The Digestive System: Short Answer

Front 1

The two main functions of the digestive system are digestion and ____________.

Back 1

absorption

Front 2

The digestive system consists of the gastointestinal tract, which is a muscular tube whose length is ___________.

Back 2

29.5 ft (9 m)

Front 3

The innermost layer of the gastointestinal tract is a mucous membrane known as the ___________.

Back 3

mucosa

Front 4

The submucosa of the gastrointestinal tract contains lymphatic vessels, blood vessels, and ____________.

Back 4

nerves

Front 5

The major type of muscle in the gastointestinal tract is _________________.

Back 5

smooth muscle

Front 6

The outer layer of the gastointestinal tract is known as the serous layer or ________________.

Back 6

serosa

Front 7

The major portion of the mouth consists of a chamber known as the _____________.

Back 7

oral cavity

Front 8

Connections of the tongue to the floor of the mouth are made by a fold of tissue known as the ___________.

Back 8

frenulum

Front 9

On either side of the tongue within the tongue papillae are a series of ___________.

Back 9

taste buds

Front 10

One of the major functions of the tongue is to work with saliva to form food into a mass called the ________.

Back 10

bolus

Front 11

The "baby" teeth are more correctly called ___________.

Back 11

deciduous teeth

Front 12

In a permanent set of teeth, the full number is _________.

Back 12

32

Front 13

Those teeth specialized for grasping and tearing food are _____________.

Back 13

cuspids

Front 14

Large pieces of food are bitten off by teeth known as ______________.

Back 14

incisors

Front 15

The three basic regions of a tooth include the crown, the neck, and the __________.

Back 15

roots

Front 16

The hardest substance in the body is found at the outside surface of the tooth and is known as the ___________.

Back 16

enamel

Front 17

The largest portion of the tooth is made up of ___________.

Back 17

dentin

Front 18

The blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissues of the tooth are located within the _______________.

Back 18

pulp

Front 19

Within the cheeks of the head, below the ears is the largest salivary gland known as the ____________.

Back 19

parotid

Front 20

The salivary gland drained by the submandibular duct is the ______________.

Back 20

submandibular gland

Front 21

Lying under the tongue in the floor of the mouth is the salivary gland called the __________.

Back 21

sublingual gland

Front 22

An enzyme found within the saliva assists the breakdown of carbohydrates and is known as _____________.

Back 22

amylase

Front 23

The lymphatic vessels located on the soft palate are called _______________.

Back 23

tonsils

Front 24

The digestion of starch results in a disaccharide known as ________________.

Back 24

maltose

Front 25

Food passes into the stomach from the pharynx to a tube known as the ____________.

Back 25

esophagus

Front 26

Swallowing is a process more correctly known as ______________.

Back 26

deglutition

Front 27

The series of wavelike contractions that brings food into the stomach is called _______.

Back 27

peristalsis

Front 28

The circular muscle at the beginning of the stomach is the lower esophageal or cardiac sphincter, while the circular muscle at the end of the stomach is the _______.

Back 28

pyloric sphincter

Front 29

The narrow, far region of the stomach is the _______.

Back 29

pylorus

Front 30

The cells within the gastric glands that produce digestive enzymes are known as _____.

Back 30

chief cells

Front 31

The most important acid for digestion taking place in the stomach is ______.

Back 31

hydrochloric acid

Front 32

The enzymes of the stomch do not digest the stomach wall because the wall is protected by _________.

Back 32

mucus

Front 33

The main protein-digesting enzyme in the stomach is known as __________.

Back 33

pepsin

Front 34

The digestion of proteins in the stomach produces ______.

Back 34

peptides

Front 35

The hormone regulating the activity of gastric glands is _________.

Back 35

gastrin

Front 36

In the stomach, food is converted to a soupy mixture known as _______.

Back 36

chyme

Front 37

A variety of enzymes enter the duodenum from a large gland known as the ________.

Back 37

pancreas

Front 38

The enzyme trypsin works on organic substances called ___________.

Back 38

proteins

Front 39

Nucleic acids are digested into their component nucleotides by enzymes known as _________.

Back 39

nucleases

Front 40

In the duodenum, the acidity of the small intestine's contents is neutralized by ________.

Back 40

bicarbonate ions

Front 41

Before fats can be digested into their component fatty acids, they must be broken into smaller globules by the liver substance called _______.

Back 41

bile

Front 42

The pancreatic enzyme responsible for digesting fats is known as _________.

Back 42

lipase

Front 43

The second part of the small intestine and the place where most absorption occurs is the _________.

Back 43

jejenum

Front 44

The products of fat digestion are absorbed into lymphatic vessels called _______.

Back 44

lacteals

Front 45

The ATP-requiring method for the transport of substances from the small intestine to the blood vessels is known as ________.

Back 45

active transport

Front 46

The short wormlike extension of tissue where the small and large intestines meet is called the _______.

Back 46

appendix

Front 47

The last few inches of the colon that terminates at the anus is the _______.

Back 47

rectum

Front 48

A major function of the large intestine is to reabsorb ions and _________.

Back 48

water

Front 49

The largest gland in the body and source of bile is the __________.

Back 49

liver

Front 50

For use in the digestive process, bile is stored in a sac called the ________.

Back 50

gallbladder