Digestion of food MCQs With Answer

Digestion of food MCQs With Answer is an essential resource for B.Pharm students preparing for exams in pharmacology, physiology and biochemistry. This topic covers gastrointestinal physiology, enzymes, hormones (gastrin, CCK, secretin), bile and pancreatic secretions, absorption mechanisms (SGLT1, GLUT5/GLUT2), lipid digestion, micelle and chylomicron formation, and clinically relevant drug–food interactions. These concise, high-yield MCQs reinforce understanding of nutrient breakdown, transport across enterocytes, enterohepatic circulation, and malabsorption disorders. Designed for clarity and exam focus, this set helps strengthen concepts needed for therapeutics and drug delivery. Now let’s test your knowledge with 50 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. Which enzyme initiates protein digestion in the stomach?

• Pepsin
• Trypsin
• Chymotrypsin
• Peptidase

Correct Answer: Pepsin

Q2. Which salivary enzyme begins starch digestion in the oral cavity?

• Lipase
• Salivary amylase (ptyalin)
• Pepsin
• Trypsinogen

Correct Answer: Salivary amylase (ptyalin)

Q3. What is the primary site for absorption of most nutrients?

• Stomach
• Duodenum and jejunum (small intestine)
• Large intestine
• Oral cavity

Correct Answer: Duodenum and jejunum (small intestine)

Q4. Which hormone chiefly stimulates pancreatic enzyme secretion from acinar cells?

• Secretin
• Gastrin
• Cholecystokinin (CCK)
• Motilin

Correct Answer: Cholecystokinin (CCK)

Q5. Which enzyme activates trypsinogen to trypsin on the intestinal brush border?

• Enterokinase (enteropeptidase)
• Pepsinogen
• Chymotrypsinogen
• Carboxypeptidase

Correct Answer: Enterokinase (enteropeptidase)

Q6. Bile salts primarily function to:

• Digest proteins into amino acids
• Emulsify fats and facilitate micelle formation
• Neutralize pancreatic enzymes
• Activate pepsinogen

Correct Answer: Emulsify fats and facilitate micelle formation

Q7. Where are bile acids synthesized?

• Gallbladder
• Liver (hepatocytes)
• Pancreas
• Duodenal crypts

Correct Answer: Liver (hepatocytes)

Q8. Long-chain fatty acids are absorbed by enterocytes after incorporation into:

• Glucose transporters
• Micelles and then re-esterified into chylomicrons
• Direct diffusion into portal vein as free fatty acids
• Peptidoglycan complexes

Correct Answer: Micelles and then re-esterified into chylomicrons

Q9. Pancreatic secretion rich in digestive enzymes is primarily stimulated by which hormone?

• Secretin
• Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)
• Cholecystokinin (CCK)
• Ghrelin

Correct Answer: Cholecystokinin (CCK)

Q10. Typical gastric lumen pH during digestion is closest to:

• 7.4
• 5.5–6.5
• 1.5–3.5
• 8.0–9.0

Correct Answer: 1.5–3.5

Q11. Intrinsic factor necessary for vitamin B12 absorption is secreted by which cells?

• Chief cells
• Parietal cells
• Mucous neck cells
• D cells

Correct Answer: Parietal cells

Q12. Which transporter mediates sodium-dependent uptake of glucose and galactose across the apical membrane of enterocytes?

• GLUT2
• SGLT1
• GLUT5
• Na+/K+ ATPase

Correct Answer: SGLT1

Q13. Facilitative glucose transport across the basolateral membrane to blood is mainly via:

• GLUT5
• SGLT1
• GLUT2
• CFTR

Correct Answer: GLUT2

Q14. Which brush border enzyme hydrolyzes lactose into glucose and galactose?

• Lactase
• Maltase
• Sucrase
• Peptidase

Correct Answer: Lactase

Q15. Which pancreatic zymogen is a precursor to a major protease?

• Trypsinogen
• Lipase
• Amylase
• Enterokinase

Correct Answer: Trypsinogen

Q16. The presence of a high-fat meal commonly affects oral drug absorption by:

• Instantly inactivating the drug chemically
• Delaying gastric emptying and often altering absorption rate
• Preventing drug dissolution in all cases
• Eliminating first-pass metabolism

Correct Answer: Delaying gastric emptying and often altering absorption rate

Q17. Enterohepatic circulation of a drug typically causes which pharmacokinetic effect?

