Soft Palate Muscles — NDEB AFK MCQ
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Correct answer: B — Levator veli palatini
The levator veli palatini is the primary muscle that elevates the soft palate during swallowing and speech, closing off the nasopharynx from the oropharynx (velopharyngeal closure). It is innervated by the pharyngeal plexus (CN X, via CN XI). The tensor veli palatini tenses the soft palate and opens the Eustachian tube (innervated by CN V3). Failure of velopharyngeal closure (as in cleft palate) causes hypernasal speech and nasal regurgitation.
Reference: Moore – Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 9th ed., 2019