9. Gastrointestinal System Flashcards
- Which of the following statements is WRONG? The end products of:
A. Protein digestion products are transported to the liver via the hepatic portal vein
B. Triglyceride digestion products are transported to the liver via the lymphatic system
C. Carbohydrate digestion products are transported to the liver in the blood
D. Triglyceride digestion products are transported via the lymphatic system
Answer is B: The products of fat digestion are transported by the lymphatic system but do not pass through the liver.
- One of the following processes is NOT part of mechanical digestion. Which one?
A. Hydrolysis
B. Peristalsis
C. Segmentation
D. Mastication
Answer is A: Hydrolysis is a chemical process that coverts large food molecules into smaller ones (i.e. performs digestion)
- Which type of cell produces hydrochloric acid?
A. Zymogenic cells
B. Parietal cells
C. Chief cells
D. Enteroendocrine cells
Answer is B: The parietal cells of gastric glands produce hydrochloric acid. (Zymogenic cells are the same as chief cells; they produce pepsinogen.)
- Which of the following glands are accessory organs of the digestive system?
A. Adrenal glands
B. Pancreatic islets
C. Gastric glands
D. Salivary glands
Answer is D: Salivary glands produce a secretion (saliva) that empties into the digestive tract via a tube. (Pancreatic islets are in the pancreas but are themselves not a gland.)
- What is the role of gastrin in the digestive system?
A. To stimulate release of bile and pancreatic juice
B. To stimulate gastric secretion
C. To activate pepsinogen
D. To hydrolyse proteins to polypeptides
Answer is B: Gastrin is a hormone that stimulates gastric secretion (from the stomach wall).
- Which liver cells produce bile?
A. Kupffer cells
B. Sinusoids
C. Hepatocytes
D. The acini
Answer is C: Hepatocytes are liver cells. Kupffer cells are macrophages, while sinusoids are blood capillaries
- What are the end products of carbohydrate digestion?
A. Chylomicrons
B. Amino acids
C. Free fatty acids
D. Monosaccharides
Answer is D: Monosaccharides or “simple” sugars.
- What feature of the small intestine enhances its ability to absorb digested food?
A. Its large surface area
B. The gaps between adjacent epithelial cells
C. Secretion of the hormone absorption
D. Its longer length compared to the large intestine
Answer is A: The large surface area allows the products of digestion ample opportunity to make contact with the absorbing surface.
- Which of the following gut structures are listed in the correct order that food would pass through them, from input to exit?
A. Pyloric sphincter, ileum, jejunum, transverse colon
B. Pancreas, jejunum, ascending colon, sigmoid colon
C. Ileum, duodenum, descending colon, ascending colon
D. Duodenum, ileum, caecum, transverse colon
Answer is D: Jejunum is before the ileum; food does not pass through the pancreas; duodenum is before the ileum.
- Which statement about the layers of the alimentary canal is correct?
A. The serosa absorbs the products of digestion.
B. The mucosa protects against self-digestion.
C. The submucosa is involved in segmentation and peristalsis.
D. The muscularis externa is dense connective tissue.
Answer is B: The mucosa (not serosa) absorbs the products of digestion; the muscularis externa causes segmentation and peristalsis; the submucosa (not muscularis) is a dense connective tissue.
- Which of the following pairs of substances are NOT secreted by the stomach as part of “gastric juice”?
A. Hydrochloric acid and pepsinogen
B. Hormones and intrinsic factor
C. Nuclease and amylase
D. Mucus and gastrin
Answer is C: Nuclease and amylase are enzymes secreted by the pancreas.
- What are some products of lipid digestion?
A. Free bases and pentose sugars
B. Fructose and glucose
C. Amino acids and small peptides
D. Free fatty acids and monoglycerols
Answer is D: Lipids are digested into free fatty acids and monoglycerols.
- From which of the gut structures below is most digested food absorbed?
A. Duodenum
B. Stomach
C. Ileum
D. Ascending colon
Answer is C: The ileum is part of the small intestine distal to the duodenum which has a structure suited to absorption.
- Which of the following is an active enzyme?
A. Procarboxypeptidase B. Pepsin
C. Telophase
D. Trypsinogen
Answer is B: The prefix “pro-” and suffix “-ogen” refer to inactive enzymes. Telophase is a stage of cell division (not an enzyme).
- Which of the following is a function of the liver?
A. Recycling of non-viable red blood cells
B. Conversion of pyruvic acid to lactic acid
C. Synthesis of plasma proteins
D. Production of renin
Answer is C: The liver produces many proteins (spleen recycles RBC; liver converts lactic acid back into pyruvic acid; kidney produces renin).
