BSC 216 Hicks Exam 3 Test Questions
and Answers Graded A+ 2026-2027
Updated.
Study of the digestive tract and the diagnosis and treatment of its disorders - Answer
Gastroenterology
Five stages of digestion - Answer Ingestion, secretion, propulsion, digestion, absorption, and
defecation
The physical breakdown of food into smaller particles - Answer Mechanical digestion
A series of hydrolysis reactions that breaks dietary macromolecules into their monomers
(residues) - Answer Chemical digestion
Polysaccharides are broken down into ____, proteins into ____, fats into ____ - Answer
Monosaccharides, amino acids, monoglycerides and fatty acids
Chemical digestion is carried out by ____ - Answer Digestive enzymes produced by salivary
glands, stomach, pancreas, and small intestine
Two anatomical subdivisions of the digestive system - Answer Digestive tract and accessory
organs
30 foot long muscular tube running from mouth to anus - Answer Alimentary canal
Structures of the digestive tract - Answer mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small
intestine, large intestine
Stomach and intestines are also called the - Answer Gastrointestinal tract
Accessory organs of the digestive system - Answer Teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver,
gallbladder, and pancreas
Most material in the digestive system is considered to be ___ to the body until it is absorbed by
the epithelial cells of the alimentary canal - Answer External
,Layers of the digestive tract wall (inner to outer surface) - Answer Mucosa, submucosa,
muscularis externa, and serosa
Nervous network in esophagus, stomach, and intestines that regulates digestive tract motility,
secretion, and blood flow. Contains sensory neurons that monitor tension in gut wall and
conditions in lumen - Answer Enteric nervous system
The enteric nervous system functions ___ of the CNS - Answer Completely independently
Two networks of neurons in enteric nervous system - Answer Submucosal (meissner) plexus
and myenteric (auerbach)plexus
Network of neurons in submucosa. Controls glandular secretion of mucosa and movements of
muscularis mucosae - Answer Submucosal (meissner) plexus
Network of parasympathetic ganglia and nerve fibers between the two layers of the muscularis
interna. Controls peristalsis and other contractions of muscularis externa - Answer Myenteric
(auerbach) plexus
Connective tissue sheets that loosely suspend the stomach and intestines from the abdominal
wall - Answer Mesenteries
Functions of mesenteries - Answer Allow stomach and intestines to undergo strenuous
contractions
Allow freedom of movement in the abdominal cavity
Hold abdominal viscera in proper relationship to each other
Prevent the intestines from becoming twisted and tangled by changes in body position and by
its own contractions
Provide passage of blood vessels and nerves that supply digestive tract
Contain many lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels
The mesentery of the ___ intestines hold many blood vessels - Answer Small
The meocolon anchors ____ to posterior body wall - Answer Colon
___ and ___ of the digestive tract are controlled by neural, hormonal, and paracrine
mechanisms - Answer Motility and secretion
,Neural mechanisms of motility and secretion - Answer Short (myenteric) and long (vagovagal)
Neural control of motility and secretion stimulated by stretch or chemical stimulation acts
through myenteric plexus, that stimulates parasitic contractions of swallowing - Answer Short
(myenteric) reflexes
Neural control of motility and secretion stimulated by parasympathetic stimulation of digestive
motility and secretion - Answer Long (vagovagal) reflexes
Hormones of the digestive tract - Answer Gastrin and secretin
Serves as the start point of the digestive system - Answer Oral cavity
Two accessory organs of the oral cavity - Answer Teeth and tongue
Ingestion, secretion, chemical and mechanical digestions, and propulsion all occur in the _____ -
Answer Oral cavity
The oral cavity and its accessory organs work together to turn ingested food into a ___ and
move it to the posterior of the cavity to be swallowed - Answer Bolus
Breaks food into smaller pieces to be swallowed and exposes more surface to the action of
digestive enzymes, first step in mechanical digestion - Answer Mastication (chewing)
Food stimulates oral receptors that trigger an - Answer Involuntary chewing reflex
