Digestive System

Question 1

Functions of Digestive System

Answer 1

• Mechanical and chemical breakdown of food and the absorption of nutrients
• Excretion of waste

Question 2

Two types of bowel movements

Answer 2

• Mixing Movements: mix food with digestive juices

- Propelling Movements: called peristalsis; pushes food down the tube

Question 3

Mouth

Answer 3

begins digestion by chewing and mixing with saliva

Question 4

Tongue

Answer 4

moves food, connects to floor of mouth via frenulum

Question 5

Amylase

Answer 5

enzyme breaks down starch into sugars

Question 6

Esophagus

Answer 6

The muscular tube that carries food and liquids from your mouth to the stomach.

Question 7

Four regions of the stomach

Answer 7

• The cardia (or cardiac region) is the point where the esophagus connects to the stomach and through which food passes into the stomach.
• Located inferior to the diaphragm, above and to the left of the cardia, is the dome-shaped fundus.
• Below the fundus is the body, the main part of the stomach.
• The funnel-shaped pylorus connects the stomach to the duodenum. The wider end of the funnel, the pyloric antrum, connects to the body of the stomach.

Question 8

Pyloric canal

Answer 8

connects to the duodenum

Question 9

Pyloric sphincter

Answer 9

s located at this latter point of connection and controls stomach emptying

Question 10

Stomach lining

Answer 10

• Mucus prevents stomach from digesting itself, small openings called gastric pits contain glands
• Glands secrete gastric juices to breakdown food

Question 11

Pepsin

Answer 11

most important digestive enzyme for breaking down food

Question 12

Mechanical Digestion

Answer 12

Food being broken down in smaller pieces (ex: chewing and churning of the stomach)

Question 13

Chemical Digestion

Answer 13

Substances in our digestive organs are released that change food particles into particles that are chemically different (ex: acids and bases)

Question 14

Chyme

Answer 14

the semi-fluid mass of partly digested food that is expelled by a person’s stomach, through the pyloric valve, into the duodenum.

Question 15

Small Intestine

Answer 15

the primary digestive organ in the body. Not only is this where most digestion occurs, it is also where practically all absorption occurs.

Question 16

Duodenum

Answer 16

begins at the pyloric sphincter. Just past the pyloric sphincter, it bends posteriorly behind the peritoneum, becoming retroperitoneal, and then makes a C-shaped curve around the head of the pancreas before ascending anteriorly again to return to the peritoneal cavity and join the jejunum.

Question 17

Jejunum

Answer 17

about 0.9 meters (3 feet) long (in life) and runs from the duodenum to the ileum. Jejunum means “empty” in Latin and supposedly was so named by the ancient Greeks who noticed it was always empty at death. No clear line exists between the jejunum and the final segment of the small intestine, the ileum.

Question 18

Ileum

Answer 18

the longest part of the small intestine, measuring about 1.8 meters (6 feet) in length. It is thicker, more vascular, and has more developed mucosal folds than the jejunum. The jejunum and ileum are tethered to the posterior abdominal wall by the mesentery. The large intestine frames these three parts of the small intestine.

Question 19

Large Intestine

Answer 19

undivided into four main regions: the cecum, the colon, the rectum, and the anus.

Question 20

Cecum

Answer 20

start of large intestine, has an attached appendix

Question 21

Colon

Answer 21

• Ascending
• Transverse
• Descending
• Sigmoid

Question 22

Rectum

Answer 22

stores waste before it is expelled from the body

Question 23

Anus

Answer 23

muscular sphincter which controls the exit of waste

Question 24

Function of Large Intestine

Answer 24

Secretes mucus, reabsorbs water, contains bacteria to aid in digestion 
Mass Movements (defecation) - removes undigested food

Question 25

Bristol Stool Chart

Answer 25

Diagnostic medical tool designed to classify the form of human feces into seven categories.
Type 1 and 2 - Constipation
Type 3 and 4 - Normal
Type 5 - Lacking Fiber
Type 6 - Mild Diarrhea 
Type 7 - Severe Diarrhea

Question 26

Liver

Answer 26

the largest gland in the body, weighing about three pounds in an adult. It is also one of the most important organs. In addition to being an accessory digestive organ, it plays a number of roles in metabolism and regulation. The liver lies inferior to the diaphragm in the right upper quadrant of the abdominal cavity and receives protection from the surrounding ribs.

Question 27

Gallbladder

Answer 27

stores and concentrates bile, releasing it when it is needed by the small intestine.

Question 28

Pancreas

Answer 28

responsible for secretion of digestive enzymes and bicarbonate