What do elevator and rudder control?

• A. Elevator controls pitch; rudder controls yaw/turning motion.
• B. Elevator controls up/down motion; rudder controls yaw/turning motion.
• C. Elevator controls left/right motion; rudder controls up/down motion.
• D. Elevator controls thrust; rudder controls drag.

Answer: (B)

Elevator and rudder are primary flight controls that change how the aircraft sits in the air. The elevator moves the nose up or down, altering the pitch attitude. When the nose goes up, the airplane tends to climb; when the nose drops, it tends to descend. The rudder moves the nose left or right around the vertical axis, causing yaw and helping the aircraft turn or stay coordinated during flight. These surfaces don’t directly control thrust or drag; thrust comes from the engines and drag is a result of air resistance and configuration. So describing the elevator as controlling up/down motion and the rudder as controlling yaw/turning matches how these controls influence vertical attitude and turning.