QUIZ TEST BANK PRACTICE SOLUTION SET
2026 ALREADY PASSED
◉ What hormones are attributed to Hypothalamic-pituitary-GONADAL
(HPG) axis? Answer: 1. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), also
called luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH)
2. Luteinizing hormone (LH)
3. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
4. Estrogen
5. Testosterone
◉ What hormones are attributed to Hypothalamic-pituitary-ADRENAL
axis (HPA)? Answer: 1. Adrenocorticotropic hormone
2. Dehydroepiandrosterone (ACTH)
3. DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S)
◉ What hormones are attributed to Growth hormone (GH)?axis Answer:
1. Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)
2. Growth hormone (GH)
3. Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs)
,◉ What is thought to be three distinct changes in the hypothalamic-
pituitary unit that may trigger puberty? Answer: three distinct changes in
the hypothalamic-pituitary unit:
(1) a nocturnal sleep-related augmentation of pulsatile LH secretion;
(2) a decrease in the sensitivity of the hypothalamus and the pituitary to
estradiol and testosterone, so that the gonadotropins LH and FSH begin
to increase; and
(3) in the female, development of a positive feedback system, whereby
critical levels of estrogen trigger a large release of GnRH, stimulating
LH to initiate ovulation.
◉ What scale allows for the accurate classification of physical pubertal
maturation Answer: Sexual Maturity Rating (SMR) scale (also called the
Tanner scale)
◉ Girls major events of puberty Answer: 1. Thelarche
2. Growth Spurt
3. Menarche
◉ Thelarche Answer: Often the earliest physical sign of puberty in girls,
although a minority develop pubic hair as the first sign. On average,
breast development starts at age 10.0 for Caucasian girls and 8.9 years
for African-American girls
,◉ Growth Spurt Answer: Thelarche and pubarche (pubic hair) may both
be preceded by about 1 year by the growth spurt; thus the growth curve
is an essential tool in the evaluation of precocious puberty.
◉ Menarche Answer: This event usually occurs during SMR B3 or B4
and about 3.3 years after the growth spurt, or roughly 2 years after breast
budding.
◉ What is the average length of time for completion of puberty ?
Answer: 4 years, but it can range from 1.5 to 8 years
◉ What is the first physical sign of puberty in the majority of boys ?
Answer: Testicular Growth: The first physical sign of puberty in the
majority of boys is increased testicular volume, although the most
noticeable first event of male puberty is the growth of pubic hair
◉ What are other signs of male puberty? Answer: 2. Growth Spurt:
Midpuberty, or the time of rising testosterone concentrations, is
associated with the period of most rapid linear growth in boys, in
contrast to the early growth spurt in girls. It is also at this time that the
voice changes axillary hair appears, and possibly also acne. Facial hair
growth typically starts about 3 years after pubic hair growth. The hair on
the face, chest, back, and abdomen may continue to appear throughout
and beyond puberty into adulthood, its amount and distribution being
quite variable and dependent on ethnicity and family patterns.
, 3. Attainment of Fertility: Ejaculation usually occurs at SMR G3, as
does the first evidence of spermarche, but fertility is not usually attained
until SMR G4.
◉ What is the average length of time for completion of puberty for
boys? Answer: average length of time for the completion of puberty is 3
years, but it can range from 2 to 5 years.
Genital development is initiated at about 10.1 years for white boys, 9.5
years for African-American boys, and 10.4 years for Mexican-American
boys, with completion of puberty at 15.9 years in white boys, 15.7 years
in African-American boys, and 14.9 years in Mexican-American boys.
◉ Gonadal Steroids Answer: The target tissues of LH and FSH are the
ovaries and testes, which produce estradiol and testosterone,
respectively. Testicular Leydig cells also produce androstenedione,
dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol, but to a much lesser extent.
◉ Estrogen. Answer: Estradiol from the ovary accounts for the majority
of the circulating estrogens, although there is a small amount of
extraovarian conversion from androstenedione and testosterone. In
addition to stimulating breast growth and maturation of the vaginal
mucosa, estrogen has been found to have a major impact on the skeleton,
being the primary hormone responsible for epiphyseal closure.
◉ Testosterone. Answer: The testes produce most of the circulating
testosterone, but a small amount comes from extratesticular conversion
of the adrenal hormone androstenedione in both males and females.