Final answer:
Paramecium uses phagocytosis to obtain food by engulfing it through its oral groove, which is lined with cilia.
Step-by-step explanation:
Phagocytosis is a process in which the cell engulfs food particles and forms a food vacuole. Paramecium uses its cilia to create a water current that brings food particles into the oral groove, a plate-like structure lined with cilia.
Once the food enters the oral groove, it is engulfed by the cell through phagocytosis and forms a food vacuole. Digestive enzymes are then secreted into the food vacuole to break down the food particles for absorption.
Paramecium also has contractile vacuoles, which help regulate its water balance by contracting and expelling excess water from the cell. So therefore paramecium, a single-celled freshwater protist, obtains its food through a mechanism called phagocytosis.