Read before you practise · 5 min
Read Lung Volumes by What Remains After Breathing
Lung-volume questions become easier when each capacity is reconstructed from its component volumes.
NSEB · Breathing and Exchange of Gases · 5 linked questions · 100% coverage
Know this first
Lung Volumes is the central idea in this question pattern. Identify the condition in the stem before applying the method below.
Study deeper: NCERT Biology · Breathing and Exchange of Gases
Build the capacities
Functional residual capacity is the air left after normal expiration: ERV + RV. Vital capacity is the maximum movable air: IRV + TV + ERV. Emphysema can trap air, increasing RV and FRC.
Calculate ventilation
Pulmonary ventilation = tidal volume × breathing rate
Alveolar ventilation subtracts anatomical dead space first: (TV − dead-space volume) × rate.
OlympIQ exam lens
- ✓FRC = ERV + RV.
- ✓VC = IRV + TV + ERV.
- ✓Alveolar ventilation excludes dead space.
- ✓Air trapping raises residual volume.
OlympIQ trap
Do not include tidal volume in FRC; it is measured at the end of normal expiration.
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