Question

In contrast to the right lung, the left lung:

1) has two lobes.
2) has three lobes.
3) is encased in the parietal pleura.
4) can only hold a small volume of air.

Answer 1

The left lung has two lobes in contrast to the three lobes of the right lung. This difference is to accommodate the heart next to the lung in the chest cavity. Both lungs are encased in the pleura, and despite having different lobe counts, both contribute to respiratory volume.

Step-by-step explanation:

The differences between the right lung and the left lung are crucial in understanding human respiratory anatomy. In contrast to the right lung, which consists of three lobes, the left lung has only two lobes. This structural variance accommodates the heart, allowing it to fit snugly beside the lung within the chest cavity.

Both lungs are encased in the pleura, which is composed of two layers: the visceral pleura that is superficial to the lungs, and the parietal pleura that is the outer layer connecting to the thoracic wall, mediastinum, and diaphragm. Despite the left lung comprising fewer lobes, its capacity to hold air is not significant enough to say it "can only hold a small volume of air" as both lungs contribute substantially to the respiratory volume.