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Ignition Learning — Activity Sheet

Digestive system

Science · Year 8

Name: ______________________Date: ____________

The digestive system is a long tube running from your mouth to the other end, lined with organs that each play a specific role in breaking food down into nutrients your body can absorb and use. Digestion starts in the mouth with chewing and saliva, continues through the oesophagus to the stomach where acid and enzymes break food down further, and finishes in the small and large intestines, where nutrients and water are absorbed.

Example

When you eat an apple, your teeth and saliva start breaking it down in your mouth; it travels down the oesophagus to your stomach for further digestion; most of its nutrients are absorbed in your small intestine; and your large intestine absorbs leftover water before waste leaves the body.

Key terms

Oesophagus:: The tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
Small intestine:: Where most nutrient absorption happens.
Large intestine:: Mainly absorbs water from leftover waste.

Questions

1. Digestion is the process of:
- Breaking food into usable nutrients
- Breathing air
- Growing taller
- Seeing colours
2. Chewing food happens in the:
- Stomach
- Mouth
- Small intestine
- Large intestine
3. Saliva helps to:
- Start breaking down food
- Make you taller
- Help you see
- Help you hear
4. Food travels from your mouth to your stomach through the:
- Trachea
- Oesophagus
- Vein
- Artery
5. The organ that stores and further breaks down food after the mouth is the:
- Stomach
- Brain
- Lung
- Kidney
6. The small intestine's main job is to:
- Absorb most nutrients
- Store waste
- Pump blood
- Filter air
7. The large intestine's main job is to:
- Absorb water from waste
- Digest all food
- Pump blood
- Filter air
8. Digestion begins in the:
- Stomach
- Mouth
- Small intestine
- Large intestine
9. Most nutrient absorption happens in the:
- Stomach
- Large intestine
- Small intestine
- Oesophagus
10. The tube connecting the mouth to the stomach is the:
- Trachea
- Oesophagus
- Intestine
- Pancreas
11. The large intestine mainly absorbs:
- Protein
- Water
- Sugar
- Fat
12. Which organ comes right after the stomach in digestion?
- Mouth
- Small intestine
- Oesophagus
- Lungs
13. Food is pushed along the digestive system by muscle movements called:
- Peristalsis
- Photosynthesis
- Respiration
- Circulation
14. Waste that isn't absorbed eventually leaves the body via the:
- Small intestine
- Large intestine
- Mouth
- Oesophagus
15. What is the correct order food travels through the body?
- Mouth, Oesophagus, Stomach, Small intestine, Large intestine
- Mouth, Stomach, Oesophagus, Small intestine, Large intestine
- Oesophagus, Mouth, Stomach, Large intestine, Small intestine
- Stomach, Mouth, Oesophagus, Large intestine, Small intestine
16. If the small intestine were damaged, the body would mainly struggle to:
- Chew food
- Absorb nutrients from food
- Taste food
- Swallow food
17. Why might someone feel dehydrated if their large intestine wasn't working properly?
- It's where most water is absorbed back into the body
- It's where food is first chewed
- It's where energy is made
- It has no real function
18. Which body system does the digestive system work closely with to deliver absorbed nutrients around the body?
- Circulatory system
- Skeletal system
- Nervous system only
- None
19. What is the main difference in function between the small and large intestine?
- Small intestine absorbs most nutrients; large intestine mainly absorbs water
- Small intestine absorbs water; large intestine absorbs nutrients
- They do exactly the same job
- Neither absorbs anything
20. Why does food need to be broken down before it can be used by the body?
- So it tastes better
- So nutrients are small enough to be absorbed into the blood
- So it looks different
- So it can be seen under a microscope
21. The oesophagus's main role is to:
- Digest food chemically
- Carry food from the mouth to the stomach
- Absorb nutrients
- Store waste

Answer key (parent copy)

1. Breaking food into usable nutrients
2. Mouth
3. Start breaking down food
4. Oesophagus
5. Stomach
6. Absorb most nutrients
7. Absorb water from waste
8. Mouth
9. Small intestine
10. Oesophagus
11. Water
12. Small intestine
13. Peristalsis
14. Large intestine
15. Mouth, Oesophagus, Stomach, Small intestine, Large intestine
16. Absorb nutrients from food
17. It's where most water is absorbed back into the body
18. Circulatory system
19. Small intestine absorbs most nutrients; large intestine mainly absorbs water
20. So nutrients are small enough to be absorbed into the blood
21. Carry food from the mouth to the stomach