Question

when cleaning his ear canal with a cotton swab, garrett pushes the swab into the external acoustic meatus as far as he can. when he is met with some resistance, he pushes harder and suddenly feels a sharp, intense pain. he then notices that all he can hear from that ear is a constant ringing. what damage has he most likely done to the ear? multiple choice he has torn the skin of the ear canal, and now blood is preventing sound waves from reaching the tympanic membrane. he has torn the tympanic membrane so sound is not being transmitted to the middle ear. he has damaged the stapes so sound vibrations are not being transmitted to the inner ear.

Explanation:

Pushing a cotton - swab too far and with force can rupture the tympanic membrane (eardrum). A torn eardrum can cause sharp pain and tinnitus (ringing in the ear), and disrupts sound transmission to the middle ear. Tearing ear - canal skin usually doesn't cause constant ringing, and the stapes is deeper in the ear and less likely to be damaged by a cotton - swab in the external acoustic meatus.

Answer:

He has torn the tympanic membrane so sound is not being transmitted to the middle ear.