Pituitary & Hypothalamus — NEET Biology MCQs with Solutions
Free NEET Biology Pituitary & Hypothalamus MCQs with step-by-step solutions (60 questions). Part of Chemical Coordination and Integration. Practise online on Prepizo — no login needed.
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Questions with solutions
Q1 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · easy · theory
The gland often called the "master gland" because it controls many other endocrine glands is the:
A. Pituitary gland ✓ Correct
B. Adrenal gland
C. Pineal gland
D. Thyroid gland
Solution: The pituitary secretes tropic hormones controlling other glands — hence "master gland" (itself regulated by the hypothalamus).
Q2 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · easy · theory
A deficiency of Growth Hormone (GH) in childhood leads to:
A. Goitre
B. Gigantism
C. Acromegaly
D. Dwarfism ✓ Correct
Solution: Low GH in children causes pituitary dwarfism; excess causes gigantism.
Q3 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
Excess secretion of growth hormone in adults causes ______, while in childhood it causes ______:
A. Gigantism; acromegaly
B. Goitre; cretinism
C. Acromegaly; gigantism ✓ Correct
D. Dwarfism; gigantism
Solution: GH excess: gigantism (children, before growth plates fuse) and acromegaly (adults — thickened extremities/jaw).
Q4 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
The hormone that stimulates milk production in mammary glands after childbirth is:
A. ADH
B. Insulin
C. Oxytocin
D. Prolactin ✓ Correct
Solution: Prolactin promotes milk synthesis; oxytocin stimulates milk ejection and uterine contraction.
Q5 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · hard · theory
The posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis) does NOT synthesise hormones; it stores and releases ______ made by the ______:
A. Insulin; pancreas
B. Oxytocin and vasopressin (ADH); hypothalamus ✓ Correct
C. GH and TSH; hypothalamus
D. Thyroxine; thyroid
Solution: ADH and oxytocin are made by hypothalamic neurons and merely stored/released by the posterior pituitary.
Q6 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · hard · theory
The hypothalamus controls the anterior pituitary by secreting ______ that travel through a ______:
A. Enzymes; direct duct
B. Antibodies; lymph vessel
C. Releasing and inhibiting hormones; portal (hypophyseal) blood system ✓ Correct
D. Steroids; nerve axon
Solution: Hypothalamic releasing/inhibiting hormones reach the anterior pituitary through the hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal system.
Q7 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · easy · numerical
The pituitary gland is anatomically lodged in a bony cavity of the skull called the:
A. Sinus of the frontal bone
B. Sella turcica of the sphenoid bone ✓ Correct
C. Foramen magnum of the occipital bone
D. Internal auditory meatus of the temporal bone
Solution: The pituitary sits in the sella turcica, a saddle-shaped depression of the sphenoid bone, and is connected to the hypothalamus by the infundibular stalk.
Q8 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · easy · numerical
Which anterior pituitary hormone stimulates the adrenal cortex to secrete its steroid hormones?
A. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
B. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) ✓ Correct
C. Luteinizing hormone (LH)
D. Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH)
Solution: ACTH from the pars distalis acts on the adrenal cortex, chiefly stimulating glucocorticoid (cortisol) synthesis and secretion.
Q9 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · easy · numerical
A person passing very large volumes of dilute urine and feeling constantly thirsty, due to reduced release of vasopressin, is most likely suffering from:
A. Addison's disease
B. Diabetes insipidus ✓ Correct
C. Cushing's syndrome
D. Diabetes mellitus
Solution: Deficient ADH (vasopressin) reduces water reabsorption in the kidney tubules, causing diabetes insipidus — copious dilute urine (diuresis) and excessive thirst.
Q10 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · easy · numerical
Oxytocin, released from the posterior pituitary during childbirth, chiefly acts to:
A. Cause vigorous contraction of uterine smooth muscle ✓ Correct
B. Increase glucose reabsorption in kidney tubules
C. Stimulate the thyroid to release T3 and T4
D. Promote reabsorption of water in the collecting duct
Solution: Oxytocin stimulates strong contraction of the uterine smooth muscle at parturition and also causes milk ejection from the mammary glands.
