APHY 102 Midterm Exam Study Guide - Complete
Questions with Answers & Detailed Rationales - Ivy Tech
Online | Latest Test (Updated 2026/2027) | Graded A+
Question 1
What is a hormone and how does it act?
Answer: Hormones are chemical messengers that are responsible for regulation. They
are secreted into body fluids, mainly blood and have specific actions on target tissues.
✔✔
Rationale: Hormones are chemical messengers secreted by endocrine glands into the
bloodstream. They travel to target tissues where specific receptors bind the hormone,
initiating a cellular response. This is the fundamental mechanism of endocrine
signaling.
Question 2
What is the role of negative feedback in control of hormone secretions?
Answer: A stimulus elicits the release of a substance; once the substance reaches a
certain level, it sends a signal that stops further release of the substance. ✔✔
Rationale: Negative feedback is the primary mechanism for maintaining hormone
levels within a normal range. When a hormone reaches a certain concentration, it
inhibits further secretion of that hormone or its releasing hormones, preventing
excessive production.
Question 3
Paracrine glands:
Answer: Hormones enter the interstitial fluid but affect only neighboring cells ✔✔
Rationale: Paracrine signaling involves chemical messengers that act on nearby cells,
not requiring transport through the bloodstream. This is a local communication method
distinct from endocrine signaling.
pg. 1
,Question 4
Autocrine glands:
Answer: Affect only the secreting cell ✔✔
Rationale: Autocrine signaling occurs when a cell secretes a chemical messenger that
binds to receptors on its own surface, affecting the cell that produced it. This is a self-
regulating mechanism.
Question 5
Endocrine glands:
Answer: Hormones are secreted from the interstitial fluid into the bloodstream and act
on target cells ✔✔
Rationale: Endocrine glands are ductless glands that release hormones directly into
the bloodstream for transport to distant target cells throughout the body.
Question 6
Exocrine glands:
Answer: Secrete chemical substances into ducts that lead either to other organs or out
of the body ✔✔
Rationale: Exocrine glands have ducts that carry their secretions to epithelial surfaces
or into body cavities. Examples include sweat glands, salivary glands, and digestive
glands.
Question 7
Where can the different endocrine glands be found in the body?
Answer: Brain: Pineal, pituitary and hypothalamus. Neck: Thyroid and parathyroid.
Between the lungs: Thymus. Behind the stomach: Pancreas. On top of the kidneys:
Adrenal glands. Abdomen: Ovary. Scrotum: Testes. ✔✔
Rationale: Endocrine glands are distributed throughout the body. Each gland has a
specific location and produces specific hormones that regulate various bodily functions.
Question 8
pg. 2
, Describe steroid hormones and their mechanism of action:
Answer: Steroid hormones are lipid-soluble and diffuse through cell membranes into
the cytoplasm or nucleus. They combine with receptor molecules, bind to DNA, promote
transcription of mRNA, and direct protein synthesis. ✔✔
Rationale: Steroid hormones (derived from cholesterol) can cross the plasma
membrane due to their lipid solubility. They bind to intracellular receptors, forming a
hormone-receptor complex that acts as a transcription factor, directly influencing gene
expression and protein synthesis.
Question 9
Describe non-steroid hormones and their mechanism of action:
Answer: Non-steroid hormones bind to receptor sites on the membrane of target cells,
activating G proteins. This triggers cellular changes through signal transduction
pathways, producing the hormone's effects without entering the cell. ✔✔
Rationale: Non-steroid hormones (amines, proteins, peptides) are water-soluble and
cannot cross the cell membrane. They bind to membrane receptors, activating signal
transduction pathways (often through G proteins) that generate second messengers to
produce cellular effects.
Question 10
How is the anterior pituitary gland different than the posterior pituitary gland?
Answer: The anterior pituitary produces and secretes its own hormones (tropic
hormones). The posterior pituitary stores and releases hormones produced by the
hypothalamus (ADH and oxytocin). ✔✔
Rationale: The anterior pituitary (adenohypophysis) is a true endocrine gland that
produces and secretes its own hormones. The posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis) is
an extension of the hypothalamus that stores and releases hypothalamic hormones.
Question 11
What regulates pituitary gland secretion?
