Question

What structures hold the air passages open in the windpipe and bronchi?

Answer 1

Answer:

The structure that holds the air passages open in the trachea (windpipe) is the hyaline cartilage in the tracheal wall offering support and keeping the trachea drom collapsing.

Explanation:

The bronchi are divided in two by the level of the fifth thoracic vertebra the gaps that keeps the bronchus open are the cartilages filled with the trachealis muscle, that holds open the lumen of  the trachea and bronchis and allow the flexibility necessary for the respiration motion (inspiration and expiration).

Answer 2

The trachea connects the larynx to the bronchi and allows air to pass through the neck and into the thorax. The rings of cartilage making up the trachea allow it to remain open to air at all times