Select the antonym (word most opposite in meaning) of "ingestion".

Introduction / Context:
This vocabulary question focuses on words related to bodily processes. "Ingestion" is a technical and everyday term used in biology and health sciences to describe taking substances, usually food or drink, into the body. To find the antonym, you need to identify the process that most directly contrasts with taking in, namely the process of expelling waste from the body. The options include several informal synonyms for swallowing and one that clearly refers to an opposite function.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Target word: "ingestion".
• Options: gulp, slug, excrete, chug and swallow.
• We assume basic biological meanings and everyday usage.
• Ingestion refers to taking in, most often through the mouth, as the first stage of digestion.

Concept / Approach:
In biology, ingestion is the act of taking food, drink or other substances into the body, usually through the mouth. The opposite process would involve the body getting rid of waste material, such as through defecation or urination. The verb "to excrete" means to separate and expel waste matter from the body. The other options, such as "gulp", "slug", "chug" and "swallow", all describe different ways of ingesting or drinking, not the opposite of ingestion. Therefore, "excrete" is the correct antonym.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Define "ingestion": the process of taking food, drink or other substances into the body.Step 2: Ask what the opposite process would be. If ingestion is taking in, the opposite is giving out or eliminating substances from the body.Step 3: Examine option C, "excrete". It means to separate and expel waste from the body, such as through urine or faeces. This clearly represents an outward process opposite to taking in.Step 4: Examine option A, "gulp". It means to swallow food or drink quickly, which is just a particular way of ingesting.Step 5: Examine option B, "slug". As a verb in informal speech, it can mean to drink something in a big swallow, also a form of ingestion.Step 6: Examine option D, "chug". This is another informal verb for drinking something quickly and in large amounts.Step 7: Examine option E, "swallow", which is literally the act of causing food or drink to pass from the mouth into the stomach. All of these are related to ingestion, not opposites. Thus, "excrete" is the correct antonym.

Verification / Alternative check:
Consider a simple life process: eating, digesting and then removing waste. The stages are ingestion, digestion, absorption and excretion. In school biology, ingestion and excretion are often taught as roughly opposite ends of this cycle: taking in and throwing out. If a textbook defined ingestion as "taking in food", it would likely define excretion as "removal of waste products from the body". By contrast, gulping and chugging are just special types of ingestion behaviour. This systematic view confirms that "excrete" is the correct opposite of "ingest".

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Gulp: A way of swallowing quickly; it describes how ingestion happens, not its opposite.
• Slug: Informal term for drinking or swallowing; again, a form of ingestion.
• Chug: To drink deeply and quickly; another ingestion related verb.
• Swallow: The basic act that produces ingestion; it is almost equivalent rather than opposite.

Common Pitfalls:
Because many options are related to eating and drinking, some candidates may confuse "similar to" with "opposite of". Always read the question carefully: if it asks for an antonym, you must look for the word that contradicts or reverses the basic meaning. Another pitfall is being drawn to familiar everyday words and ignoring more technical but precise ones like "excrete". In science related vocabulary, technical terms often provide the exact contrasts being tested.

Final Answer:
The antonym of "ingestion" is excrete (or, in noun form, "excretion").