Questions and All Correct Answers
2025-2026 Updated.
Wavelike smooth muscle contractions that move foodstuffs through the alimentary tube. -
Answer Peristalsis
Chemical or mechanical process of breaking down foodstuffs to substances that can be
absorbed. - Answer Digestion
Enzymatic breakdown of any type of food molecule. - Answer Hydrolysis
Process by which the products of digestion pass through the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract
into the blood or lymph. - Answer Absorption
Food is contained in the gastrointestinal tract from the time of ingestion until it is completely
digested and the waste prepared for elimination. - Answer TRUE
The circular folds of the small intestine enhance absorption by causing the chyme to spiral,
rather than to move in a straight line, as it passes through the small intestine. - Answer TRUE
As food passes through the digestive tract, it becomes less complex and the nutrients are more
readily available to the body. - Answer TRUE
Some of the microbes that often invade other organs of the body are rarely found in the
stomach. The reason for this is the presence of HCl. - Answer TRUE
Kupffer cells are found in the liver and are responsible for removing bacteria and worn-out cells.
- Answer TRUE
The pharyngeal-esophageal phase of swallowing is involuntary and is controlled by the
swallowing center in the thalamus and lower pons. - Answer FALSE
All the chemical and mechanical phases of digestion from the mouth through the small intestine
are directed toward changing food into forms that can pass through the epithelial cells lining
the
mucosa into the underlying blood and lymphatic vessels. - Answer TRUE
,Pepsinogen is the precursor to the gastric enzyme for protein digestion and is secreted by the
parietal cells. - Answer FALSE
The main chemical activity of the stomach is to begin the digestion of proteins. - Answer
TRUE
The major role of absorption in the ileum is to reclaim bile salts to be recycled back to the liver. -
Answer TRUE
The peritoneum is the most extensive serous membrane in the body. - Answer TRUE
Peyer's patches are found in the submucosa of the distal end of the small intestine. - Answer
TRUE
The myenteric nerve plexus provides the major nerve supply to the GI tract wall and controls GI
motility. - Answer TRUE
The first teeth to appear are the deciduous teeth. - Answer TRUE
Dentin anchors the tooth in place. - Answer FALSE
The digestive function of the liver is to produce bile. - Answer TRUE
The pancreas has both an endocrine and an exocrine function. - Answer TRUE
Another term for swallowing is deglutition. - Answer TRUE
The intrinsic ability of visceral smooth muscle to exhibit the stress-relaxation response is termed
plasticity. - Answer TRUE
The stomach's contractile rhythm is set by pacemaker cells found in the spinal cord. - Answer
FALSE
The major stimulus for production of intestinal fluid is distention or irritation of the intestinal
mucosa by hypertonic or acidic chyme. - Answer TRUE
Most nutrients are absorbed through the mucosa of the intestinal villi by active transport. -
Answer TRUE
, Ionic iron is actively transported into the mucosal cells, where it binds to the protein ferritin, a
phenomenon called the mucosal iron barrier. - Answer TRUE
Mumps is an inflammation of the parotid glands caused by myxovirus. - Answer TRUE
Fats significantly delay the emptying of the stomach. - Answer TRUE
The soft palate rises reflexively to open the nasopharynx when we swallow food. - Answer
FALSE
The mechanical and chemical receptors that control digestive activity are located ________.
A) only in the esophagus because this is the only part of the tract that needs to change to
accommodate food passage
B) in the walls of the tract organs
C) in the pons and medulla
D) in the glandular tissue that lines the organ lumen - Answer B) in the walls of the tract
organs
The function of the hepatic portal circulation is to ________.
A) carry toxins to the venous system for disposal through the urinary tract
B) distribute hormones
C) collect absorbed nutrients for metabolic processing or storage
D) return glucose to the general circulation when blood sugar is low - Answer C) collect
absorbed nutrients for metabolic processing or storage
The chemical and mechanical processes of food breakdown are called ________.
A) ingestion
B) digestion
C) secretion
D) absorption - Answer B) digestion
When we ingest large molecules such as lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, they must undergo
catabolic reactions whereby enzymes split these molecules. This series of reactions is called
________.
A) mechanical digestion