Question

1 .Explain how is food pushed in the oesophagus ?

2. How is food pushed through the gut ?

Answer 1

1) The oesophagus (or esophagus) is also called the gullet. It is the part of the gastrointestinal system between the mouth and the stomach. It connects the pharynx and the stomach. It is about 25 centimetres (9.8 in) long. The oesophagus is lined with muscle. This muscle pushes food down into the stomach. The oesophagus can contract or expand to allow for the passage of food. The muscular movement that pushes the food down the oesophagus is called peristalsis. At the entrance to the stomach there is a ring of muscle called a sphincter. This is usually closed, but relaxes as food approaches, allowing it to enter the stomach. In the stomach, the food is churned until it turns into a soupy mixture called chyme.


2) ​​​​​​​

The food we eat consists of large lumps of material. We must bite off small pieces and chew them up into even smaller parts, before swallowing them. When the food gets into our stomach it is broken down further as it is squeezed and moved around by the stomach’s muscular walls

Food is moved through the digestive system by the contractions of two sets of muscles in the walls of the gut. One set runs along the gut, while the other set circles it. Their wave-like contractions create a squeezing action, moving down the gut. This series of wave-like contractions is called peristalsis.