Question

Ingestion of food in human beings is facilitated by
A. Oesophagus
B. Buccal activity
C. Muscular tongue
D. Trachea

Answer 1

Hint: A muscular organ that is vital for chewing and swallowing of food as well as speech. It has many nerves that help in detecting and transmitting taste signals to the brain. It has four types of tonsils and several papillae.

Complete answer:
The complete process of digestion takes place in the alimentary canal of food. The process starts with the ingestion of food through the mouth. The mouth has various structures such as the tongue, teeth, and salivary glands that help in the process of ingestion by breaking down food into smaller particles. Saliva in the mouth adheres to these particles together to form a bolus. Saliva contains an enzyme known as salivary amylase that helps in the partial breakdown of sugar molecules. The tongue is a muscular organ that helps in mixing the saliva with the food and pushes down the food bolus into the oesophagus. They are found in the tongue that has taste buds or taste receptors.

Hence, the correct option is C-Muscular tongue.

Note: The tongue is a voluntary muscular structure or organ that has striated muscles and it occupies the floor of the mouth. It helps in the mastication of food substances and the swallowing of food. In the gustatory system, it is the primary organ of taste. It has four types of tonsils- palatine, lingual tonsils, etc. It also has three types of papillae- vallate, foliate, and fungiform papillae.