Questions: My Lungs Breathe

Question 1

What does your body take from the air when you breathe in?

• A. Water
• B. Oxygen
• C. Food
• D. Sunlight

Answer: (B)

When you breathe in, your lungs pull oxygen out of the air. Oxygen is a gas that your body needs to turn food into energy. Without oxygen, your cells cannot do their jobs. That is why breathing is so important — it is how your body gets this essential gas.

Question 2

You have three lungs.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

You have two lungs — one on the left side of your chest and one on the right. The left lung is slightly smaller than the right one to make room for your heart. Together, they work to bring oxygen in and push carbon dioxide out every time you breathe.

Question 3

What happens to the air you breathe out? How is it different from the air you breathe in?

Model answer: The air you breathe out has less oxygen and more carbon dioxide than the air you breathe in. Your body uses the oxygen and produces carbon dioxide as a waste product, and your lungs get rid of it when you exhale.

Breathing is a two-way exchange. You breathe in air to get oxygen, which your cells need for energy. Your cells use that oxygen and produce carbon dioxide as a byproduct. The blood carries that carbon dioxide back to the lungs, and you breathe it out. It is a continuous cycle — in with oxygen, out with carbon dioxide.