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The correct answer is the cranial nerve that is primarily responsible for controlling the movements of the tongue is the hypoglossal nerve. This nerve, designated as cranial nerve 12, plays a critical role in innervating the muscles of the tongue, enabling a range of functions including speech, swallowing, and food manipulation. It provides the necessary motor function that allows for precise tongue movements, which are essential for articulate speech and effective deglutition.

In contrast, the other cranial nerves mentioned have different functions: the vagus nerve (CN 10) is involved in autonomic functions like heart rate and intestinal motility, the acoustic nerve (CN 8) is responsible for hearing and balance, and the spinal accessory nerve (CN 11) mainly controls shoulder and neck muscles. Each of these nerves has a specific role that does not involve controlling tongue movement, highlighting the uniqueness of the hypoglossal nerve in this context.