Question

1. what is the purpose of the tongue in digestion?
2. what is the mixture of chewed food and saliva called?

the esophagus
once swallowed, the bolus enters the esophagus — a muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. waves of muscle contractions called peristalsis push the food downward. no major chemical digestion takes place here; the esophagus mainly serves as a transport system.

1. what is peristalsis?

a. the release of stomach acid
b. muscle contractions that push food down
c. the absorption of nutrients
d. the mixing of food in the mouth

1. what is the esophaguss main function?
2. true or false: chemical digestion happens in the esophagus.

the stomach
the stomach uses strong muscular contractions to churn food (mechanical digestion) and mixes it with gastric juices (acid and enzymes) that break down proteins (chemical digestion). this process turns food into a thick liquid called chyme.

1. what is the mixture of partially digested food in the stomach called?

a. bolus
b. bile
c. chyme
d. plasma

1. which two processes occur in the stomach?
2. what is one function of gastric juices?

small intestine
chyme enters the small intestine, where enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver finish breaking down food. tiny finger - like structures called villi absorb nutrients into the bloodstream. the small intestine is the primary site where the body collects nutrients needed for energy and growth.

Explanation:

For the question "What is peristalsis? (multiple - choice)"

To answer this, we refer to the text about the esophagus: "Waves of muscle contractions called peristalsis push the food downward." Option a is about stomach acid release, option c is nutrient absorption, option d is mixing in the mouth. Only option b matches the definition from the text.

From the text: "the esophagus mainly serves as a transport system" and "connects the mouth to the stomach" with peristalsis pushing food. So its main function is to transport food from the mouth to the stomach (or act as a transport system for food).

The text says "No major chemical digestion takes place here". So the answer is False.

Answer:

b. Muscle contractions that push food down

For the question "What is the esophagus's main function?"