Question

Which of the following functions is NOT correctly matched with its description?

a.) absorption; passage of digested nutrients into the blood or lymph
b.) propulsion: physical breakdown of ingested food in the GI tract
c.) mechanical breakdown: churning movements in the GI tract
d.) ingestion: intake of food nutrients

Answer 1

The function not correctly matched with its description is option b.) propulsion, which actually refers to the movement of food through the GI tract by peristalsis, not the physical breakdown of food. The descriptions of absorption, mechanical breakdown, and ingestion are matched correctly with their functions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The function that is NOT correctly matched with its description is option b.) propulsion: physical breakdown of ingested food in the GI tract. Propulsion refers to the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract, primarily by the action of peristalsis, which are wave-like muscle contractions that push food along the digestive system. It does not pertain to the physical breakdown of food—that is the role of mechanical breakdown as described in option c.) mechanical breakdown: churning movements in the GI tract. Mechanical breakdown includes actions such as chewing (mastication), churning in the stomach, and segmentation in the intestines.

Absorption as described in option a.) is the passage of digested nutrients into the blood or lymph and is an accurate description. This process primarily takes place in the small intestine, where most nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream through the epithelial cells of the mucosa, and lipids are absorbed into lacteals and transported via the lymphatic vessels.

Ingestion, described in option d.), is correctly defined as the intake of food nutrients through the mouth, where the first steps of mechanical and chemical digestion begin. Ingestion is strictly the process of taking in food and does not involve the transfer of food to the esophagus, which is part of the propulsion process.

Answer 2

Option b.) propulsion: physical breakdown of ingested food in the GI tract

Step-by-step explanation:

The physical breakdown of ingested food in the GI tract is called Mechanical digestion, and it breaks the food into smaller parts, to have more surface area for digestion, also to increase mobility. An example of Propulsion is the act of swallowing, which objective is to move the food through the digestive tract.

The correct order of functions is: Ingestion, Propulsion, Mechanical digestion, chemical digestion and Absorption.