• Shortened half-life
• Increased renal clearance
• Prolonged systemic half-life and recycling of the drug
• Immediate elimination in feces

Correct Answer: Prolonged systemic half-life and recycling of the drug

Q18. Pancreatic lipase requires which cofactor to function effectively in presence of bile salts?

• Colipase
• Enterokinase
• Lingual lipase
• Pepsin

Correct Answer: Colipase

Q19. The principal site of dietary iron (Fe2+) absorption is the:

• Ileum
• Jejunum
• Duodenum
• Colon

Correct Answer: Duodenum

Q20. Peyer’s patches, important for gut immune responses, are most abundant in the:

• Duodenum
• Jejunum
• Ileum
• Stomach

Correct Answer: Ileum

Q21. Short-chain fatty acids produced by colonic bacteria that serve as the main energy source for colonocytes include:

• Stearate and palmitate
• Acetate, propionate, and butyrate
• Lecithin and phosphatidylcholine
• Cholesterol esters

Correct Answer: Acetate, propionate, and butyrate

Q22. Which hormone inhibits many gastrointestinal secretions and motility?

• Gastrin
• Secretin
• Somatostatin
• Cholecystokinin (CCK)

Correct Answer: Somatostatin

Q23. Gastrin is secreted by G cells located primarily in the:

• Gastric antrum
• Duodenal bulb
• Jejunum
• Pancreas

Correct Answer: Gastric antrum

Q24. Long-term proton pump inhibitor therapy can impair absorption of which nutrient?

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin K
• Vitamin D

Correct Answer: Vitamin B12

Q25. Lingual lipase primarily functions to:

• Begin lipid digestion in the mouth and continue in the stomach
• Hydrolyze proteins in the stomach
• Emulsify fats like bile salts
• Transport lipids across enterocytes

Correct Answer: Begin lipid digestion in the mouth and continue in the stomach

Q26. Micelles formed during fat digestion are composed of bile salts plus which of the following?

• Monoglycerides, fatty acids, cholesterol and fat-soluble vitamins
• Polysaccharides and amino acids
• Native triglycerides only
• Albumin-bound free fatty acids exclusively

Correct Answer: Monoglycerides, fatty acids, cholesterol and fat-soluble vitamins

Q27. Major proteases responsible for protein digestion in the small intestine include:

• Pepsin and rennin
• Trypsin and chymotrypsin
• Lipase and amylase
• Maltase and sucrase

Correct Answer: Trypsin and chymotrypsin

Q28. Release of cholecystokinin (CCK) from I cells is primarily stimulated by:

• Low luminal pH
• Presence of fats and amino acids in the duodenum
• High blood glucose
• Distention of the colon

Correct Answer: Presence of fats and amino acids in the duodenum

Q29. Secretin is released in response to which luminal stimulus and causes what pancreatic response?

• Fat in duodenum; increases enzyme secretion
• Low pH in duodenum; increases bicarbonate secretion
• High osmolarity; reduces motility
• Peptides in stomach; increases acid secretion

Correct Answer: Low pH in duodenum; increases bicarbonate secretion

Q30. The major site for water and electrolyte absorption in the gut is the:

• Stomach
• Small intestine
• Colon (large intestine)
• Esophagus

Correct Answer: Colon (large intestine)

Q31. Which component of bile is most directly responsible for emulsifying dietary lipids?

• Bilirubin
• Bile salts
• Albumin
• Glycogen

Correct Answer: Bile salts

Q32. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) are absorbed primarily by which mechanism?

• Active transport via SGLT1
• Endocytosis in the stomach
• Incorporation into micelles and uptake into chylomicrons into lymphatics
• Paracellular diffusion in colon

Correct Answer: Incorporation into micelles and uptake into chylomicrons into lymphatics

Q33. Which enzyme on the brush border converts trypsinogen to trypsin?

• Enterokinase (enteropeptidase)
• Pepsin
• Pancreatic amylase
• Lactase

Correct Answer: Enterokinase (enteropeptidase)

Q34. Which type of ingested substance generally leaves the stomach fastest?

