What is the function of the outer ear?

• A. Collects and directs sound waves
• B. Transduces vibrations into neural signals
• C. Perceives pitch
• D. Maintains balance

Answer: (A)

The outer ear’s job is to collect sound waves and funnel them toward the eardrum. The pinna helps capture sounds from the environment and provides directionality, while the ear canal acts as a resonator that channels those vibrations efficiently and even boosts some speech-relevant frequencies. The actual conversion of sound into neural signals happens deeper inside the ear, in the cochlea of the inner ear. Perceiving pitch and maintaining balance involve processing by the inner ear and brain, not the outer ear. So the outer ear’s function is to collect and direct sound waves toward the eardrum.