Key organs of mechanical digestion
Located in bony sockets found in the maxilla and mandible and held in place by the periodontal
ligament - Answer Teeth
Three types of teeth - Answer Incisors, canines, and molars
Central teeth that are broad and flat with a narrow crown. Specialized for cutting off pieces of
food - Answer Incisors
Teeth located on either side of the incisors. Have pointed crowns that are specialized for ripping
and tearing - Answer Canines (cuspids)
, Teeth posterior and lateral to the canines. Contain broad crowns and are specialized for grinding
- Answer Molars
Functions of saliva - Answer Moisten mouth, begin starch and fat digestion, cleanse teeth,
inhibit bacterial growth, dissolve molecules so they can stimulate the taste buds, moisten food
and bind it together into bolus to aid in swallowing
Solutes found in the hypotonic solution of salivary glands - Answer Salivary amylase, liquid
lipase, mucus, lysozyme, immunoglobulin A, electrolytes
pH of the hypotonic solution of the salivary gland - Answer 6.8-7
Small glands dispersed amid other oral tissues that secretes small amounts of saliva at a fairly
constant rate - Answer Intrinsic salivary glands
Intrinsic salivary glands that are found in the tongue; produce lingual lipase - Answer Lingual
glands
Intrinsic salivary glands found inside the lips - Answer Labial glands
Intrinsic salivary glands found on the inside of the cheek - Answer Buccal glands
Tree pairs of glands connected to the oral cavity by ducts - Answer Extrinsic salivary glands
Extrinsic salivary glands located beneath the skin anterior to the earlobe - Answer Parotid
extrinsic salivary glands
Inflammation and swelling of the parotid gland caused by a virus - Answer Mumps
Extrinsic salivary glands located halfway along the body of the mandible. Its duct empties at the
side of the lingual frenulum, near the lower central incisors - Answer Submandibular gland
Extrinsic salivary glands located in the floor of the mouth. Contains multiple ducts that empty
posterior to the papilla of the submandibular duct - Answer Sublingual glands
Amount of faliva secreted by extrinsic salivary glands daily - Answer 1-1.5 L
and Answers Graded A+ 2026-2027
Updated.
Study of the digestive tract and the diagnosis and treatment of its disorders - Answer
Gastroenterology
Five stages of digestion - Answer Ingestion, secretion, propulsion, digestion, absorption, and
defecation
The physical breakdown of food into smaller particles - Answer Mechanical digestion
A series of hydrolysis reactions that breaks dietary macromolecules into their monomers
(residues) - Answer Chemical digestion
Polysaccharides are broken down into ____, proteins into ____, fats into ____ - Answer
Monosaccharides, amino acids, monoglycerides and fatty acids
Chemical digestion is carried out by ____ - Answer Digestive enzymes produced by salivary
glands, stomach, pancreas, and small intestine
Two anatomical subdivisions of the digestive system - Answer Digestive tract and accessory
organs
30 foot long muscular tube running from mouth to anus - Answer Alimentary canal
Structures of the digestive tract - Answer mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small
intestine, large intestine
Stomach and intestines are also called the - Answer Gastrointestinal tract
Accessory organs of the digestive system - Answer Teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver,
gallbladder, and pancreas
Most material in the digestive system is considered to be ___ to the body until it is absorbed by
the epithelial cells of the alimentary canal - Answer External
,Layers of the digestive tract wall (inner to outer surface) - Answer Mucosa, submucosa,
muscularis externa, and serosa
Nervous network in esophagus, stomach, and intestines that regulates digestive tract motility,
secretion, and blood flow. Contains sensory neurons that monitor tension in gut wall and
conditions in lumen - Answer Enteric nervous system
The enteric nervous system functions ___ of the CNS - Answer Completely independently
Two networks of neurons in enteric nervous system - Answer Submucosal (meissner) plexus
and myenteric (auerbach)plexus
Network of neurons in submucosa. Controls glandular secretion of mucosa and movements of
muscularis mucosae - Answer Submucosal (meissner) plexus