• Solid fatty meal
• High-protein solid meal
• Liquids
• Complex carbohydrates

Correct Answer: Liquids

Q35. Which hormone is the major stimulus for gallbladder contraction after a meal?

• Secretin
• Gastrin
• Cholecystokinin (CCK)
• Somatostatin

Correct Answer: Cholecystokinin (CCK)

Q36. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) most commonly leads to malabsorption of which vitamin?

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin K
• Vitamin B6

Correct Answer: Vitamin B12

Q37. Cholecystokinin (CCK) has which combined actions in digestion?

• Stimulates acid secretion and inhibits pancreatic enzymes
• Stimulates gallbladder contraction and pancreatic enzyme secretion
• Inhibits gallbladder contraction and increases gastric emptying
• Stimulates bile acid synthesis in the liver directly

Correct Answer: Stimulates gallbladder contraction and pancreatic enzyme secretion

Q38. Fat malabsorption typically produces stools that are:

• Small, hard, and dark
• Pale, bulky, oily and foul-smelling (steatorrhea)
• Black and tarry only
• Watery without odor

Correct Answer: Pale, bulky, oily and foul-smelling (steatorrhea)

Q39. Which enzymes on the intestinal brush border hydrolyze dipeptides into amino acids?

• Dipeptidases
• Pancreatic amylases
• Lipases
• Maltases

Correct Answer: Dipeptidases

Q40. Vitamin B12–intrinsic factor complex is absorbed predominantly in the:

• Duodenum
• Proximal jejunum
• Terminal ileum
• Colon

Correct Answer: Terminal ileum

Q41. Which pancreatic cells are responsible for secreting bicarbonate-rich fluid?

• Acinar cells
• Ductal cells
• Islet beta cells
• Chief cells

Correct Answer: Ductal cells

Q42. Where is bile stored and concentrated between meals?

• Liver sinusoids
• Gallbladder
• Pancreatic duct
• Duodenal lumen

Correct Answer: Gallbladder

Q43. The migrating motor complex (MMC) during fasting is stimulated by which peptide?

• MOTS peptide
• Gastrin
• Motilin
• Secretin

Correct Answer: Motilin

Q44. Which enzyme hydrolyzes dietary triglycerides into monoglycerides and free fatty acids in the small intestine?

• Pancreatic lipase
• Lingual lipase only
• Gastric protease
• Amylase

Correct Answer: Pancreatic lipase

Q45. Which transporter facilitates fructose uptake across the apical membrane of enterocytes?

• GLUT2
• GLUT5
• SGLT1
• Na+/glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2)

Correct Answer: GLUT5

Q46. Pancreatic bicarbonate secretion is primarily stimulated by which hormone in response to acidic chyme?

• Cholecystokinin (CCK)
• Gastrin
• Secretin
• Enteroglucagon

Correct Answer: Secretin

Q47. Helicobacter pylori colonizes primarily which part of the stomach and is associated with peptic ulcer disease?

• Gastric fundus
• Gastric antrum
• Cardia
• Pyloric sphincter muscle only

Correct Answer: Gastric antrum

Q48. Which of the following best explains why bile salts are essential for efficient fat digestion?

• They hydrolyze triglycerides directly
• They keep pancreatic proteases active
• They emulsify lipids to increase surface area for lipase action
• They transport glucose across the brush border

Correct Answer: They emulsify lipids to increase surface area for lipase action

Q49. Paracellular absorption in the intestine refers to movement of substances:

• Through enterocytes via carrier proteins
• Between enterocytes through tight junctions
• Via endocytosis only
• Only into lymphatic lacteals

Correct Answer: Between enterocytes through tight junctions

Q50. Which brush border enzyme is essential for activating pancreatic proteases and therefore critical for protein digestion in the small intestine?

• Maltase
• Enterokinase (enteropeptidase)
• Sucrase
• Lipase

Correct Answer: Enterokinase (enteropeptidase)

G S Sachin

I am a Registered Pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, and the founder of PharmacyFreak.com. I hold a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Science and Research. With a strong academic foundation and practical knowledge, I am committed to providing accurate, easy-to-understand content to support pharmacy students and professionals. My aim is to make complex pharmaceutical concepts accessible and useful for real-world application.

Mail- Sachin@pharmacyfreak.com