Question

A cute, little curly-haired child is sitting behind you in church. You turn around for a moment and she sticks her tongue out at you. Which tongue muscle did she use?

a.genioglossus
b.orbicularis oris
c.stylohyoid
d.hyoglossus

Answer 1

The genioglossus muscle is used by a child to stick out their tongue, while the orbicularis oris controls the lips, not the tongue.

Step-by-step explanation:

The muscle used by a child to stick out their tongue is one of the extrinsic tongue muscles, which are responsible for the movement and positioning of the tongue.

When sticking out the tongue, the muscle primarily involved is the genioglossus muscle.

The genioglossus muscle originates on the mandible (chin) and allows the tongue to move downward and forward.

This contrasts with other muscles such as the hyoglossus, which pulls the tongue down and back, the styloglossus, which pulls it up and back, and the orbicularis oris, which is a circular muscle that controls the lips, not the tongue.