ATI RN
Gastrointestinal Practice Questions Questions
Question 1 of 5
Which of the following nutrients is absorbed in the stomach?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: water. Water is the only nutrient that is absorbed in the stomach. The stomach mainly digests food using stomach acid and enzymes, but absorption of nutrients primarily occurs in the small intestine. Vitamins are absorbed in the small intestine, proteins are broken down in the stomach and further digested in the small intestine, and carbohydrates are primarily broken down and absorbed in the small intestine. Water, on the other hand, can be absorbed in the stomach through osmosis due to its small molecular size and the presence of aquaporins in the stomach lining.
Question 2 of 5
Which of these structures prevents food from entering the windpipe?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Epiglottis. The epiglottis is a flap of tissue that covers the opening to the trachea (windpipe) during swallowing, preventing food from entering the airway. This action ensures that food goes down the esophagus to the stomach. The other choices (B, C, D) are involved in controlling the flow of food in the digestive system at different points, but they do not specifically prevent food from entering the windpipe like the epiglottis does.
Question 3 of 5
Relating to carbohydrate digestion:
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B because bile salts are essential for the digestion and absorption of fats, not carbohydrates. Cellulose cannot be digested by human amylases, making choice A incorrect. Starch digestion starts in the mouth with salivary amylase, not one-third in the mouth and two-thirds in the small gut, so choice C is incorrect. Carbohydrate digestion can occur simultaneously with protein digestion, so choice D is also incorrect. Bile salts aid in emulsifying fats, facilitating their digestion and absorption in the small intestine.
Question 4 of 5
Pancreatic exocrine secretion is stimulated by the following except:
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Entropeptidase. Pancreatic exocrine secretion is primarily stimulated by hormones like CCK and the presence of food in the stomach. Vagal stimulation can also trigger pancreatic secretion. However, enteropeptidase is an enzyme that activates trypsinogen to trypsin in the small intestine, not a direct stimulator of pancreatic exocrine secretion. Therefore, choice B is the exception among the given options.
Question 5 of 5
A male infant, who was normal for the first three weeks of life, develops projectile vomiting after feeding. The likely diagnosis is:
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The correct answer is D, congenital pyloric stenosis. This condition typically presents in male infants around 3-6 weeks of age with projectile vomiting due to hypertrophy of the pyloric muscle, leading to obstruction at the pylorus. This causes the infant to forcefully vomit shortly after feeding. Meckel's diverticulum (A) presents with painless rectal bleeding. Esophageal atresia (B) presents with drooling and choking with feeding. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (C) presents with respiratory distress and scaphoid abdomen due to herniation of abdominal organs into the chest cavity.