The flap of tissue that folds down over the opening of the larynx during swallowing, keeping food out of the airway, is the epiglottis.
Missing Word
epiglottis
The epiglottis directs the bolus into the esophagus instead of the trachea. Impaired swallowing reflexes raise the risk of aspiration.
Category: Oral Cavity and Swallowing
Question 2
The folds of the stomach lining that flatten out as the stomach fills are called rugae.
Missing Word
rugae
Rugae let the stomach expand to hold a meal and then return to a smaller size as it empties.
Category: Stomach Structure and Secretion
Question 3
The dome-shaped upper portion of the stomach, which bulges above the opening from the esophagus, is the fundus.
Missing Word
fundus
The stomach is divided into the cardia, fundus, body and pylorus; the fundus often holds swallowed air and stretches as food arrives.
Category: Stomach Structure and Secretion
Question 4
Each villus contains a lymphatic capillary called a lacteal that takes up digested fats.
Missing Word
lacteal
Fats are packaged into particles too large to enter blood capillaries, so they enter the lacteals and reach the blood through the lymphatic system.
Category: Small Intestine and Absorption
Question 5
Pale, bulky, greasy stools that tend to float, a sign that fat is not being digested or absorbed, are called steatorrhea.
Missing Word
steatorrhea
Steatorrhea occurs when bile or pancreatic enzymes are lacking or the intestinal lining is damaged, so dietary fat passes into the stool.
Category: Small Intestine and Absorption
Question 6
The semiliquid mixture of partly digested food and gastric juice that leaves the stomach is chyme.
Missing Word
chyme
Chyme forms as the stomach churns food with acid and enzymes, and it passes into the duodenum in small amounts.
Category: Stomach Structure and Secretion
Question 7
The soft, rounded mass of chewed food mixed with saliva that the tongue pushes back for swallowing is a bolus.
Missing Word
bolus
The tongue shapes chewed food into a bolus, which is swallowed and carried to the stomach by peristalsis.
Category: Oral Cavity and Swallowing
Question 8
Coordinated waves of smooth muscle contraction that push contents along the digestive tract are called peristalsis.
Missing Word
peristalsis
Peristalsis moves food from the esophagus to the rectum; drugs and conditions that slow it can cause constipation, and those that speed it can cause diarrhea.
Category: GI Function and Disorders
Question 9
Difficulty swallowing is called dysphagia.
Missing Word
dysphagia
Dysphagia can result from nerve or muscle disorders, strictures or a dry mouth and raises the risk of aspiration and poor nutrition.
Category: Oral Cavity and Swallowing
Question 10
When acidic stomach contents enter the duodenum, the hormone secretin signals the pancreas to release bicarbonate-rich fluid.
Missing Word
secretin
Secretin was the first hormone discovered; the bicarbonate it triggers neutralizes acid so that intestinal enzymes can work and the lining is protected.
Category: Pancreas, Liver and Bile
Question 11
The pouch at the start of the large intestine, to which the appendix is attached, is the cecum.
Missing Word
cecum
Contents pass from the ileum through the ileocecal valve into the cecum and then into the ascending colon.
Category: Large Intestine
Question 12
The middle segment of the small intestine, between the duodenum and the ileum, is the jejunum.
Missing Word
jejunum
The small intestine is divided into the duodenum, jejunum and ileum, and much nutrient absorption takes place in the jejunum.
Category: Small Intestine and Absorption
Question 13
The pancreatic enzyme that splits dietary triglycerides into free fatty acids and monoglycerides is lipase.
Missing Word
lipase
Pancreatic lipase works on fat droplets that bile salts have emulsified, and the fatty acids and monoglycerides it releases are absorbed by the small intestine; a lack of it causes fat malabsorption.
Category: Pancreas, Liver and Bile
Question 14
The final straight segment of the large intestine, where feces are held until defecation, is the rectum.
Missing Word
rectum
Stretching of the rectum by feces triggers the urge to defecate, and drugs given by suppository are absorbed through its lining.
Category: Large Intestine
Question 15
The largest salivary glands, located just in front of and below the ears, are the parotid glands.
Missing Word
parotid
The parotid glands drain into the mouth near the upper molars; the sublingual and submandibular glands are the other paired salivary glands.
Category: Oral Cavity and Swallowing