Choir Semester Practice Test

The larynx is commonly known as the voice box. It sits in the throat and houses the vocal cords; as air passes between them, they vibrate to produce sound, which is how we talk and sing. The larynx also helps protect the airway during swallowing by closing off the airway to keep food from going into the lungs.

To place it in context with the other structures: the windpipe is the trachea, the tube that carries air down to the lungs; the esophagus is the muscular tube behind the trachea that moves swallowed food to the stomach; the pharynx is the throat region that channels air and food toward the larynx or esophagus. The term voice box best captures the larynx’s primary role in sound production.