The middle ear bone that transmits vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear is which?

• A. Malleus
• B. Incus
• C. Stapes
• D. Eardrum

Answer: (C)

The middle ear has three tiny bones that form the ossicular chain, designed to transfer sound vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. The malleus (attached to the eardrum) picks up the vibrations and passes them to the incus, which then passes them to the stapes. The stapes is the final bone in the chain and makes contact with the oval window of the inner ear, converting those mechanical vibrations into fluid waves in the cochlea to stimulate the sensory cells. The eardrum itself is a membrane, not a bone, so it isn’t the bone that transmits vibrations. The malleus and incus are parts of the chain that carry vibrations onward, but the one that directly transmits them into the inner ear is the stapes.