I have a question about a practice test!! Why is the correct answer D? I chose C but I don't know the difference between absorb and consume.

Question

Cellular slime molds are extraordinary life forms that exhibit features of both fungi and protozoa, although often classed for convenience with fungi. At one time they were regarded as organisms of ambiguous taxonomic status, but more recent analysis of DNA sequences has shown that slime molds should be regarded as inhabiting their own separate kingdom. Their uniqueness lies in their unusual life cycle, which alternates between a feeding stage in which the organism is essentially unicellular and a reproductive stage in which the organism adopts a multicellular structure. At the first stage they are free-living, separate amoebae, usually inhabiting the forest floor and ingesting bacteria found in rotting wood, dung, or damp soil. But their food supplies are relatively easily exhausted since the cells' movements are restricted and their food requirements rather large.

 

The word "ingesting" in the passage is closest in meaning to

 

A. chewing

B. catching

C. absorbing

D. consuming

Answer 1

Hi Saori;

By definition, ingesting means to take in without using pores.  Absorption is a distinct concept which occurs by pores interacting with the nutrition.

 

Consider the fact that when you apply skin creams, you do not ingest these.  Rather you absorb these.

Answer 2

Hi Saori,

 

   Slime molds form pseudopodia, these are arm like extensions of the cell that surround a bacterium and eventually join forming a vacuole. The slime mold  forms a vacuole in the cell that contains the bacterium; one can consider that as mouth of the slime mold. However, bacterium does not come in contact with the cell wall and therefore, it is not "absorbed" but it is first "ingested" by the cellular pseudopodia and then it is "consumed" by the cell enzymes for the nutrition of the slime mold. This is why  "D" is correct and "C" is not. Slime molds do not have teeth and mouth they cannot chew and catch and therefore, "A" and "B" are incorrect.

 

Hope this is clear and helpful.