Digestion and Absorption is a Zoology chapter in the NEET (UG) syllabus. NEET720 has 132 reviewed practice questions on it, each with a quick answer and a step-by-step explanation. The 8 questions below are free and fixed, so you can bookmark this page; the full chapter, plus mistake tracking and spaced revision, is in the app.
30
easy
79
medium
23
hard
Topics covered
Digestive glands · Gastric digestion · Enzymes · Nutrition · Hormonal control · Carbohydrate digestion · Protein digestion · Physiology · Liver · Salivary secretion · Digestion in infants · Numerical · Alimentary canal · Buccal cavity · Stomach · Pancreas · Liver and bile · Small intestine · Absorption · Large intestine · Disorders · Peritonitis and other disorders · Physiology of digestion · Regulation of digestion · Numerical/applied · Comparative digestion · Nutrition basics
8 free Digestion and Absorption practice questions with answers
Choose an answer in your head before opening it. Each explanation says why the correct option is right and, where relevant, why the tempting wrong option is wrong.
Question 1 · easy · Alimentary canal
Which of the following correctly lists the parts of the human alimentary canal in the order food passes through them?
- A.Mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, anus
- B.Mouth, oesophagus, pharynx, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, anus
- C.Mouth, pharynx, stomach, oesophagus, small intestine, large intestine, anus
- D.Mouth, oesophagus, stomach, large intestine, small intestine, rectum, anus
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, anus
Food travels mouth→pharynx→oesophagus→stomach→small intestine→large intestine→rectum→anus.
The human digestive tract is a continuous tube; correct sequential anatomy places pharynx after mouth, oesophagus after pharynx, then stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus.
Common mistake: Confusing pharynx and oesophagus order
Question 2 · medium · Alimentary canal
Consider the following statements about the layers of the wall of the alimentary canal from outside to inside: (I) Serosa is the outermost layer made of thin mesothelium. (II) Muscularis usually has an inner circular and outer longitudinal smooth muscle layer. (III) Submucosa contains blood vessels, nerves, and in duodenum, Brunner's glands. (IV) Mucosa is the innermost layer and forms folds called rugae in the stomach. How many of the above statements are correct?
- A.One
- B.Two
- C.Three
- D.Four
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Four
All four statements accurately describe the gut wall layers.
From outside to inside the wall has serosa, muscularis (inner circular, outer longitudinal), submucosa (with Brunner's glands in duodenum), and mucosa (forming rugae in stomach). All statements are correct.
Common mistake: Misremembering muscle layer order as outer circular inner longitudinal
Question 3 · easy · Buccal cavity
The human dental formula is 2123/2123. What is the total number of teeth in an adult human?
- A.28
- B.32
- C.36
- D.20
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. 32
Sum one side = 2+1+2+3=8; ×2 sides ×2 jaws = 32.
Dental formula 2123/2123 means per half-jaw: 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars, 3 molars = 8 teeth. Multiplying by 2 (left-right) and by 2 (upper-lower) gives 32 teeth total.
Common mistake: Multiplying only by 2 instead of 4
Question 4 · medium · Buccal cavity
Match the salivary glands with their location: Column I: (A) Parotid (B) Sub-maxillary/Submandibular (C) Sublingual Column II: (1) Below the tongue (2) Cheek near ear (3) Lower jaw angle
- A.A-2, B-3, C-1
- B.A-1, B-2, C-3
- C.A-3, B-1, C-2
- D.A-2, B-1, C-3
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. A-2, B-3, C-1
Parotid is in cheek near ear, sub-maxillary at lower jaw angle, sublingual below tongue.
There are three pairs of salivary glands: parotids (largest, in cheeks near ears, mumps affects these), sub-maxillary/submandibular glands (at the angle of the lower jaw), and sublingual glands (beneath the tongue).