- What is the term applied to the production of glucose from noncarbohydrate molecules?
A. Deamination
B. Transamination
C. Glycogenolysis
D. Gluconeogenesis
Answer is D: Gluco refers to glucose; neo = new; and genesis = producing (glyco- genolysis is the production of glucose from glycogen – by lysis.)
- Which of the following terms is used to describe the changing of large food molecules into smaller molecules?
A. Mechanical digestion B. Deglutition
C. Segmentation
D. Hydrolysis
Answer is D: Hydrolysis refers to the splitting (lysis) of large molecules into smaller ones using water (hydro).
- What is the purpose of “intrinsic factor” in gastric juice?
A. To activate pepsinogen.
B. To assist with the absorption of vitamin B12.
C. To protect the stomach lining against hydrochloric acid.
D. It stimulates the release of gastrin.
Answer is B: Vitamin B12 is a large molecule which cannot be absorbed without forming a complex with intrinsic factor.
- Which of the following does NOT contribute to increasing the surface area of the small intestine?
A. The brush border
B. Plicae circulars
C. Intestinal crypts
D. Villi
Answer is C: The crypts produce the secretion known as intestinal juice.
- What are the end-products of carbohydrate digestion?
A. Monosaccharides
B. Disaccharides
C. Glucose
D. Risaccharides
Answer is A: Glucose is one example of a monosaccharide, but there are others.
- Name the major cell type in a liver lobule.
A. Kupffer cells
B. Hepatocytes
C. Sinusoids
D. Epithelial cells
Answer is B: Hepato- = liver. Kupffer cells also occur in the liver but are macrophages.
- To what does the term “gluconeogenesis” refer?
A. The conversion of glycogen to glucose
B. The removal of an amine group from an amino acid
C. The production of glucose from noncarbohydrate molecules
D. The conversion of disaccharides to monosaccharides
Answer is C: “-Neogenesis” refers to making glucose from something new (that is not a carbohydrate).
- Which of the following is TRUE of bile?
A. It converts inactive pancreatic enzymes to active form.
B. Needed in the small intestine for the digestion of fats.
C. Synthesised by the gall bladder.
D. Needed in the small intestine for the emulsification of fats.
Answer is D: Bile emulsifies (rather than digests) fat. It is stored (but not synthesised) in the gall bladder
- Why are the blood capillaries in the liver lobules so permeable?
A. To allow the products of digestion to leave the blood for processing in the liver
B. To allow fatty acids to leave the liver cells to enter the blood
C. To allow plasma proteins that are synthesised in the liver to enter the blood
D. To allow red blood cells at the end of their life to leave the blood to be recycled in the liver
Answer is C: Plasma proteins are large molecules that otherwise would not be able to enter (or leave) blood capillaries.
- Which layer of the gastrointestinal tract is in contact with the contents of the gut?
A. Muscularis externa
B. Mucosa
C. Serosa
D. Submucosa
Answer is B: It secretes mucus and absorbs the products of digestion.
- What is the name given to the process of moving the gut contents along the tract in the right direction?
A. Peristalsis
B. Emesis
C. Segmentation
D. Deglutition
Answer is A: Segmentation is “to and fro” movement about the one spot.
- Which of the following substances is NOT produced by the cells of the gastric glands?
A. Mucus
B. Hydrochloric acid
C. Gastrin
D. Pepsin
Answer is A: Mucus cells are in the epithelium, not in the gastric glands, and produce mucus.
- Which hormone stimulates the release of bile and pancreatic juice?
A. Cholecystokinin
B. Secretin
C. Intestinal gastrin
D. Pepsin
Answer is A: Duodenum produces and releases CCK when protein and fats enter the duodenum.
- What molecules are the products of protein hydrolysis?
A. Monoglycerols and free fatty acids
B. Monosaccharides and disaccharides
C. Amino acids
D. Amino acids and small peptides
Answer is D: Amino acids and small peptides (consisting of two or three amino acids) are hydrolysis products of proteins.
- What happens to the products of lipid digestion in the gut?
A. They are actively transported into the epithelial cells lining the gut.
B. They diffuse into epithelial cells and are reconstituted into triglycerides.
C. They are transported to the liver by the hepatic portal vein.
D. They diffuse through the plasma membrane of epithelial cells and then diffuse into blood capillaries
Answer is B: Fats, being lipid soluble, diffuse into epithelial cells to be reconstituted into triglycerides.