Q11 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · numerical
Match the hypothalamic control substances (Column I) with their effect on the pituitary (Column II):
(i) GnRH (ii) A hypothalamic inhibiting factor
(p) Suppresses release of a pituitary hormone
(q) Stimulates release of gonadotropins
A. (i)-(q), (ii)-(p) ✓ Correct
B. (i)-(p), (ii)-(q)
C. (i)-(q), (ii)-(q)
D. (i)-(p), (ii)-(p)
Solution: GnRH is a releasing hormone that stimulates gonadotropin (LH/FSH) secretion, whereas inhibiting hormones/factors suppress the release of specific pituitary hormones.
Q12 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · numerical
Which pair of anterior-pituitary gonadotropins acts on the gonads and is correctly described?
A. LH and FSH — LH triggers ovulation/androgen output while FSH supports gamete-forming follicles/tubules ✓ Correct
B. Oxytocin and ADH — both mature the ovarian follicle
C. TSH and ACTH — both stimulate spermatogenesis
D. GH and prolactin — both directly cause ovulation
Solution: LH and FSH are the gonadotropins: LH drives ovulation and gonadal steroid (e.g. androgen) secretion, while FSH supports follicular growth and spermatogenesis.
Q13 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · numerical
Assertion (A): The posterior pituitary is regarded as a neurohaemal organ rather than a true glandular structure. Reason (R): Its hormones are synthesised by hypothalamic neurons and merely stored and released from the posterior lobe. Choose the correct option.
A. Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
B. A is true but R is false
C. A is false but R is true
D. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A ✓ Correct
Solution: The neurohypophysis stores and releases oxytocin and vasopressin that are actually made by hypothalamic neurons, so it acts as a neurohaemal organ — R correctly explains A.
Q14 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · numerical
The hypothalamic hormones reach the anterior pituitary through the hypophyseal portal system. The key feature of this vascular arrangement is that:
A. It carries nerve axons that directly release hormones into the pars distalis cells
B. It bypasses the heart, delivering hormones directly from hypothalamus to adrenal cortex
C. It drains hormones from the pars distalis back into the hypothalamus only
D. Blood passes through two capillary beds connected in series before returning to general circulation ✓ Correct
Solution: A portal system has two capillary beds in series: hypothalamic releasing/inhibiting hormones enter the first bed and are delivered to the anterior pituitary via the second, without dilution in general circulation.
Q15 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · numerical
Which of the following statements about growth hormone (GH) disorders is INCORRECT?
A. Deficiency of GH in childhood produces pituitary dwarfism
B. Excess GH before the growth plates close produces gigantism
C. Excess GH in an adult produces acromegaly with enlarged extremities
D. Excess GH in an adult produces gigantism with greatly increased height ✓ Correct
Solution: In adults the long-bone epiphyses are fused, so excess GH causes acromegaly (thickened bones of hands, feet, jaw), not gigantism; gigantism results from GH excess during childhood.
Q16 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · numerical
Consider the hormones of the posterior pituitary. Which statement is correct?
A. Both oxytocin and vasopressin are tropic hormones controlling the thyroid
B. Both are synthesised in the pars distalis and stored in the pars nervosa
C. Oxytocin conserves body water while vasopressin ejects milk
D. Vasopressin promotes water reabsorption and raises blood pressure, while oxytocin causes uterine contraction and milk ejection ✓ Correct
Solution: Vasopressin (ADH) increases renal water reabsorption and vasoconstriction; oxytocin drives uterine contraction and milk ejection. Both are made in the hypothalamus, not the pars distalis.
Q17 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
The hypothalamus is the:
A. Basal part of the mesencephalon of the forebrain
B. Dorsal part of the diencephalon of the forebrain
C. Basal part of the diencephalon of the forebrain ✓ Correct
D. Basal part of the diencephalon of the midbrain
Solution: The hypothalamus is the basal (ventral) part of the diencephalon of the forebrain.
Q18 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
The groups of neurosecretory cells in the hypothalamus that produce hormones are called:
A. Nuclei ✓ Correct
B. Tracts
C. Ganglia
D. Neuroglia
Solution: Hypothalamic hormone-producing neurosecretory cell groups are termed nuclei.
Q19 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
Hypothalamic hormones are of two types: the ...a... hormones which stimulate secretion of pituitary hormones and the ...b... hormones which inhibit secretion of pituitary hormones. Identify a and b.
A. a-Releasing, b-Inhibiting ✓ Correct
B. a-Stimulating, b-Retarding
C. a-Retarding, b-Inhibiting
D. a-Inhibiting, b-Releasing
Solution: Hypothalamic hormones are releasing hormones (stimulatory) and inhibiting hormones (inhibitory).
