Ch. 22 Digestive System

Question 1

What is the digestive system responsible for?

Answer 1

It is responsible for mechanically and chemically digesting (breaking down) food.

Question 2

What are the two parts of the digestive system?

Answer 2

The Alimentary Canal/Gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the Accessory Organs

Question 3

What is the Alimentary Canal/Gastrointestinal tract?

Answer 3

A tube that contains foods from the time it is ingested to the time it is eliminated from the body. It’s made of the mouth, pharynx (throat), esophagus, stomach, small & large intestine, and the anus.

Question 4

What are the Accessory Organs?

Answer 4

They are the salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and the pancreas. They play an important role in the digestive process, but the food is never contained in these organs.

Question 5

What is the esophagus?

Answer 5

A muscular tube extending from the pharynx to the stomach

Question 6

What does the stomach do?

Answer 6

It is responsible for most of the chemical digestion that occurs in the GI tract. It produces hydrochloric acid and other chemicals that break down food into smaller absorbable components and coat the stomach lining.

Question 7

What is chyme?

Answer 7

A liquid product of chemical digestion that is transported from the stomach into the small intestine.

Question 8

What are the 3 regions of the small intestine?

Answer 8

From proximal to distal: Duodenum, Jejunum, Ileum

Question 9

What is the primary function of the small intestine?

Answer 9

Absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream

Question 10

What are the changes to the inner lining of the small intestine?

Answer 10

1. Circular Folds
2. Villi (small, fingerlike projections)
3. Microvilli (smaller projections on the surface of villi)
   All to increase surface area for absorption

Question 11

What are the 8 regions of the Large Intestine?

Answer 11

Bottom Right to Bottom Left: Cecum, ascending colon, right colic (hepatic) flexure, transverse colon, left colic (splenic) flexure, descending colon, sigmoid colon, rectum

Question 12

What is the primary function of the Large Intestine?

Answer 12

For waste elimination

Question 13

Hepatic

Answer 13

Refers to the Liver

Question 14

What is the Liver?

Answer 14

The largest accessory organ and carries out several important functions

Question 15

What are some important functions of the liver?

Answer 15

1. Producing a digestive secretion known as bile which emulsified lipids aiding in fat digestion. Bile also neutralizes chyme in the duodenum of the small intestine.
2. Carries out nutrient metabolism, detoxification, and excretion.

Question 16

What does the gallbladder do?

Answer 16

It stores and releases bile produced by the liver.

Question 17

What does the exocrine pancreas do?

Answer 17

It produces several digestive secretions that aid in chemical digestion in the duodenum.

Question 18

What do pancreatic enzymes do?

Answer 18

Digest proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids.

Question 19

What is the material going into and leaving the large intestine?

Answer 19

Going into is liquid, but leaving is solid or semi-solid because the intestine absorbs the water in it.

Question 20

Mechanical and Chemical breakdown of the digestive system?

Answer 20

Mechanical- mouth
Chemical- small intestine, specifically duodenum.