Endocrine System Practice Test 22
Endocrine System NCLEX Practice Test
Endocrine System is a key topic within the NCLEX test plan, located under Nursing Science → Clinical Foundations → Endocrine System. This section reviews hormonal regulation and nursing priorities in metabolic and endocrine disorders. Each test contains 50 questions designed to mirror the difficulty and variety of the real exam.
This is the 22nd part of the Endocrine System series. To explore all practice tests under this topic, use the “Back to Main Topic” button at the end of the page.
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Endocrine System Practice Test 22
Main function of hPL is?
- Maintain corpus luteum
- Decrease insulin sensitivity → gestational diabetes risk
- Relax uterus
- Stimulate labour
Explanation: Answer reason: It induces maternal insulin resistance and increases lipolysis, thereby raising maternal blood glucose availability. This physiologic diabetogenic effect explains the increased risk of gestational diabetes as pregnancy progresses. Maintaining the corpus luteum is primarily mediated by hCG, while uterine relaxation and labor stimulation are more associated with progesterone/relaxin and oxytocin/prostaglandins respectively.
What is the name of the hormone that regulates calcium levels in the body?
- Insulin
- Glucagon
- Parathyroid hormone
- Adrenaline
Explanation: Answer reason: Parathyroid hormone increases serum calcium by stimulating osteoclast-mediated bone resorption (indirectly via osteoblast signaling), increasing renal calcium reabsorption, and activating vitamin D to enhance gut absorption. Insulin and glucagon regulate blood glucose, not calcium. Adrenaline mediates sympathetic “fight-or-flight” responses and does not serve as the main regulator of calcium levels.
What is the name of the hormone that regulates the body's response to stress?
- Insulin
- Glucagon
- Cortisol
- Adrenaline
Explanation: Answer reason: It is released from the adrenal cortex and helps maintain stress adaptation by increasing gluconeogenesis, supporting blood pressure through permissive effects on catecholamines, and modulating inflammation and immune activity. This best matches the concept of “regulating” the body’s response to stress over time. A common distractor is adrenaline, which is more associated with the rapid, short-lived fight-or-flight response from the adrenal medulla rather than ongoing regulation.
What is the main role of the adrenal glands?
- Regulate blood sugar
- Produce stress hormones
- Filter blood
- Digest carbohydrates
Explanation: Answer reason: The adrenal medulla secretes catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine) for acute “fight-or-flight,” while the adrenal cortex produces cortisol that supports stress adaptation, metabolism, and blood pressure maintenance. Blood sugar regulation is primarily governed by pancreatic insulin and glucagon, even though cortisol can influence glucose levels. Filtering blood is a kidney function, and carbohydrate digestion is performed by gastrointestinal enzymes, not adrenal tissue.
The body temperature is maintained by?
- Estrogen
- Oxytocin
- Thyroxin
- Insulin
Explanation: Answer reason: Thyroid hormone increases cellular oxygen consumption and heat production (thermogenesis), supporting normal core temperature. In hypothyroidism, reduced metabolic activity commonly leads to cold intolerance and lower heat generation, illustrating this relationship. The other listed hormones primarily regulate reproductive functions (estrogen, oxytocin) or glucose metabolism (insulin) rather than baseline thermoregulation.
Which disease is characterized by the body's inability to regulate blood sugar (glucose) levels?
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Diabetes
- Hepatitis
Explanation: Answer reason: Glucose regulation depends primarily on adequate insulin secretion and effective insulin action to maintain normal blood sugar levels. In diabetes mellitus, insulin is deficient (type 1) and/or tissues are resistant to insulin’s effects (type 2), leading to persistent hyperglycemia and impaired glycemic control. This directly matches the stem’s description of inability to regulate blood glucose. Arthritis and asthma are inflammatory conditions of joints and airways, respectively, and do not primarily cause dysregulated blood sugar. Hepatitis affects the liver and can alter metabolism, but it is not defined by primary failure of blood glucose regulation.
Which of the following is a type of endocrine gland that produces insulin and glucagon?
- Thyroid gland
- Adrenal gland
- Pituitary gland
- Pancreas
Explanation: Answer reason: Beta cells release insulin to lower blood glucose by promoting cellular uptake and storage, while alpha cells release glucagon to raise blood glucose via glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. The pancreas is a mixed gland, with an exocrine digestive function and an endocrine function specifically responsible for these hormones. In contrast, the thyroid primarily secretes T3/T4 and calcitonin, and the adrenal and pituitary glands produce different hormone sets not responsible for insulin/glucagon secretion.
The body temperature is maintain by the ...?
