The wavelike muscular contractions that propel food along the alimentary canal are called peristalsis.
Missing Word
peristalsis
Peristalsis is the alternating contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle that pushes contents forward through the tract.
Category: Digestive Processes
Question 2
Food mixed with gastric juice in the stomach forms a soupy, semifluid mixture called chyme.
Missing Word
chyme
Chyme is the mix of partly digested food and gastric secretions that the stomach releases into the duodenum.
Category: The Stomach
Question 3
The soft, rounded mass of chewed food that is swallowed is called a bolus.
Missing Word
bolus
A bolus is chewed food shaped by the tongue and moistened by saliva so it can be swallowed.
Category: Mouth and Esophagus
Question 4
The serous membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and covers most abdominal digestive organs is the peritoneum.
Missing Word
peritoneum
The peritoneum has a parietal layer lining the cavity wall and a visceral layer covering the organs, with serous fluid between them.
Category: GI Tract Overview
Question 5
The fingerlike projections of the small intestine mucosa, each containing a lacteal and a capillary bed, are called villi.
Missing Word
villi
Villi are fingerlike mucosal projections that greatly enlarge the absorptive surface of the small intestine.
Category: Small and Large Intestines
Question 6
The first and shortest segment of the small intestine, which receives partially digested food from the stomach, is the duodenum.
Missing Word
duodenum
The duodenum is the C-shaped first segment of the small intestine, where bile and pancreatic juice enter.
Category: Small and Large Intestines
Question 7
The large intestine begins with a saclike pouch in the lower right abdomen, called the cecum, to which the appendix is attached.
Missing Word
cecum
The cecum is the pouch at the start of the large intestine that receives material from the ileum.
Category: Small and Large Intestines
Question 8
The main functional cells of the liver, which produce bile and process absorbed nutrients, are called hepatocytes.
Missing Word
hepatocytes
Hepatocytes are the liver's principal cells and carry out its metabolic, detoxifying and bile-producing functions.
Category: Accessory Organs
Question 9
Large mucosal folds of the empty stomach that flatten out as the stomach fills are called rugae.
Missing Word
rugae
Rugae are folds of the stomach lining that let the stomach expand to hold a large meal.
Category: The Stomach
Question 10
The hormone secreted by G cells of the stomach that stimulates gastric acid secretion is gastrin.
Missing Word
gastrin
Gastrin is released into the blood when food enters the stomach and stimulates acid secretion and gastric motility.
Category: Digestive Regulation
Question 11
Digestive enzymes break chemical bonds in food molecules by adding water across them, a reaction called hydrolysis.
Missing Word
hydrolysis
Hydrolysis uses water to split large molecules into smaller units, which is how all digestive enzymes work.
Category: Chemical Digestion
Question 12
Fatty acids and monoglycerides are carried to the absorptive cells inside tiny bile-salt spheres called micelles.
Missing Word
micelles
Micelles are small clusters of bile salts surrounding lipid digestion products, ferrying them to the brush border for absorption.
Category: Chemical Digestion
Question 13
During swallowing, the soft palate and its hanging extension, the uvula, rise to close off the nasopharynx.
Missing Word
uvula
The uvula is the fleshy projection hanging from the soft palate, which rises with it to keep food out of the nasal cavity.
Category: Mouth and Esophagus
Question 14
Elimination of indigestible substances from the body as feces is called defecation.
Missing Word
defecation
Defecation is the final digestive process, in which feces are expelled through the anus.
Category: Digestive Processes
Question 15
Of the three pairs of major salivary glands, the parotid glands lie just in front of the ears.
Missing Word
parotid
The parotid glands sit in front of and slightly below each ear and drain saliva into the mouth near the upper second molar.
Category: Mouth and Esophagus