Systems: Digestive

Question 1

What is an organ?

Answer 1

A group of specialized tissues serving a common purpose

Question 2

What is an organ system?

Answer 2

A group of organs working towards a common goal

Question 3

What is the function of the digestive system?

Answer 3

Allows us to intake food, get the energy and things we need out of it, and get rid of the waste

Question 4

Flattened, the digestive system would be the size of what?

Answer 4

A tennis court

Question 5

What are the 4 stages of digestion?

Answer 5

Ingestion, digestion, absorption, egestion

Question 6

Describe ingestion

Answer 6

The taking in of nutrients, chemical energy, vitamins, and minerals in order for our body to run

Question 7

Describe digestion

Answer 7

Breaks down these minerals into smaller, more useable forms

Question 8

Describe absorption

Answer 8

Absorbs useful materials into the bloodstream for use in the body

Question 9

Describe egestion

Answer 9

Gets rid of solid waste from the body

Question 10

What are the two types of digestion?

Answer 10

Chemical digestion and mechanical/physical digestion

Question 11

What is mechanical digestion?

Answer 11

The physical breakdown of food into smaller pieces by processes like chewing or churning

Question 12

What is chemical digestion?

Answer 12

The process of breaking down the particles that make up food into smaller particles that can be absorbed by the body. Done using chemical reactions

Question 13

What are organs that are involved in digestion but not a part of the digestive tract called?

Answer 13

Accessory organs

Question 14

What are the 3 accessory organs in the digestive system?

Answer 14

Liver, galbladder, pancreas

Question 15

What type of digestion is the teeth for?

Answer 15

Mechanical digestion

Question 16

How many teeth do we have in total, what are the types of teeth and their functions, and how many of each type do we have?

Answer 16

32. 8 incisors for cutting and biting, 4 canines for tearing, 8 pre-molars for grinding, 12 molars for crushing (including 4 wisdom teeth)

Question 17

What is the function of the tongue?

Answer 17

Used for moving and shaping food into a bolus

Question 18

What is the name of the tiny bumps on the tongue that house our taste buds?

Answer 18

Papillae

Question 19

What type of digestion does the tongue undergo?

Answer 19

Mechanical digestion

Question 20

What is the function of saliva?

Answer 20

Used to lubricate the food for swallowing and for chemical digestion

Question 21

What gland produces saliva?

Answer 21

Salivary gland

Question 22

What enzyme does saliva contain and what does it break down?

Answer 22

Amylase. Breaks down starch

Question 23

What is the medical name for the throat?

Answer 23

Pharynx

Question 24

What organ leads from the back of the mouth to the esophagus?

Answer 24

Pharynx

Question 25

Which flap of tissue covers the trachea, preventing food from obstructing air’s path to the lungs?

Answer 25

Epiglottis

Question 26

Which organ is a long tube leading from the pharynx to the stomach?

Answer 26

Esophagus

Question 27

Which organ is lined with smooth muscles that contract in wave-like motions to move food downwards?

Answer 27

Esophagus

Question 28

Which organ has glands that produce mucus to keep the passage lubricated?

Answer 28

Esophagus

Question 29

What is the wave-like contraction and expansion motion that allows us to swallow food?

Answer 29

Peristalsis

Question 30

What is the ring of muscle that lies at the end of the esophagus, separating it from the stomach?

Answer 30

Esophageal sphincter

Question 31

What is the function of the esophageal sphincter?

Answer 31

Relaxes to allow the bolus to enter the stomach but otherwise remains closed to prevent stomach contents from flowing back up

Question 32

Which organ is a j-shaped sac made of smooth muscle?

Answer 32

Stomach

Question 33

What is the name of the folds that allow the stomach to expand when full?

Answer 33

Rugae

Question 34

Which organ is lined with millions of gastric glands that produce gastric juice?

Answer 34

Stomach

Question 35

What is gastric juice?

Answer 35

A mixture of hydrochloric acid, salts, enzymes, and mucus used to digest food

Question 36

What is the function of mucus in the stomach?

Answer 36

To line the stomach, preventing it from digesting itself

Question 37

Which enzyme in gastric juice breaks down proteins in the bolus into smaller polypeptides?

Answer 37

Pepsin

Question 38

What organ has 3 layers of muscle that contract to churn the bolus?

Answer 38

Stomach

Question 39

What is the bolus broken down into before leaving the stomach?

Answer 39

Chyme

Question 40

What ring of muscle lies at the end of the stomach and controls the flow of chyme into the small intestine?

Answer 40

Pyloric sphincter

Question 41

What are the two ways to investigate issues in the digestive tract?

Answer 41

Endoscopy and colonoscopy

Question 42

What are the three component parts of the small intestine in order?

Answer 42

Duodenum, jejunum, ileum

Question 43

What are the dimensions of the small and large intestines in an adult body?

Answer 43

Small intestine is 7m long and 2-3cm in diameter, large intestine is about 1.5m long but much wider

Question 44

What are the main functions of the small intestine?