Answer: The hypothalamus ✔✔
pg. 3
Questions with Answers & Detailed Rationales - Ivy Tech
Online | Latest Test (Updated 2026/2027) | Graded A+
Question 1
What is a hormone and how does it act?
Answer: Hormones are chemical messengers that are responsible for regulation. They
are secreted into body fluids, mainly blood and have specific actions on target tissues.
✔✔
Rationale: Hormones are chemical messengers secreted by endocrine glands into the
bloodstream. They travel to target tissues where specific receptors bind the hormone,
initiating a cellular response. This is the fundamental mechanism of endocrine
signaling.
Question 2
What is the role of negative feedback in control of hormone secretions?
Answer: A stimulus elicits the release of a substance; once the substance reaches a
certain level, it sends a signal that stops further release of the substance. ✔✔
Rationale: Negative feedback is the primary mechanism for maintaining hormone
levels within a normal range. When a hormone reaches a certain concentration, it
inhibits further secretion of that hormone or its releasing hormones, preventing
excessive production.
Question 3
Paracrine glands:
Answer: Hormones enter the interstitial fluid but affect only neighboring cells ✔✔
Rationale: Paracrine signaling involves chemical messengers that act on nearby cells,
not requiring transport through the bloodstream. This is a local communication method
distinct from endocrine signaling.
pg. 1
,Question 4
Autocrine glands:
Answer: Affect only the secreting cell ✔✔
Rationale: Autocrine signaling occurs when a cell secretes a chemical messenger that
binds to receptors on its own surface, affecting the cell that produced it. This is a self-
regulating mechanism.
Question 5
Endocrine glands:
Answer: Hormones are secreted from the interstitial fluid into the bloodstream and act
on target cells ✔✔
Rationale: Endocrine glands are ductless glands that release hormones directly into
the bloodstream for transport to distant target cells throughout the body.
Question 6
Exocrine glands:
Answer: Secrete chemical substances into ducts that lead either to other organs or out
of the body ✔✔
Rationale: Exocrine glands have ducts that carry their secretions to epithelial surfaces
or into body cavities. Examples include sweat glands, salivary glands, and digestive
glands.
Question 7
Where can the different endocrine glands be found in the body?
Answer: Brain: Pineal, pituitary and hypothalamus. Neck: Thyroid and parathyroid.
Between the lungs: Thymus. Behind the stomach: Pancreas. On top of the kidneys:
Adrenal glands. Abdomen: Ovary. Scrotum: Testes. ✔✔
Rationale: Endocrine glands are distributed throughout the body. Each gland has a
specific location and produces specific hormones that regulate various bodily functions.
Question 8
pg. 2
, Describe steroid hormones and their mechanism of action:
Answer: Steroid hormones are lipid-soluble and diffuse through cell membranes into
the cytoplasm or nucleus. They combine with receptor molecules, bind to DNA, promote
transcription of mRNA, and direct protein synthesis. ✔✔
Rationale: Steroid hormones (derived from cholesterol) can cross the plasma
membrane due to their lipid solubility. They bind to intracellular receptors, forming a
hormone-receptor complex that acts as a transcription factor, directly influencing gene
expression and protein synthesis.
Question 9
Describe non-steroid hormones and their mechanism of action:
Answer: Non-steroid hormones bind to receptor sites on the membrane of target cells,
activating G proteins. This triggers cellular changes through signal transduction
pathways, producing the hormone's effects without entering the cell. ✔✔
Rationale: Non-steroid hormones (amines, proteins, peptides) are water-soluble and
cannot cross the cell membrane. They bind to membrane receptors, activating signal
transduction pathways (often through G proteins) that generate second messengers to
produce cellular effects.
Question 10
How is the anterior pituitary gland different than the posterior pituitary gland?
Answer: The anterior pituitary produces and secretes its own hormones (tropic
hormones). The posterior pituitary stores and releases hormones produced by the
hypothalamus (ADH and oxytocin). ✔✔
Rationale: The anterior pituitary (adenohypophysis) is a true endocrine gland that
produces and secretes its own hormones. The posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis) is
an extension of the hypothalamus that stores and releases hypothalamic hormones.
Question 11
What regulates pituitary gland secretion?
Answer: The hypothalamus ✔✔
pg. 3
