2/7/09
Question 1
HORMONES
EX 9.1
Question 1a
i)  What happened at the end of the first hour to cause the
changes shown on a graph?
  There was an increase in blood glucose level at the end of the
first hour due to intake of carbohydrates in a meal;
  ii) What type of sugar is ‘blood sugar’?
  Glucose;
iii) Why was the concentration of blood sugar slowly falling during the
first hour?
  The blood sugar (glucose) could be converted to glycogen for
storage in the liver and muscles;
  The tissue cells could also be oxidizing glucose to produce energy
during tissue respiration;
Question 2
a) What is a hormone?
 Hormones are chemical substances produced by the
endocrine glands of plants or animals;
 They are passed directly into the bloodstream and gets carried
to the target organs to exert a profound effect;
 Each hormone can alter the activity of one or more specific
target organs and is then destroyed by the liver.
 The Figure below is a graph which shows how the concentration of
blood sugar and the concentration of a certain hormone in the
blood changed over a period of 5 hours.
Question 1
(b)  Name the hormone.
Insulin;
(b)  Explain why the two curves are similar in shape.
  The secretion of insulin is triggered by an increase in blood sugar
concentration. Therefore, the hormone curve follows the blood
sugar curve closely;
  More insulin is released when there is an a high blood sugar
concentration;
  The effect of insulin is to lower down the blood sugar concentration
by increasing uptake of glucose into adipose and muscle cells and
converting excess glucose to glycogen in the liver and muscle
cells;
  Once it is brought down, less insulin is secreted, and the insulin
present in the blood stream is destroyed by the liver;
Question 2b
 Nerves and hormones are both used to control
processes within body. Using reflex action illustrated
by your eyes and the regulation of blood sugar by
insulin as examples to show how nervous and
hormonal controls
i) Resemble each other
 Both require receptors to detect stimuli;
 Both involve conduction of messages and are
involuntary;
 Both bring about response that is beneficial for the
body (protection / homeostasis);
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 2/7/09

Question 2bii)
Question 2b
 Differ from one another
*For example:

 When bright light (stimulus) reaches the eye, photoreceptors on

retina (receptors) sense it, impulses are sent to the reflex centre
of the brain via the sensory neurone of the optic nerve.
Impulses are then sent to the iris muscles, causing a reduction in
the size of the pupil (response); (need not describe the whole
process of a reflex action here.)

 After an intake of sugary food, there is an increase of blood

glucose level (stimulus) after digestion & absorption, cells in the
pancreas (receptor) sense an increase in the concentration of
blood, messages are sent to the Islet of Langerhan to secrete
insulin (response), to help us bring down the sugar content in
the blood;