How hormones act on target cells — practice questions

Question 1 · difficulty L1 · recall

Steroid hormones commonly act through:

• A. DNA replication without receptors
• B. cell-wall receptors only
• C. ribosomes as surface receptors
• D. intracellular receptors regulating gene expression

Question 2 · difficulty L1 · recall

What makes a cell a target cell for a particular hormone?

• A. It possesses receptors specific to that hormone
• B. It is physically closest to the endocrine gland
• C. It contains more mitochondria than other cells
• D. It is always supplied by a separate artery

Question 3 · difficulty L2 · understanding

Why can a peptide hormone usually not act by directly binding DNA inside the nucleus?

• A. It contains no chemical bonds
• B. It generally cannot cross the lipid bilayer freely and acts through membrane receptors
• C. It is destroyed by every target cell
• D. It can act only on red blood cells

Question 4 · difficulty L2 · understanding

Which receptor location is most typical for steroid hormones?

• A. Inside the blood plasma
• B. Only on the outer cell wall
• C. Inside the target cell
• D. Only on red blood cells

Question 5 · difficulty L3 · application

A hormone reaches two tissues through the bloodstream, but only tissue X responds. Tissue Y is otherwise healthy. What best explains the difference?

• A. Hormones can act on only one tissue in the entire body
• B. Only tissue X receives blood
• C. Tissue Y contains no proteins
• D. Tissue X has the appropriate hormone receptor and tissue Y does not

Question 6 · difficulty L3 · application

A membrane-bound hormone receptor is activated and causes formation of an intracellular second messenger. What is the second messenger's main role?

• A. To relay and amplify the signal inside the cell
• B. To transport the hormone through blood
• C. To digest the receptor
• D. To convert the target cell into an endocrine gland

Question 7 · difficulty L3 · application

A steroid hormone enters a target cell and binds its receptor. Which downstream event is most consistent with this mechanism?

• A. Direct breakdown of extracellular collagen
• B. Immediate filtration of blood at the glomerulus
• C. Release of neurotransmitter from every synapse
• D. Regulation of transcription of specific genes

Question 8 · difficulty L4 · analysis

Cell P responds to a water-soluble hormone through a membrane receptor, while cell Q responds to a lipid-soluble hormone through an intracellular receptor. Which distinction is most appropriate?

• A. P must always respond more slowly than Q
• B. P commonly uses intracellular signalling intermediates; Q can directly alter gene expression through its receptor complex
• C. Q cannot influence protein synthesis
• D. Both hormones must use identical receptors

Question 9 · difficulty L5 · analysis

A mutation removes a target cell's receptor for a circulating hormone, but hormone concentration remains normal. What is the most likely result?

• A. All other hormones stop acting
• B. The hormone is no longer secreted by its gland
• C. The cell becomes poorly responsive to that hormone despite normal hormone availability
• D. The target cell automatically makes a replacement endocrine gland