Practice quiz · by a Quizcard user
Anatomy and Physiology: Endocrine System and Hormones — quiz
20 multiple-choice questions covering Fundamentals, Hormone Mechanisms, Hypothalamus-Pituitary Axis, Feedback Loops, Thyroid & Parathyroid. One answer each; you get a score at the end and the explanation for every question. No account needed.
Updated 2026-11-03. Keys 1–4 pick an answer, Enter moves on. Redo it any time, in order or shuffled.
The questions
Answers and explanations are shown after you finish.
- Fundamentals
A molecule is secreted into the bloodstream by a gland and travels to distant organs to produce effects, rather than being released through a duct onto a nearby surface. This describes secretion via which system?
- Exocrine system
- Paracrine signaling
- Autocrine signaling
- Endocrine system
- Fundamentals
Which three chemical classes include essentially all hormones in the body?
- Peptide, steroid, and amine hormones
- Peptide, lipid, and nucleic acid hormones
- Steroid, amine, and carbohydrate hormones
- Protein, lipid, and carbohydrate hormones
- Hormone Mechanisms
Insulin cannot diffuse through the plasma membrane of its target cells. Based on this property, how does insulin most likely trigger a response inside the cell?
- It diffuses into the cytoplasm and binds a nuclear receptor
- It binds a surface receptor, activating a second-messenger cascade
- It binds an intracellular receptor after being carried in by a transport protein
- It directly alters DNA transcription without a receptor
- Hormone Mechanisms
Thyroid hormone (T3/T4) and epinephrine are both derived from the amino acid tyrosine, yet they act on target cells very differently. Why?
- Both bind only surface receptors but use different second messengers
- T3/T4 is lipid-soluble and binds nuclear receptors like steroids, while epinephrine is water-soluble and binds surface receptors like peptides
- Both diffuse into the nucleus but affect different genes
- Epinephrine is lipid-soluble and enters the nucleus, while T3/T4 binds surface receptors
- Hypothalamus-Pituitary Axis
Why do anterior pituitary hormones require hypothalamic releasing hormones to be secreted, while posterior pituitary hormone release does not depend on separately released releasing hormones?
- The anterior pituitary is connected to the hypothalamus via direct axons needing no releasing hormones
- Both glands use the same portal blood system, but posterior hormones bypass receptors
- The anterior pituitary is linked to the hypothalamus by a portal blood system requiring chemical signals, whereas posterior pituitary hormones are made in the hypothalamus and simply travel down axons for release
- The posterior pituitary makes its own hormones independent of any hypothalamic input
- Hypothalamus-Pituitary Axis
A student lists hormones made by the anterior pituitary. Which hormone does NOT belong on this list?
- Oxytocin
- Adrenocorticotropic hormone
- Prolactin
- Thyroid-stimulating hormone
- Hypothalamus-Pituitary Axis
Unlike most anterior pituitary hormones, prolactin secretion is primarily controlled by which type of hypothalamic signal?
- Stimulation by TRH
- Inhibition by somatostatin
- Stimulation by GHRH
- Tonic inhibition by dopamine
- Feedback Loops
After a stressful event, cortisol levels rise in the blood. This rise directly suppresses which two hypothalamic/pituitary hormones through negative feedback?
- GHRH and GH
- GnRH and LH
- CRH and ACTH
- TRH and TSH
- Feedback Loops
Which hormonal event is an example of positive feedback rather than negative feedback?
- Rising aldosterone suppressing renin release
- Rising estrogen before ovulation triggering a surge in LH
- Rising T4 suppressing TSH release
- Rising cortisol suppressing ACTH release
- Thyroid & Parathyroid
A patient with abnormally low T3/T4 would most likely show which of the following?
- Increased basal metabolic rate and heat intolerance
- Decreased basal metabolic rate and cold intolerance
- Elevated blood calcium
- Decreased blood calcium
- Thyroid & Parathyroid
Serum calcium drops below normal. Which hormonal response would correct this, and from where is it released?
- Calcitonin release from parafollicular cells, inhibiting osteoclasts
- Calcitonin release from the parathyroid glands, stimulating bone deposition
- PTH release from the parathyroid glands, stimulating bone resorption
- PTH release from thyroid follicular cells, increasing renal calcium excretion
- Adrenal Glands
Using the 'salt, sugar, sex' mnemonic for adrenal cortex zones, which zone secretes cortisol?
- Zona fasciculata
- Zona glomerulosa
- Adrenal medulla
- Zona reticularis
- Adrenal Glands
A clinician wants to screen for adrenal insufficiency using a blood cortisol level. At what time of day should the sample normally show the highest cortisol concentration?
- Midday
- Midnight
- Early morning around waking
- Early afternoon
- Pancreas
After a high-carbohydrate meal, blood glucose rises sharply. Which pancreatic hormone response would you expect, and what is its source cell?
- Increased somatostatin from delta cells, raising blood glucose
- Increased insulin from beta cells, promoting glucose uptake into cells
- Increased glucagon from alpha cells, promoting glycogenolysis
- Decreased insulin from beta cells, to prevent hypoglycemia
- Gonads & Pineal
Secretion of which hormone increases in darkness and helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle?
- Cortisol
- Testosterone
- Oxytocin
- Melatonin
- Stress Response
During the first few seconds of a sudden fright, which pathway is primarily responsible for the immediate release of epinephrine?
- Sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) axis
- HPG axis
- HPA axis
- HPT axis
- Disorders
A patient presents with central obesity, a rounded face, thinning skin with purple stretch marks, and elevated blood glucose. These findings are most consistent with excess of which hormone?
- Aldosterone
- Growth hormone
- Antidiuretic hormone
- Cortisol
- Disorders
A patient with primary adrenal insufficiency shows hyperpigmentation of the skin. What is the physiological explanation for this finding?
- Low cortisol removes negative feedback, raising ACTH (and POMC), which stimulates melanocytes
- Excess cortisol directly stimulates melanin production
- Low aldosterone causes direct skin darkening
- High ADH levels stimulate melanocyte receptors
- Disorders
A patient has weight loss, tachycardia, heat intolerance, and bulging eyes. This presentation is characteristic of which condition, and what is the underlying antibody target?
- Cushing syndrome, antibodies against cortisol receptors
- Addison's disease, antibodies against adrenal cortex
- Graves' disease, antibodies stimulating the TSH receptor
- Hashimoto's thyroiditis, antibodies destroying thyroid tissue
- Disorders
Two patients both have abnormal ADH activity. Patient A produces large volumes of dilute urine and is dehydrated; Patient B retains water and develops dilutional hyponatremia. Which diagnoses match these patients respectively?
- Patient A: diabetes mellitus; Patient B: Addison's disease
- Patient A: diabetes insipidus (ADH deficiency/resistance); Patient B: SIADH (ADH excess)
- Patient A: Addison's disease; Patient B: Cushing syndrome
- Patient A: SIADH; Patient B: diabetes insipidus
Try it with your own material
Paste notes, upload a PDF, or pick any of your decks and Quizcard writes a quiz with explanations in about a minute. Quizzes from your own decks are free.