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Coordination and Response: Question 9

Syllabus 14.3

Multiple choice Core 1 mark

Which statement correctly describes a hormone?

Choose an answer to check it, then compare with the worked solution below.
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Worked solution

Step 1: Recall the definition of a hormone

A hormone is a chemical substance that is produced by a gland and carried by the blood to act on one or more specific target organs, changing how those organs work.

Step 2: Check each option against this definition

  • A: matches the definition exactly, a chemical, made by a gland, carried in the blood, acting on specific target organs. This is correct.
  • B: describes a nerve impulse, which is electrical and travels along neurones, not a hormone, which is chemical and travels in the blood.
  • C: describes a neurotransmitter at a synapse. A neurotransmitter acts only very locally, across a tiny gap between two neurones, whereas a hormone travels throughout the body in the blood to reach a distant target organ.
  • D: describes a digestive secretion released through a duct into the gut. Glands that release their product through a duct, like those producing digestive juices, are exocrine glands, not the endocrine (ductless) glands that release hormones directly into the blood.

Final answer

  • A hormone is a chemical made by a gland, carried in the blood, that alters the activity of a specific target organ, option A.