The Pharyngeal Apparatus Practice Test

The first pharyngeal arch contributes to the formation of the malleus and incus, the two ossicles that connect the eardrum to the inner ear. The malleus specifically develops from Meckel’s cartilage, which is a derivative of the first arch. In contrast, the stapes comes from Reichert’s cartilage of the second pharyngeal arch. So the bone derived from the first arch is the malleus. (The incus also comes from the first arch, while the “auditory ossicle not specified” option isn’t a real bone.)