Human Body Series
Endocrine System
Quiz Answer Key
1. List five functions of the endocrine system:
Any five of the following: regulating mood, growth and development; tissue function; the fight or flight response;
metabolism; blood glucose levels; sexual function and reproductive processes.
2. I n general, the endocrine system is in charge of body processes that happen slowly, such as cell growth. Faster processes like
breathing and body movement are controlled by the nervous system .
3. The brain contains these three glands: pituitary gland, hypothalamus , pineal gland (or pineal body) .
4. Hormones are chemical messengers that transfer information and instructions from one set of
cells to another.
5. Once a hormone is secreted, it travels from the endocrine gland that produced it through the bloodstream to the cells
designed to receive its message. These cells are called target cells .
6. The pancreas produces two important hormones, insulin and glucagon .
7. If the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, the result is diabetes .
8. Parathyroid hormone controls the level of calcium in the blood.
9. The thyroid gland is involved in metabolism , the process by which the fuel in the food we eat is converted into
cellular energy.
10. When hormone levels reach a certain normal amount in the blood, the endocrine system has a built-in turnoff process. It is
called negative feedback system .
11. Endocrine glands release more than 20 major hormones directly into the bloodstream.
12. The pineal gland secretes melatonin .
13. If the pituitary glands release hormones that stimulate the gonads to produce sex hormones too early, some kids may
experience precocious puberty and begin to go through puberty at a very young age.
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