Common mistake: Confusing submandibular and sublingual positions
Question 5 · medium · Buccal cavity
How many of the following are functions/components of human saliva? (I) Contains salivary amylase (ptyalin) that hydrolyses starch to maltose. (II) Contains lysozyme with antibacterial action. (III) Moistens and lubricates food to help form a bolus. (IV) Contains pepsinogen for initial protein digestion.
- A.One
- B.Two
- C.Three
- D.Four
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Three
Statements I, II, III are correct; pepsinogen is secreted by gastric chief cells, not saliva.
Saliva contains salivary amylase which begins starch digestion, lysozyme for antibacterial defence, and mucus for lubrication/bolus formation. Pepsinogen is a gastric secretion, not present in saliva.
Common mistake: Confusing salivary and gastric secretions
Question 6 · medium · Stomach
Match the gastric gland cell types with their secretion: Column I: (A) Peptic/chief cells (B) Parietal/oxyntic cells (C) Mucous neck cells Column II: (1) Mucus (2) HCl and intrinsic factor (3) Pepsinogen and prorennin
- A.A-3, B-2, C-1
- B.A-2, B-3, C-1
- C.A-1, B-2, C-3
- D.A-3, B-1, C-2
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. A-3, B-2, C-1
Chief cells secrete pepsinogen/prorennin; parietal cells secrete HCl and intrinsic factor; mucous neck cells secrete mucus.
Gastric glands have three main cell types: peptic (chief) cells producing pepsinogen and prorennin, parietal (oxyntic) cells producing HCl and intrinsic factor (needed for vitamin B12 absorption), and mucous neck cells secreting protective mucus.
Common mistake: Swapping chief and parietal cell functions
Question 7 · medium · Stomach
How many of the following are correct functions of gastric HCl? (I) Activates pepsinogen to pepsin. (II) Provides acidic pH (about 1.5-2.5) optimal for pepsin action. (III) Kills most ingested bacteria. (IV) Directly emulsifies dietary fats.
- A.One
- B.Two
- C.Three
- D.Four
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Three
I, II, III are correct; fat emulsification is done by bile salts, not HCl.
HCl converts pepsinogen to active pepsin, maintains the acidic gastric environment optimal for pepsin, and has bactericidal action against most swallowed microbes. Fat emulsification is carried out by bile salts in the duodenum, not HCl.
Common mistake: Attributing fat emulsification to HCl instead of bile
Question 8 · easy · Stomach
Which region of the human stomach connects to the duodenum and lacks gastric glands secreting pepsinogen but is rich in mucus-secreting glands?
- A.Cardiac region
- B.Fundic region
- C.Pyloric region
- D.Body of stomach
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Pyloric region
The pyloric region, near the duodenal junction, has mucus glands and the pyloric sphincter.
The stomach has cardiac (near oesophagus), fundic/body (main gastric gland region with chief and parietal cells), and pyloric regions. The pyloric region secretes mostly mucus and gastrin, and controls passage of chyme via the pyloric sphincter.
Common mistake: Confusing pyloric and cardiac regions
Practise all 132 Digestion and Absorption questions
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Questions about Digestion and Absorption for NEET
How many NEET questions does NEET720 have on Digestion and Absorption?＋
NEET720 has 132 reviewed practice questions on Digestion and Absorption (Zoology): 30 easy, 79 medium and 23 hard. 8 of them are free on this page with full explanations; the rest are available in the app.
Is Digestion and Absorption a Class 11 or Class 12 chapter for NEET?＋
Digestion and Absorption spans topics from both Class 11 and Class 12 Zoology as grouped in NEET720's bank. Read the relevant NCERT chapters first, then practise chapter-wise MCQs and previous-year questions.
How should I practise Digestion and Absorption for NEET?＋
Attempt the questions below without looking at the options for more than a few seconds, mark your answer, then read the explanation even when you were right. Record every mistake and revisit it after a gap. On NEET720 this happens automatically: wrong answers go to your Mistake Book and are scheduled for spaced revision.
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Questions are original NEET720 compositions reviewed for correctness, syllabus fit and option quality. Counts update as the bank grows (132 active practice questions in this chapter today).