Question

Which of the following is true about the external nose?

• A. Upper 2/3 is bony
• B. Lower 1/3 is cartilaginous
• C. Single lateral cartilage
• D. Two nasal bones

Hint:

Upper third bony (two nasal bones), lower two-thirds cartilaginous.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: The external nose has an osteocartilaginous framework. The upper one-third is bony and the lower two-thirds is cartilaginous. This already rules out option (a) which states the upper 2/3 is bony and option (b) which states only the lower 1/3 is cartilaginous.

Step 2: The bony part is formed by the two nasal bones (along with the frontal processes of the maxillae and the nasal part of the frontal bone). So there are indeed two nasal bones, making option (d) the correct statement.

Step 3: The cartilaginous part is made of two upper lateral cartilages, two lower lateral (alar) cartilages, two or more lesser alar (sesamoid) cartilages and one septal cartilage. There are therefore 3 paired and 1 unpaired cartilages, not a single lateral cartilage, so option (c) is wrong.

Step 4: The only accurate statement is that the external nose has two nasal bones.