Digestive System Review Questions
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List the five major functions of the digestive system.
What is mastication?
Where can you find the following: bolus, chyme, and feces.
What is peristalsis (peristaltic waves?)
What are the three divisions of the small intestine? (list from proximal to distal – in reference to the
stomach).
6. What is the location and function of a villus?
7. Make a drawing of the large intestine and label the following parts: ascending, transverse, descending,
and sigmoid colon, rectum and anal canal.
8. Be able to label a drawing of the entire digestive system and label the following parts:
mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, colon (name the specific parts of the
colon.) The Web Anatomy website has several exercises that can help you with reviewing the gross anatomy
of the digestive system. http://msjensen.cehd.umn.edu/Webanatomy/digestive/default.html
9. Where do the following glands connect to the alimentary canal? Liver, pancreas, salivary glands?
10. What is the function and location of the following enzymes? Which glands produce them?
Salivary amylase
Pepsin
Bile salts (not really an enzyme – it’s more of a “soap”)
Pancreatic amylase
Pancreatic lipase.
Trypsin
Carboxypeptidase
Chymotrypsin
12. Use Figure 16.23 (page 477) to answer the following questions:
- Where in the digestive system does carbohydrate digestion begin? What enzyme(s)/secretions are
involved?
- Where in the digestive system does protein digestion begin? What enzyme(s)/secretions are involved?
- Where in the digestive system does lipid digestion begin? What enzyme(s)/secretions are involved?
11. In what part of the digestive system do you find the highest quantity of water absorption? the highest
quantity of nutrient absorption?
12. Be able to trace the path of a carbohydrate through the digestive process.
13. Be able to trace the path of a protein through the digestive process.
14. Be able to trace the path of a lipid through the digestive process.