Worksheet: The Jaws

I. Match the synonyms: to shear, hollow, to swing, to grasp, extraction, immovable, to crush

1. immobile, motionless, stationary =

2. empty, sunken, depressed, cupped =
3. eradication, taking out, pulling =
4. to seize, to hold, to grip =
5. to cut, to clip, to trim, to prune =
6. to sway, to oscillate =
7. to press, to squeeze, to pound

II. Match the words with their definitions:

temporo-mandibular joint, coronoid process, hard palate, ramus, condyle, foramen, mandible,
antrum, maxilla

1. ……………………………. Either of a pair of bones of the human skull fusing in the midline and
forming the upper jaw.
2. ……………………………. The lower jaw of a vertebrate animal. 3.
…………………………….. The anterior bony portion of the roof of the mouth, extending backwards
to the soft palate. 4.
……………………………… Either of the sinuses in the bones of the upper jaw, opening into the nasal
cavity.
5. ……………………………… A bony process extending like a branch from a larger bone, especially
the ascending part of the lower jaw that makes a joint at the temple. 6.
………………………………. A sharp triangular process projecting from a bone. 7.
……………………………….. A rounded prominence at the end of a bone, most often for articulation
with another bone. 8.
………………………………. The joint that facilitates mandibular movement, located between the head
of the mandible and the temporal bone. 9.
……………………………….. A natural hole, esp one in a bone through which nerves and blood

vessels pass.

III. True/False:

1. Maxilla is movable.
2. Maxillary sinus is hollow.
3. The hard palate is part of the mandible.
4. Mandible is shaped like a horseshoe.
5. There are threee projections on top of the ramus.
6. The muscles of mastication are attached to the ramus.

IV. Fill in the gaps with the missing words:

Ground, stomach, warmer, cheek, break down, bolus, chewing, softer, positioned, esophagus, digestion,
crushed, tongue.

Mastication or (1).................................. is the process by which food is (2)............................ and (3)........................... by

teeth. It is the first step of (4).................................. and it increases the surface area of foods to allow more efficient
(5)......................... by enzymes. During the mastication process, the food is (6).................................... between the teeth
for grinding by the (7).......................... and (8)................................ As chewing continues, the food is made
(9).......................... and (10).........................., and the enzymes in saliva begin to break down carbohydrates in the
food. After chewing, the food called a (11).................................... is swallowed. It enters the (12).......................... and
via peristalsis continues on to the (13).............................., where the next step of digestion occurs.