B5 - Digestion

Question 1

What is physical digestion?

Answer 1

Breaking down of food particles by teeth or muscles.

Question 2

What is a digestive system?

Answer 2

The long system that handles and digests food.

Question 3

How do muscles in the stomach help to digest food?

Answer 3

The muscles squeeze the food in order to physically digest it.

Question 4

What do enzymes do?

Answer 4

Enzymes break down food into smaller and soluble molecules so that they can be absorbed into the blood.

Question 5

What is chemical digestion?

Answer 5

Chemical digestion is breaking down large food molecules into smaller ones through the use of enzymes.

Question 6

How long is our digestive system?

Answer 6

Approximately 7m long.

Question 7

Why is physical digestion important?

Answer 7

Food is broken down into smaller pieces which increases its surface area so it can pass through the digestive system more easily and can be chemically digested quicker.

Question 8

Where are enzymes produced?

Answer 8

Enzymes are produced in the mouth, stomach and small intestine.

Question 9

Once food has been chemically digested what happens?

Answer 9

The small molecules diffuse through the digestive system.

Question 10

What type of enzyme breaks down fat?

Answer 10

Enzymes called lipases break down fat.

Question 11

What type of enzyme breaks down protein?

Answer 11

Enzymes called proteases break down proteins.

Question 12

What type of enzyme breaks down carbohydrates?

Answer 12

Enzymes called carbohydrases break down carbohydrates.

Question 13

What are carbohydrates broken into?

Answer 13

Carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars.

Question 14

What are proteins broken down into?

Answer 14

Proteins are broken into amino acids.

Question 15

What are fats broken down into?

Answer 15

Fats are broken down into fatty acids.

Question 16

What types of foods are carried in the blood plasma?

Answer 16

Digested food is carried in the blood.

Question 17

Why are fats difficult to digest and absorb?

Answer 17

Fats are not soluble in water.

Question 18

Where is bile produced?

Answer 18

Bile is produced in the liver.

Question 19

What is bile?

Answer 19

Bile is an alkaline substance produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder.

Question 20

What does bile do?

Answer 20

It is secreted into the small intestine, where it emulsifies fats.

Question 21

What are gall stones?

Answer 21

Gall stones are made from bile pigments, cholesterol and calcium salts where they block the bile duct.

Question 22

What is optimum pH?

Answer 22

An optimum pH is a pH where enzymes work best.

Question 23

Which part of the digestive system joins the mouth and stomach?

Answer 23

The oesophagus joins the mouth and stomach.

Question 24

What does the small intestine do?

Answer 24

The small intestine is the part of the intestines where a lot of the digestion and absorption of food occurs,.

Question 25

What do salivary glands do?

Answer 25

Salivary glands produce saliva which moistens food and contains an enzyme.

Question 26

What is peristalsis?

Answer 26

Peristalsis is the waves of muscle action when they contract and relax.

Question 27

What does the liver do?

Answer 27

The liver produces bile and stores carbohydrates.

Question 28

What does the gall bladder do?

Answer 28

The gall bladder stores bile.

Question 29

What does the pancreas do?

Answer 29

The pancreas produces enzymes and insulin.

Question 30

What does the large intestine do?

Answer 30

The large intestine absorbs water, concentrating the waste.

Question 31

Name the two main functions of the small intestine.

Answer 31

Production of enzymes and absorbing digested food.

Question 32

Why are fatty acids not passed into the blood?

Answer 32

Fatty acids are not passed into the blood because they are insoluble.

Question 33

How is the small intestine adapted for efficient absorption of digested food?

Answer 33

- it is about 7m long, allowing time for complete absorption - it has villi and micro villi which gives it a large surface area - its lining is thin and permeable so food molecules can easily pass through - it is surrounded by a network of blood capillaries to carry the digested food away from the small intestine.