- One of these processes is NOT part of carbohydrate metabolism in the liver. Which one?
A. Production of ATP from glucose
B. Production of glucose from glycogen
C. Production of glucose from amino acids
D. Production of glycogen from glucose
Answer is A: ATP production occurs in the mitochondria of cells and is called cellular respiration (rather than carbohydrate metabolism).
- The liver contains “leaky capillaries” known as sinusoids. This enables what liver product to enter the bloodstream?
A. Angiotensinogen
B. Kupffer cells
C. Plasma proteins
D. Cholesterol
Answer is C: Plasma proteins are large molecules that otherwise would not be able to enter (or leave) blood capillaries.
- What is the function of bile salts?
A. To assist the absorption of digested lipids
B. To emulsify lipids
C. To hydrolyse lipids
D. To digest lipids
Answer is B: Emulsification produces small droplets of fat which increases the surface area of fat that is available to lipases which may then hydrolyse the fat.
- Digestion of food molecules is necessary so that:
A. Indigestible food molecules are separated from digestible food molecules
B. Essential amino acids and fatty acids may be absorbed by the body
C. Excretion of waste products can occur via the bowel
D. Food may be converted into particles small enough to pass into the cells of
the gut wall
Answer is D: The production of molecules that are small enough to be absorbed into epithelial cells is the purpose of digestion.
- Where is the gastro-oesophageal sphincter?
A. Between the stomach and the duodenum
B. Between the stomach and the caecum
C. At the entrance to the stomach
D. Before the external anal sphincter
Answer is C: It is where the oesophagus enters the stomach. It prevents the stomach contents refluxing into the oesophagus.
- What are the end products resulting from the digestion of carbohydrates?
A. Monosaccharides
B. Monoglycerols
C. Pentose sugars
D. Amino acids
Answer is A: Digestion results in carbohydrates (which are polysaccharides) being converted to monosaccharides (which are small molecules).
- Which sections of the gut perform the majority of the digestion of food and absorption of the digested products?
A. Stomach and duodenum
B. Jejunum and ileum
C. Ascending colon and transverse colon
D. Duodenum and jejunum
Answer is D: While a small amount of digestion and absorption occurs in the stomach, most occurs in the duodenum (which receives pancreatic enzymes and bile) and the jejunum (which is adapted for absorption).
- Which sections of the gut perform the majority of the digestion of food and absorption of the digested products?
A. Stomach and duodenum
B. Jejunum and ileum
C. Ascending colon and transverse colon
D. Duodenum and jejunum
Answer is D: While a small amount of digestion and absorption occurs in the stomach, most occurs in the duodenum (which receives pancreatic enzymes and bile) and the jejunum (which is adapted for absorption).
- Which enzyme below digests proteins?
A. Nuclease
B. Maltase
C. Carboxypeptidase
D. Transaminase
Answer is C: The syllable “-peptid-” refers to proteins (which are polypeptides).
- To what does the term “gluconeogenesis” refer?
A. The conversion of noncarbohydrate molecules to glucose
B. The formation of non-essential amino acids from a keto acid
C. The removal of an amine group from a molecule
D. The release of glucose from stored glycogen
Answer is A: “-Neogenesis” refers to making something (glucose) from new (a molecule that is not a carbohydrate).
- A lobule of the liver contains several blood vessels. Which one carries nutrient- rich blood from the small intestine?
A. Hepatic artery proper B. Hepatic portal vein
C. Central vein
D. Bile ductule
Answer is B: “Portal” refers to a vein that transports blood from one capillary bed to another (rather than returning it to the heart).
41.
Which of the following could NOT be used to describe pepsinogen?
A. It is a protein.
B. It is a hormone.
C. It is related to an enzyme.
D. It is inactive.
Answer is B: Pepsinogen is an inactive protein enzyme. But it is not a hormone.
- What is the function of the oesophagus in digestion?
A. It is a site of mechanical digestion.
B. It transfers food from the mouth to the stomach.
C. The oesophagus secretes amylase to begin carbohydrate digestion.
D. The oesophagus secretes hydrochloric acid.
Answer is B: It is merely a conduit to transfer food from the mouth to the stomach while bypassing the thoracic structures.
- What is the purpose of the mucosal barrier between the cells of the stomach wall and the stomach contents?
A. It prevents the enzymes in the stomach contents from digesting the stomach.
B. It converts pepsinogen to its active form.
C. It prevents bacteria in the stomach from invading the stomach wall.
D. It prevents undigested food molecules from being absorbed by the stomach
lining.
