True or False: Typical respiratory epithelium contains cells where only some of the pseudostratified columnar cells touch the basement membrane.

The statement is false. Typical respiratory epithelium is indeed characterized by pseudostratified columnar cells, but the defining feature of pseudostratified epithelium is that all cells are anchored to the basement membrane, even though not all of them reach the epithelial surface. This type of epithelium can appear to be layered because the nuclei of the various cells are at different heights, giving it a stratified appearance.

In normal respiratory epithelium, you will find goblet cells and ciliated cells among the columnar cells, contributing to mucociliary clearance. Since all of these cells extend to the basement membrane, the answer must acknowledge that it is incorrect to suggest that only some of these cells do so. Hence, the correct choice reflects that the assertion about the arrangement of cells in typical respiratory epithelium does not align with the established characteristics of this tissue.