What is the food passage from the pharynx to the stomach?

• A. Trachea
• B. Duodenum
• C. Esophagus
• D. Cecum

Answer: (C)

Food traveling from the pharynx to the stomach goes through the esophagus, a muscular tube in the digestive tract. Swallowing moves the bolus into the esophagus via the upper esophageal sphincter, and then wave-like peristaltic contractions push it downward until it enters the stomach through the lower esophageal (cardiac) sphincter. The other structures don’t serve as the direct passage for swallowed food: the trachea is an airway for air, not food; the duodenum is the first part of the small intestine after the stomach; and the cecum is part of the large intestine.