Answer 44

Digestion of chyme and absorption of nutrients

Question 45

What percent of digestion occurs in the small intestine?

Answer 45

90%

Question 46

The majority of the digestion process occurs in which organ?

Answer 46

Small intestine

Question 47

What organ is lined with folds to increase the surface area for absorption of nutrients?

Answer 47

Small intestine

Question 48

What is the name of the finger-like projections on the folds of the small intestine?

Answer 48

Villi

Question 49

In the small intestine, villi are covered by tinier finger-like projections called what?

Answer 49

Microvilli

Question 50

By what factor do the folds, villi, and microvilli increase the surface area of the small intestine?

Answer 50

600x

Question 51

Describe the duodenum and its functions

Answer 51

Short section at the beginning of the small intestine. Receives secretions from the pancreas for digesting carbs and proteins, and from the galbladder for digesting fats

Question 52

Describe the jejunum and its functions

Answer 52

About 2.5m long. Contains the most folds and villi. Continues breaking down and absorbing nutrients

Question 53

Describe the ileum and its functions

Answer 53

Has the least folds and villi and is the longest. Continues nutrient absorption and pushes unabsorbed particles to the large intestine

Question 54

Which organ is tucked right in the duodenum?

Answer 54

Pancreas

Question 55

Which organ is longer and more stretched out that the stomach, bumpy, and resembles cauliflower?

Answer 55

Pancreas

Question 56

What is the function of the pancreas?

Answer 56

Secretes about 1L of pancreatic fluid to the duodenum each day and produces insulin which regulates blood sugar levels

Question 57

What is pancreatic fluid composed of and what is their purpose?

Answer 57

Bicarbonate ions to change pH to 8 to neutralize the chyme and enzymes to digest proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids

Question 58

At which pH do the enzymes of the small intestine work best?

Answer 58

8

Question 59

What is the largest internal organ in the human body and how much does it weigh?

Answer 59

Liver (1.5kg)

Question 60

What is the function of the liver?

Answer 60

Produce bile

Question 61

What is bile?

Answer 61

A greenish-yellow fluid containing bile salts, which are used for digesting fats

Question 62

Where is bile stored?

Answer 62

Galbladder

Question 63

Bile emulsifying fat is a form of which type of digestion?

Answer 63

Mechanical/physical digestion

Question 64

What is the function of the galbladder?

Answer 64

Secretes bile into the duodenum when a meal is eaten

Question 65

What is the function of bile salts?

Answer 65

Act like a detergent by emulsifying the fats into much smaller droplets that can be evenly distributed through the chyme, allowing digestive enzymes to better break them down

Question 66

Describe how nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine

Answer 66

Monosaccharides and amino acids are sent to the liver, where they are processed and sent to the cells of the body. Glycerol and fatty acids are also absorbed and then reassembled before being sent to the cells

Question 67

What is another name for the large intestine?

Answer 67

Colon

Question 68

What is the first part of the large intestine where food materials enter?

Answer 68

Cecum

Question 69

To which organ is the appendix attached?

Answer 69

Large intestine

Question 70

What are the 3 components of the large intestine?

Answer 70

Ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon

Question 71

What occurs in the large intestine?

Answer 71

Billions of bacteria further break down undigested material, produce vitamins like folic acid, vitamin B, and vitamin K, and allow the body to reabsorb about 90% of the water

Question 72

How is feces moved from the large intestine to the rectum?

Answer 72

It is pushed by muscular contractions (peristalsis) into the rectum

Question 73

What indigestible plant material is helpful in maintaining regularity and for good colon health?

Answer 73

Fibre

Question 74

How much food does the average person consume per day and how much waste?

Answer 74

About 1.5kg of food and about 0.4 kg of waste on average

Question 75

What is the storage area for feces?

Answer 75

Rectum

Question 76

How does the body know it has to defecate?

Answer 76

Pressure on the walls of the rectum trigger nerve receptors resulting in a bowel movement

Question 77

What is the ring of muscle at the end of the digestive tract called?

Answer 77

Anal sphincter

Question 78

Describe the difference between diarrhea and constipation

Answer 78

Diarrhea sees waste move too quickly, causing dehydration. Constipation sees waste stay in the colon for too long, and too much water is absorbed by the body, resulting in hard feces

Question 79

What is chyme?

Answer 79

A thick liquid made of partially digested food and gastric juices

Question 80

What organ produces 3 different enzymes?

Answer 80

Pancreas

Question 81

Which organ is very dark brown and sits atop the stomach?

Answer 81

Liver

Question 82

Which organ is green and resembles a pea?

Answer 82

Galbladder

Question 83

Which organ is located where the small intestine and large intestine meet and resembles a finger?

Answer 83

Appendix

Question 84

What enzyme breaks down carbohydrates?

Answer 84

Carbohydrase

Question 85

What enzyme breaks down fats?

Answer 85

Lipase

Question 86

What enzyme breaks down protein?

Answer 86

Protease