ROUND 2 SPEED RACE
PRELIMINARY STAGE 2026
Contest 40
Konongo Odumase SHS: 45
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Girls’ SHS: 31
Juaben SHS: 28
Contest 41
St. Monica’s SHS: 40
Amenfiman SHS: 37
Tema Methodist Day SHS: 15
Contest 42
Accra High School: 33
Ghana SHS, Tamale: 32
Sunyani SHS: 31
QUESTION
Name the structures used by a tapeworm to attach itself to the wall of its host's intestine.
ANSWER: Hooks and suckers
EXPLANATION
The scolex (head) of a tapeworm bears four muscular suckers (acetabula) and, in "armed" species such as Taenia solium, a ring of hooks on a retractable rostellum. Together these grip the intestinal wall of the host, anchoring the worm against peristalsis while its body absorbs already-digested nutrients directly across its surface.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. To which phylum does the tapeworm belong?
ANSWER: Platyhelminthes.
2. To which class does the tapeworm belong?
ANSWER: Cestoda.
3. What is the scolex?
ANSWER: The head of the tapeworm, which bears the hooks and suckers.
4. What are proglottids?
ANSWER: The body segments of a tapeworm that contain the reproductive organs.
5. Which is the definitive host of Taenia solium?
ANSWER: Humans.
6. Which animal is the intermediate host of Taenia solium?
ANSWER: The pig.
7. How do humans become infected with Taenia solium?
ANSWER: By eating undercooked pork containing cysticerci.
8. Does a tapeworm have a digestive system?
ANSWER: No.
9. How does a tapeworm obtain its food?
ANSWER: It absorbs digested food through its body surface.
10. Is the tapeworm unisexual or hermaphrodite?
ANSWER: Hermaphrodite.
11. What is the larval stage in the meat of the intermediate host called?
ANSWER: The cysticercus (bladder worm).
12. State one way of preventing tapeworm infection.
ANSWER: Cooking meat thoroughly.