Questions

Student activity

Name: Hiya Class: Y10 Date: 20th Sept

Digestive system

Specification reference
● B2.2.1 The human digestive system

Aims
In this activity you will study how organs work together in the digestive system
to break down food products and absorb the nutrients required for growth.

Learning outcomes
After completing this activity, you should be able to:
● identify some of the organs of the digestive system
● state the function of some of the organs of the digestive system
● state simply what happens to food during digestion
● name all of the organs of the digestive system
● state the functions of the organs
● summarise the process of digestion
● link the process of digestion to other processes in the body in order to explain
its function
● explain in detail how the small intestine is adapted to its function
● explain in detail what happens to food during digestion.

Task
Step 1 Label the main organs in the digestive system on your blank copy of the
digestive system.
Step 2 Add labels to describe the function of each organ.
Step 3 Explain how the small intestine is adapted to perform its function.
For more information, see Topic B3.2 in the student book.

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Questions

Student activity

Name: Hiya Class: Y10 Date: 20th Sept

© Oxford University Press 2016: www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements\

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original. 2
Questions

Student activity

Name: Hiya Class: Y10 Date: 20th Sept

1 Link each organ with its function in the digestive system:

1. Organ where water passes back into the

Pancreas- 3
body, leaving solid waste

2. Organ where food is churned with

Stomach- 2
digestive juices and acids

3. Organ that makes and releases digestive

Small intestine- 4 juices containing enzymes to break down
your food

4. Organ where small digested molecules

Large intestine- 1
are absorbed into the bloodstream
(3 marks)

2 a Complete the flow diagram with the appropriate organ that food passes
through on its way through the digestive system:
mouth → A → stomach → small intestine → large intestine → B → anus
i A = Mouth
(1 mark)
ii B = Stomach
(1 mark)

b Describe one reason why the stomach contains acids.

- The stomach contains acids to help break down the food for digestion.

(1 mark)

3 Bile plays an important role in digestion.

a State where bile is produced.

The liver (1 mark)

b State the food component that bile digests: fats

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Questions

Student activity

Name: Hiya Class: Y10 Date: 20th Sept

(1 mark)

c Describe what happens to the structure of food molecules during digestion.

Food mixes with digestive juices, causing large molecules of food
to break down into smaller molecules. The body then absorbs
these smaller molecules through the walls of the small intestine into
the bloodstream, which delivers them to the rest of the body.
(1 mark)

4 Explain how the small intestine is adapted to perform its function.

The lining of the small intestinal mucosa is very highly specialized for
maximizing digestion and absorption of nutrients. The lining is
highly folded to form microscopic finger-like projections called villi
which increase the surface area to help with absorption.
(4 marks)

Challenge
1 a Describe one way in which bacteria in your intestines are helpful.
Gut bacteria have a number of important functions such as breaking down food,
manufacturing vitamins and training our immune system.

b Describe one way in which these bacteria are unhelpful.

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