Question

read the text.
when you put a tasty morsel in your mouth, saliva coats it and starts to break it down, resulting in softer food that can be swallowed more easily. when youre ready to swallow, a tiny flap called the epiglottis closes over the opening of the windpipe, which is also at the back of your throat. because of the epiglottis, food safely enters the esophagus rather than the windpipe. food travels through the esophagus to the stomach, where it is churned into even smaller pieces. next the food mixture travels to the small intestine, where it is dissolved even further. as a result of the small intestines work, your body is able to absorb important nutrients in the food, such as carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
match causes with their effects.
food enters the esophagus. the body can absorb nutrients.
food becomes easier to swallow.
cause effect
saliva breaks down food.
the epiglottis closes the windpipe.
the small intestine breaks down food.

Explanation:

1. From the text: "saliva coats it and starts to break it down, resulting in softer food that can be swallowed more easily", so saliva breaking down food causes food to be easier to swallow.
2. From the text: "a tiny flap called the epiglottis closes over the opening of the windpipe... food safely enters the esophagus", so the epiglottis closing the windpipe causes food to enter the esophagus.
3. From the text: "the food mixture travels to the small intestine, where it is dissolved even further. As a result... your body is able to absorb important nutrients", so the small intestine breaking down food causes the body to absorb nutrients.

Answer:

• Cause: Saliva breaks down food. → Effect: Food becomes easier to swallow.
• Cause: The epiglottis closes the windpipe. → Effect: Food enters the esophagus.
• Cause: The small intestine breaks down food. → Effect: The body can absorb nutrients.