The combining form bronchiol/o refers to which anatomical structure?

• A. Bronchiole
• B. Bronchus
• C. Lung
• D. Alveolus

Answer: (A)

The test is asking you to recognize the specific anatomical structure tied to the combining form bronchiol/o. This form refers to the bronchioles—the small airways that branch from the larger bronchi and lead to the alveolar sacs. In the respiratory tree, air flows from the trachea into the bronchi and then into progressively smaller passages until it reaches the bronchioles, where gas exchange is prepared for at the level of the air sacs. The other options point to different structures with their own combining forms: bronch/o is for the bronchus (the larger airway), pulmon/o or pneumon/o for the lung, and alveol/o for the alveolus. So bronchiol/o specifically denotes the bronchiole.