answer
Answer: (D) Emphysema
Explanation: Emphysema is characterised by inflation or distension of the alveoli through dissolution of the walls between adjacent alveoli. It generally results from chronic cigarette smoking, and the loss of alveolar surface drastically reduces gas exchange.

Question 6

Previous-year question
Which one of the following options correctly represents the lung conditions in asthma and emphysema, respectively? [NEET 2018]
  1. Increased respiratory surface; Inflammation of bronchioles
  2. Increased number of bronchioles; Increased respiratory surface
  3. Inflammation of bronchioles; Decreased respiratory surface
  4. Decreased respiratory surface; Inflammation of bronchioles
Show answer
Answer: (C) Inflammation of bronchioles; Decreased respiratory surface
Explanation: Asthma is an inflammation of the bronchioles, producing wheezing, coughing and difficulty in breathing, especially on expiration. Emphysema involves abnormal distension of the bronchioles or alveolar sacs, with destruction of the septa between alveoli, so that the alveolar surface available for exchange is greatly reduced.

Question 7

Previous-year question
Which of the following is an occupational respiratory disorder? [NEET 2018]
  1. Botulism
  2. Silicosis
  3. Anthracis
  4. Emphysema
Show answer
Answer: (B) Silicosis
Explanation: Silicosis is an occupational respiratory disorder caused by excessive inhalation of silica dust. It typically affects workers in grinding and stone-breaking industries, and long-term exposure causes lung fibrosis (stiffening of the lungs) with consequent breathing difficulty.
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Question 8

Previous-year question
Due to increasing air-borne allergens and pollutants, many people in urban areas are suffering from a respiratory disorder that causes wheezing due to [NEET 2019]
  1. reduction in the secretion of surfactant by pneumocytes
  2. benign growth on the mucous lining of the nasal cavity
  3. inflammation of bronchi and bronchioles
  4. proliferation of fibrous tissues and damage of the alveolar walls
Show answer
Answer: (C) inflammation of bronchi and bronchioles
Explanation: The disorder described is bronchial asthma. Allergens stimulate the release of histamine from mast cells, producing inflammation of the bronchi and bronchioles with coughing, wheezing and difficulty in breathing.

Question 9

Previous-year question
Increased asthmatic attacks in certain seasons are related to [2008]
  1. low temperature
  2. eating fruits preserved in tin containers
  3. a hot and humid environment
  4. inhalation of seasonal pollen
Show answer
Answer: (D) inhalation of seasonal pollen
Explanation: Asthma is often an allergic response in which inhaled pollen acts as the allergen, triggering the release of histamine from mast cells, so that the bronchiolar muscle contracts and the mucosa swells. Attacks therefore cluster in the flowering seasons of the plants concerned, which is why the condition is seasonal in many patients.

Question 10

Previous-year question
Which of the following statements about respiration in humans is correct? [2010]
  1. Workers in grinding and stone-breaking industries may suffer from lung fibrosis
  2. About 90 per cent of the carbon dioxide is carried by haemoglobin as carbaminohaemoglobin
  3. Neural signals from the pneumotaxic centre in the pons can increase the duration of inspiration
  4. The residual volume of the lungs can be reduced to zero by a forceful expiration
Show answer
Answer: (A) Workers in grinding and stone-breaking industries may suffer from lung fibrosis
Explanation: Prolonged inhalation of silica dust in grinding and stone-breaking causes chronic inflammation and the deposition of fibrous tissue in the lungs, producing silicosis. Only about twenty to twenty-three per cent of carbon dioxide travels as carbaminohaemoglobin, the pneumotaxic centre shortens rather than lengthens inspiration, and the residual volume can never be expelled.

Question 11

Previous-year question
Which of the following is an occupational respiratory disorder? [NEET, 2018]
  1. Botulism
  2. Silicosis
  3. Anthracis
  4. Emphysema
Show answer
Answer: (B) Silicosis
Explanation: Silicosis, caused by inhaling silica dust in grinding/stone-cutting industries, is a classic occupational respiratory disorder.

Question 12

Previous-year question
Which option correctly represents the lung conditions in asthma and emphysema respectively? [NEET, 2018]
  1. Increased respiratory surface; Inflammation of bronchioles
  2. Increased number of bronchioles; Increased respiratory surface
  3. Inflammation of bronchioles; Decreased respiratory surface
  4. Decreased respiratory surface; Inflammation of bronchioles
Show answer
Answer: (C) Inflammation of bronchioles; Decreased respiratory surface
Explanation: Asthma involves inflammation and spasm of the bronchi and bronchioles, while emphysema involves damage to the alveolar walls that decreases the respiratory surface.

Question 13

Previous-year question
Asthma may be attributed to [AIPMT (Phase-1), 2016]
  1. Bacterial infection of the lungs.
  2. Allergic reaction of the mast cells in the lungs.
  3. Inflammation of the trachea.
  4. Accumulation of fluid in the lungs.
Show answer
Answer: (B) Allergic reaction of the mast cells in the lungs.
Explanation: Asthma results from an allergic reaction in which mast cells in the lungs release mediators, causing inflammation and spasm of the bronchial muscles.

Question 14

Previous-year question
Name the pulmonary disease in which alveolar surface area involved in gas exchange is drastically reduced due to damage in the alveolar walls. [AIPMT, 2015]
  1. Pleurisy
  2. Emphysema
  3. Pneumonia
  4. Asthma
Show answer
Answer: (B) Emphysema
Explanation: Emphysema involves destruction of alveolar walls, drastically reducing the respiratory surface area available for gas exchange.

Question 15

Previous-year question
Which one of the following is the correct statement for respiration in humans? [AIPMT (Pre.), 2012]
  1. Workers in grinding and stone-breaking industries may suffer from lung fibrosis.
  2. About 90% of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is carried by haemoglobin as carbaminohaemoglobin.
  3. Cigarette smoking may lead to inflammation of bronchi.
  4. Neural signals from pneumotaxic centre in pons region can increase the duration of inspiration.
Show answer
Answer: (A) Workers in grinding and stone-breaking industries may suffer from lung fibrosis.
Explanation: Long exposure to dust in grinding and stone-breaking industries causes inflammation leading to fibrosis of the lungs (occupational disorder). Only about 20–25 percent of CO₂ travels as carbaminohaemoglobin, and the pneumotaxic centre reduces, not increases, the duration of inspiration.

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