Nutrition in Animals

1. Fill in the blanks:

a. The main steps of digestion in humans are ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation and
egestion.
b. The largest gland in the human body is liver.
c. The stomach releases hydrochloric acid and digestive juices which act on food.
d. The inner wall of the small intestine has many finger-like outgrowths called villi.
e. Amoeba digests its food in the food vacuole.
2. Mark T if the statement is true and F if it is false:
a. Digestion of starch starts in the stomach.
b. The tongue helps in mixing food with saliva.
c. The gall bladder temporarily stores bile.
d. The ruminants bring back swallowed grass into their mouth
and chew it for some time.

False
True
True
True

3. Tick () mark the correct answer in each of the following:

a. Fat is completely digested in thei. Stomach
ii. Mouth
iii. Small intestine iv. Large intestine
b. Water from the undigested food is absorbed mainly in thei. Stomach
ii. Food pipe
iii. Small intestine

iv. Large intestine

4. Match the items of Column I with those given in Column II:

Column I
Column II
Food components
Product(s) of digestion
Carbohydrates
Fatty acids and glycerol
Proteins
Sugar
Fats
Amino acids
5. What are Villi? What is their location and function?
Villi are small finger like out growths in the inner walls of the small
intestine. These villi increase the surface area for proper absorption of the
food.
6. Where is the bile produced? Which component of the food does it digest?
Bile juice is produced in the liver. Bile does not digest any food but it helps in digestion of fats
and oils by breaking them into fine droplets for easy digestion.
8. Name the type of carbohydrate that can be digested by ruminants but not by humans.
Give the reason also.
Cellulose is a complex carbohydrate, which can be digested by
ruminants but not by humans. Ruminants have a large sac like structure
called rumen in which cellulose containing food is digested by the action
of bacteria.
Rumen
9. Why do we get instant energy from Glucose?
We get instant energy from Glucose because in the cells, glucose breaks down with the help of
oxygen into carbon dioxide and water, and energy is released. The process can be shown in the
following mannerIn Cells
Glucose + Oxygen
Carbon dioxide + Water + Energy

10. Which part of the digestive canal is involved in?

i. Absorption of foodSmall Intestine.
ii. Chewing of foodTeeth in the mouth.
iii. Killing of bacteriaAcid in the stomach.
iv. Complete digestion of foodSmall Intestine.
v. Formation of faecesLarge Intestine.
11. Write one similarity and one difference between the nutrition in Amoeba and human
beings.
Similarity between nutrition in Amoeba and Human beingsa. Both Amoeba and Human beings are heterotrophic i.e., they cannot make their own food and
take food from outside.
b. In both Amoeba and Human beings the steps of nutrition are the same i.e., ingestion,
digestion, absorption, assimilation and egestion.
c. Both Amoeba and Humans consume solid food.
Difference between nutrition in Amoeba and Human beingsIn human beings food is digested in different parts such as- stomach, small intestine, large
intestine etc.
12. Match the items of Column I with suitable items in Column II
Column I
Column II
a. Salivary gland
i. Bile juice secretion
b. Stomach
ii. Storage of undigested food
c. Liver
iii. Saliva secretion
d. Rectum
iv. Acid release
e. Small intestine
v. Digestion is completed
f. Large intestine
vi. Absorption of water
vii. Release of faeces
13. Label Fig. 2.11 of the digestive system
Oesophagus

Gall Bladder

Stomach

Pancreas

Small Intestine
Large Intestine

Rectum
Anus
14. Can we survive only on raw, leafy vegetables/grass? Discuss.
No, we cannot survive only on by eating raw, leafy vegetables/grass because by eating raw leafy
vegetables we would get sufficient amounts of vitamins, minerals and fibre but our body also
needs proteins, carbohydrates and fats, which are in very little amounts in raw leafy vegetables.
So, we have to eat other food materials such as rice, wheat, potatoes, pulses, milk, butter and
ghee, which would supply us sufficient amounts of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

We cannot eat grass as food because grass contains cellulose as carbohydrate, which we cannot
digest. Only herbivore animals like cows and buffaloes can use grass as food because they can
digest cellulose with the help of bacteria in their stomach.
15. What do you mean by digestion?
The breakdown of complex components of food into simpler substances is called digestion. For
example- Proteins are complex components of food. They are digested to amino acids, which are
absorbed by the small intestine.
16. What organs does the human digestive system consist of?
The human digestive system consists of the alimentary canal and secretory glands. It consists ofa. Buccal Cavity (Mouth)
b. Oesophagus
c. Stomach
d. Small Intestine
e. Large Intestine ending in rectum and
f. Anus.
The main digestive glands, which secrete digestive juices, area. The Salivary Glands
b. The Liver and
c. The Pancreas.
17. What is Ingestion?
The process of taking food into the body (mouth) is called ingestion.
18. Explain the process of feeding and digestion in Amoeba.
Amoeba ingests its food with the help of its false feet or Pseudopodia. The food is digested in the
food vacuole. The digested food is absorbed and the undigested waste of the food is removed
outside by the vacuole.
Food Vacuoles
Food Particle
Egested Waste
(Ingestion)
Nucleus

Pseudopodium

19. What is assimilation?

The absorbed substances are transported by the blood vessels to different organs of the body
where they are used to build complex substances such as the proteins required by the body. This
is called assimilation.
20. Name the nutrient digested in the stomach?
Proteins are digested in the stomach.

Food

Oesophagus
21. What is the shape of the stomach?
The stomach is a thick walled bag. Its shape is like a flattened
U and it is the widest part of the alimentary canal.
Stomach
22. What is Cud?
The partially digested food stored in the rumen is called cud.
23. What is Rumination?
In ruminants such as cows and buffaloes the cud returns to the mouth in small lumps and the
animal chews it. This process is called rumination.
K. P. Singh, Biology Department, Delhi Public School, Mathura Refinery Nagar, Mathura