Answer is A: The stomach contents include the enzyme pepsin and hydrochloric acid, both of which would damage the epithelial cells of the stomach if in contact with them.
- Which parts of the alimentary canal prepare food for chemical digestion?
A. The mouth, oesophagus and stomach
B. The mouth, stomach and small intestine
C. The mouth, stomach and duodenum
D. The teeth, stomach and pancreas
Answer is C: The mouth (mastication and mixing with saliva), the stomach (churning) and the duodenum (segmentation). Choice C is better than choice B as digestion has occurred before food reaches the distal parts of the SI.
- What food is digested by lipase?
A. Nucleic acids
B. Carbohydrates
C. Polypeptides
D. Triglycerides
Answer is D: Lipase digests lipids. Our dietary lipids are triglycerides.
- What food is digested into monoglycerols?
A. Protein
B. Lipid
C. Nucleic acid
D. Starch
Answer is B: Dietary lipids are triglycerols which are digested into free fatty acids and monoglycerols.
- What is the function of bile?
A. Bile hydrolyses polypeptides.
B. Bile emulsifies fats and oils.
C. Bile activates procarboxypeptidase.
D. Bile stimulates the pancreas to secrete pancreatic juice.
Answer is B: Emulsification of fats is the function of bile salts.
- The liver is able to deaminate amino acids forming ammonia in the process. What happens to the ammonia?
A. It is phagocytosed by Kupffer cells.
B. It is used in transamination to form non-essential amino acids.
C. It is converted to bile to be excreted via the gut.
D. It is converted to urea for excretion by the kidneys.
Answer is D: Urea is the molecule and vehicle for excretion of human nitrogenous waste.
- What happens to the products of digestion of lipids? They are absorbed into a:
A. Capillary and transported by the blood to the liver
B. Capillary and transported by the blood to the heart
C. Lacteal and transported by the lymph to the heart
D. Lacteal and transported by the lymph to the liver
Answer is C: Digested fats absorbed from the gut are transported in the lymph. They re-enter the bloodstream via the thoracic duct and then travel to the heart.
- If blood glucose is high, what does the liver do about it?
A. The liver converts glucose to glycogen or triglycerides.
B. The liver performs glycogenolysis.
C. The liver performs gluconeogenesis.
D. The liver transaminates glucose to produce amino acids.
Answer is A: This process removes glucose from circulation. Choices B and C would increase blood glucose. Transamination is done to amino acids to produce different amino acids.
- Which is an enzyme secreted by the gastric glands?
A. Pepsin
B. Gastrin
C. Cholecystokinin
D. Intrinsic factor
Answer is A: Pepsin (strictly pepsinogen) is the only enzyme on the list.
- What are the products of protein digestion?
A. Monoglycerols and fatty acids
B. Dipeptides, tripeptides and amino acids
C. Bases, pentose sugars and nitrate ions
D. Monosaccharides and disaccharides
Answer is B: Peptides and amino acids are produced by the hydrolysis of protein.
- Which three sections do the small intestine consists of?
A. Ileum duodenum, caecum
B. Antrum, jejunum, duodenum
C. Rectum, ileum, duodenum
D. Ileum, duodenum, jejunum
Answer is D: Caecum is part of the LI; antrum is part of the stomach; rectum is the last part of the colon.
- What name is given to the movement of food material through the gastrointes- tinal tract?
A. Peristalsis
B. Segmentation
C. Deglutition
D. Bowel movement
Answer is A: While segmentation is also movement, it is a to and fro movement rather than unidirectional, so peristalsis is the best answer.
- Correctly complete the sentence: Pepsinogen is
A. Converted to pepsin by hydrochloric acid
B. Converted to pepsin by intrinsic factor
C. Secreted by the pancreas
D. Involved in production of carbohydrate digesting enzymes
Answer is A: Pepsinogen “gen”erates pepsin in the presence of hydrochloric acid.
- Emulsification is the name of the process carried out by:
A. Lipase
B. Bile
C. Micelles
D. Lacteals
Answer is B: Bile contains “surfactants” which congregate on the interface between lipid and water and so prevent small droplets of fat from aggregating into larger ones (=emulsification).
- The pH of the stomach and the pH of the small intestine are BEST described (respectively) as:
A. Acidic and alkaline/basic
B. Strongly acidic and weakly alkaline/basic
C. Acidic and weakly alkaline/basic
D. Strongly acidic and strongly alkaline/basic
Answer is B: The pH of the stomach contents is about 2 (strongly acidic), while the pH of the small intestine is about 8 (weakly alkaline). Thus B is the best answer.