Oxygen Uptake Is Limited by the Surface Area of the Alveoli

question 40

Multiple Choice

Oxygen uptake is limited by the surface area of the alveoli in the lungs. True or False?

• A) False. Oxygen uptake is not limited by the body's structure at all.
• B) True. Surface area is huge, but all the oxygen inhaled doesn't have time to get across before exhalation.
• C) False. Oxygen uptake is limited by the amount oxygen the blood can carry, not by the diffusion rate from the lungs.
• D) True. Because carbon dioxide also has to diffuse out, despite the high alveolar surface area, some oxygen that might diffuse in is blocked.
• E) False. Oxygen uptake is limited by how fast the cells can use the oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide, not how much diffuses in.