Q20 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
The hypothalamic releasing/inhibiting hormones reach the pituitary gland through the:
A. Hypothalamic duct
B. Hepatic portal circulation
C. Portal circulatory system ✓ Correct
D. Neurons alone
Solution: Hypothalamic hormones reach the anterior pituitary via a hypophyseal portal circulatory system.
Q21 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
Which part of the pituitary is under the direct neural regulation of the hypothalamus?
A. Anterior pituitary
B. Both anterior and posterior pituitary
C. Middle lobe of pituitary
D. Posterior pituitary ✓ Correct
Solution: The posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis) is under direct neural control of the hypothalamus, while the anterior lobe is controlled via portal blood.
Q22 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
Match the following hypothalamic control: I. A hypothalamic hormone ...a... stimulates pituitary synthesis and release of ...b...; II. The ...c... from the hypothalamus inhibits release of ...d... from the pituitary.
A. a-GnRH, b-Growth hormone, c-Somatostatin, d-Gonadotrophins
B. a-Somatostatin, b-Growth hormone, c-GnRH, d-Gonadotrophins
C. a-Somatostatin, b-Gonadotrophins, c-GnRH, d-Growth hormone
D. a-GnRH, b-Gonadotrophins, c-Somatostatin, d-Growth hormone ✓ Correct
Solution: GnRH stimulates gonadotrophin release, whereas somatostatin inhibits growth hormone release.
Q23 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · hard · theory
Read the statements about the pituitary and identify the two INCORRECT ones: (a) In humans pars intermedia is almost merged with pars distalis; (b) The pars distalis is called anterior pituitary and pars intermedia is called posterior pituitary; (c) Neurohypophysis stores and releases oxytocin and vasopressin; (d) Anterior pituitary releases nine hormones; (e) Pars distalis produces GH, PRL, TSH, ACTH, LH and FSH.
A. d and e
B. c and d
C. b and d ✓ Correct
D. a and b
Solution: Pars intermedia is not the posterior pituitary (that is neurohypophysis), and pars distalis produces six major hormones, not nine, so (b) and (d) are incorrect.
Q24 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
Which hormones are actually synthesised by the hypothalamus and transported axonally to the neurohypophysis for storage?
A. Oxytocin and ADH (vasopressin) ✓ Correct
B. Gonadotropins (LH and FSH)
C. TSH and ACTH
D. Catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline)
Solution: Oxytocin and vasopressin are made in the hypothalamus and pass down axons to the posterior pituitary for storage and release.
Q25 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
Oversecretion of GH causes abnormal body growth leading to ...a... while low GH secretion in childhood causes stunted growth called pituitary ...b...
A. a-Cretinism, b-Gigantism
B. a-Cretinism, b-Dwarfism
C. a-Gigantism, b-Dwarfism ✓ Correct
D. a-Gigantism, b-Cretinism
Solution: Excess GH causes gigantism and its deficiency causes pituitary dwarfism.
Q26 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
In males, which hormone stimulates the synthesis and secretion of androgens from the testis?
A. Testosterone
B. LH ✓ Correct
C. TSH
D. FSH
Solution: LH stimulates the Leydig cells of the testis to synthesise and secrete androgens.
Q27 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
The corpus luteum is maintained by:
A. Progesterone
B. FSH
C. LH ✓ Correct
D. Estrogen
Solution: Luteinising hormone (LH) maintains the corpus luteum, which then secretes progesterone.
Q28 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
Somatostatin is produced by the:
A. Basal part of the diencephalon called the hypothalamus ✓ Correct
B. Adenohypophysis
C. Pineal gland
D. Neurohypophysis
Solution: Somatostatin, the GH-inhibiting hormone, is produced by the hypothalamus.
Q29 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
Which of the following is NOT produced (synthesised) by the pituitary?
A. Prolactin
B. MSH
C. FSH
D. Oxytocin ✓ Correct
Solution: Oxytocin is synthesised in the hypothalamus and only stored/released by the posterior pituitary.
Q30 — Pituitary & Hypothalamus · medium · theory
The hormones that (i) initiate ejection of milk, (ii) stimulate milk production, and (iii) stimulate growth of ovarian follicles are respectively:
A. Oxytocin, Prolactin and FSH ✓ Correct
B. Prolactin, Oxytocin and GH
C. Prolactin, Oxytocin and LH
D. LH, Prolactin and FSH
Solution: Oxytocin causes milk ejection, prolactin promotes milk production, and FSH stimulates ovarian follicle growth.