Question

Match the following terms with the correct definition:

1) Mastication
2) Bolus
3) Enzymes
4) Deglutition
5) Uvula

Answer 1

The terms mastication, bolus, enzymes, deglutition, and uvula are all related to the process of digestion beginning in the mouth.

Mastication is chewing, bolus is chewed food ready for swallowing, enzymes aid in food breakdown, deglutition is the act of swallowing, and the uvula is the fleshy part hanging at the back of the throat.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's match the following terms with their correct definitions relating to the digestive process:

1. Mastication is the process of chewing food in the mouth.
2. Bolus refers to the soft mass of chewed food that is ready to be swallowed.
3. Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions, including those that break down food molecules during digestion.
4. Deglutition is the act of swallowing.
5. The uvula is the fleshy extension at the back of the soft palate which hangs above the throat.

Ingestion involves taking in food through the mouth and beginning its breakdown through the combined actions of mastication and the action of enzymes in saliva.

The teeth assist in mastication, increasing the food's surface area to create a properly sized bolus. The tongue, saliva, and other oral structures help form the bolus and initiate swallowing, or deglutition, which involves the tongue, upper esophageal sphincter, and epiglottis to safely transport the bolus from the mouth, past the pharynx, and into the esophagus en route to the stomach.