Network of parasympathetic ganglia and nerve fibers between the two layers of the muscularis
interna. Controls peristalsis and other contractions of muscularis externa - Answer Myenteric
(auerbach) plexus
Connective tissue sheets that loosely suspend the stomach and intestines from the abdominal
wall - Answer Mesenteries
Functions of mesenteries - Answer Allow stomach and intestines to undergo strenuous
contractions
Allow freedom of movement in the abdominal cavity
Hold abdominal viscera in proper relationship to each other
Prevent the intestines from becoming twisted and tangled by changes in body position and by
its own contractions
Provide passage of blood vessels and nerves that supply digestive tract
Contain many lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels
The mesentery of the ___ intestines hold many blood vessels - Answer Small
The meocolon anchors ____ to posterior body wall - Answer Colon
___ and ___ of the digestive tract are controlled by neural, hormonal, and paracrine
mechanisms - Answer Motility and secretion
,Neural mechanisms of motility and secretion - Answer Short (myenteric) and long (vagovagal)
Neural control of motility and secretion stimulated by stretch or chemical stimulation acts
through myenteric plexus, that stimulates parasitic contractions of swallowing - Answer Short
(myenteric) reflexes
Neural control of motility and secretion stimulated by parasympathetic stimulation of digestive
motility and secretion - Answer Long (vagovagal) reflexes
Hormones of the digestive tract - Answer Gastrin and secretin
Serves as the start point of the digestive system - Answer Oral cavity
Two accessory organs of the oral cavity - Answer Teeth and tongue
Ingestion, secretion, chemical and mechanical digestions, and propulsion all occur in the _____ -
Answer Oral cavity
The oral cavity and its accessory organs work together to turn ingested food into a ___ and
move it to the posterior of the cavity to be swallowed - Answer Bolus
Breaks food into smaller pieces to be swallowed and exposes more surface to the action of
digestive enzymes, first step in mechanical digestion - Answer Mastication (chewing)
Food stimulates oral receptors that trigger an - Answer Involuntary chewing reflex
Key organs of mechanical digestion
Located in bony sockets found in the maxilla and mandible and held in place by the periodontal
ligament - Answer Teeth
Three types of teeth - Answer Incisors, canines, and molars
Central teeth that are broad and flat with a narrow crown. Specialized for cutting off pieces of
food - Answer Incisors
Teeth located on either side of the incisors. Have pointed crowns that are specialized for ripping
and tearing - Answer Canines (cuspids)
, Teeth posterior and lateral to the canines. Contain broad crowns and are specialized for grinding
- Answer Molars
Functions of saliva - Answer Moisten mouth, begin starch and fat digestion, cleanse teeth,
inhibit bacterial growth, dissolve molecules so they can stimulate the taste buds, moisten food
and bind it together into bolus to aid in swallowing
Solutes found in the hypotonic solution of salivary glands - Answer Salivary amylase, liquid
lipase, mucus, lysozyme, immunoglobulin A, electrolytes
pH of the hypotonic solution of the salivary gland - Answer 6.8-7
Small glands dispersed amid other oral tissues that secretes small amounts of saliva at a fairly
constant rate - Answer Intrinsic salivary glands
Intrinsic salivary glands that are found in the tongue; produce lingual lipase - Answer Lingual
glands
Intrinsic salivary glands found inside the lips - Answer Labial glands
Intrinsic salivary glands found on the inside of the cheek - Answer Buccal glands
Tree pairs of glands connected to the oral cavity by ducts - Answer Extrinsic salivary glands
Extrinsic salivary glands located beneath the skin anterior to the earlobe - Answer Parotid
extrinsic salivary glands
Inflammation and swelling of the parotid gland caused by a virus - Answer Mumps
Extrinsic salivary glands located halfway along the body of the mandible. Its duct empties at the
side of the lingual frenulum, near the lower central incisors - Answer Submandibular gland
Extrinsic salivary glands located in the floor of the mouth. Contains multiple ducts that empty
posterior to the papilla of the submandibular duct - Answer Sublingual glands
Amount of faliva secreted by extrinsic salivary glands daily - Answer 1-1.5 L
