Which airway tube connects the pharynx or larynx to the lungs?

• A. Esophagus
• B. Trachea
• C. Larynx
• D. Bronchus

Answer: (B)

Air travels from the pharynx into the larynx and then into the trachea, the main air-conducting tube that carries air down to the lungs and branches into the main bronchi. The esophagus is a digestive tube behind the trachea, not part of air passage. The larynx sits at the top of the trachea and contains the vocal cords, but the direct conduit to the lungs is the trachea. The bronchi are the branches that enter the lungs after the trachea. Therefore, the trachea is the tube that connects the pharynx or larynx to the lungs.