- Estrogen
- Oxytocin
- Thyroxin
- Insulin
Explanation: Answer reason: Thyroid hormone increases cellular oxygen consumption and metabolic activity in most tissues, thereby increasing heat production and supporting maintenance of normal body temperature. In hypothyroidism, reduced thyroid hormone commonly leads to cold intolerance and lower heat generation, demonstrating this relationship. Estrogen, oxytocin, and insulin have important reproductive or metabolic roles but are not primary regulators of overall heat production via basal metabolism.
Which hormone is control blood sugar?
- Insuline
- Oxytocin
- ADH
- Leptin
Explanation: Answer reason: This option fits because insulin from pancreatic beta cells lowers blood sugar by promoting glucose uptake in muscle and adipose tissue and increasing glycogen synthesis while suppressing gluconeogenesis. In contrast, oxytocin is mainly involved in uterine contraction and milk ejection, and ADH primarily regulates water balance and serum osmolality. Leptin is a satiety hormone influencing appetite and energy expenditure rather than directly controlling blood glucose concentration.
Androgens are a group of?
- Carbohydrates
- Enzymes
- Male sex hormones
- Red blood cells
Explanation: Answer reason: Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone are the principal examples, produced mainly by the testes (and in smaller amounts by the adrenal glands and ovaries). Their physiologic actions occur through intracellular androgen receptors that regulate gene transcription, which is characteristic of endocrine hormones rather than enzymes or nutrients. Red blood cells are cellular blood components, and carbohydrates are macronutrients, so neither fits the definition of androgens.
The hormone responsible for maintenance of pregnancy is-?
- Estrogen
- Progesterone
- HCG
- Human placental lactogen
Explanation: Answer reason: Early in pregnancy it is produced by the corpus luteum, and after the luteal–placental shift the placenta becomes the main source, continuing this supportive effect. Loss or inadequate levels can lead to endometrial instability and increased uterine activity, raising miscarriage risk. In contrast, hCG primarily serves to “rescue” the corpus luteum so it can keep producing progesterone, rather than directly maintaining pregnancy long-term. Estrogen and human placental lactogen have important roles in uterine growth and maternal metabolic adaptations, but they are not the primary hormone preventing pregnancy loss.
Which of the following are a result of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion?
- Potassium excretion and water reabsorption
- Urine dilution
- Sodium and water reabsorption
- Urine concentration
Explanation: Answer reason: This reduces urine volume and raises urine osmolality, producing more concentrated urine. Urine dilution occurs when ADH is low or absent, so that water is not reabsorbed in the collecting ducts. Sodium reabsorption is primarily regulated by aldosterone rather than ADH, making that option less directly tied to the core physiologic effect being tested.
What is the name of the hormone that is responsible for triggering the fight or flight response?
- Adrenaline
- Cortisol
- Thyroxine
- Insulin
Explanation: Answer reason: This produces immediate physiologic changes such as increased heart rate and contractility, bronchodilation, pupillary dilation, and mobilization of glucose for quick energy. Cortisol supports a more prolonged stress response by altering metabolism and immune activity, but its onset is slower and not the primary immediate trigger. Thyroxine regulates baseline metabolic rate and growth, and insulin primarily lowers blood glucose, so neither drives the acute stress surge.
Which hormone regulates blood sugar levels in the human body?
- Insulin
- Thyroxine
- Adrenaline
- Glucagon
Explanation: Answer reason: When blood glucose rises after eating, pancreatic beta cells release insulin to prevent hyperglycemia. In contrast, glucagon mainly raises blood glucose during fasting by stimulating glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. Thyroxine affects basal metabolic rate, and adrenaline can acutely increase glucose during stress, but neither is the principal regulator of day-to-day glucose homeostasis.
What is the primary cause of hyperparathyroidism?
- Parathyroid adenoma
- Thyroid carcinoma
- Adrenal hyperplasia
- Chronic kidney disease
Explanation: Answer reason: This leads to increased bone resorption, renal calcium reabsorption, and increased calcitriol activation, producing hypercalcemia. Chronic kidney disease is a classic cause of secondary hyperparathyroidism via hyperphosphatemia and low calcitriol, not the primary form asked here. Thyroid carcinoma and adrenal hyperplasia do not directly produce parathyroid hormone excess.
What is the main function of the thyroid gland?
- Regulate metabolism
- Control blood pressure
- Produce insulin
- Maintain bone density
Explanation: Answer reason: This is the thyroid gland’s primary physiologic role and explains classic hyperthyroid (weight loss, heat intolerance) and hypothyroid (weight gain, cold intolerance) patterns. Blood pressure can be influenced indirectly via metabolic and adrenergic effects, but it is not the gland’s main function. Insulin production is a pancreatic beta-cell function, and bone density is primarily regulated by calcium/phosphate balance and other hormones (with thyroid calcitonin playing only a minor role clinically).
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