Pharyngeal Apparatus Practice Test 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

The second pharyngeal arch (the hyoid arch) gives rise to muscles of facial expression and other small muscles, with Reichert’s cartilage derivatives forming parts of the hyoid and stapes. The motor innervation to all these muscles comes from the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII). That connection is why this nerve is associated with the second arch. By contrast, the first arch is innervated by the trigeminal nerve (V), the third arch by the glossopharyngeal nerve (IX), and the fourth and sixth arches by the vagus nerve (X).