AQA GCSE Biology (8461), Higher tier · Homeostasis and response › Hormonal coordination in humans
Practise Hormones in human reproduction. 14 exam-style questions plus unlimited generated ones on this subtopic, at up to four difficulty levels, with full mark schemes and a progress tracker. Free, no account needed.
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Name the main male reproductive hormone and the organ that produces it.
Testosterone, produced by the testes
Changes such as the growth of pubic hair begin at puberty. What name is given to these changes?
Secondary sex characteristics
Which hormone is secreted by the ovary after ovulation and maintains the lining of the uterus?
Progesterone
Give the main effect of oestrogen on the uterus during the menstrual cycle.
It causes the lining of the uterus to build up (thicken)
Write the letters in the correct order, starting with the first day of the cycle.
C, D, A, B
Sample questions
Written for this site in the style of AQA exam questions. They are not taken from real past papers.
Question 1Easy6 marks
Several hormones are involved in human reproduction.
(a) Which hormone is the main female reproductive hormone produced in the ovary? Tick (✓) one box.[1]
FSH
Insulin
Oestrogen
Testosterone
(b) Name the main male reproductive hormone and the organ that produces it.[2]
(c) What does the main male reproductive hormone stimulate?[1]
(d) Give the function of FSH and the function of LH in the menstrual cycle.[2]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: Oestrogen
(b)Answer: Testosterone, produced by the testes
testosterone
testes / testis
(c)Answer: Sperm production
sperm production
(d)Answer: FSH causes an egg to mature in the ovary; LH stimulates the release of the egg
FSH: causes (an) egg to mature (in the ovary)
LH: stimulates the release of an egg / ovulation
Question 2Medium6 marks
{fig} shows the concentrations of oestrogen and progesterone in a woman's blood during one menstrual cycle. The solid line is oestrogen and the dashed line is progesterone.
[object Object]
(a) On which day was the concentration of oestrogen highest?[1]
(b) The woman ovulated on day 14. Describe how the changes in hormone concentrations in {fig} are consistent with this.[2]
(c) Explain why the lining of the uterus starts to break down at the end of the cycle.[2]
(d) Suggest what would happen to the concentration of progesterone after day 21 if the woman became pregnant.[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: Day 13
13
(b)Answer: Oestrogen peaks just before day 14; progesterone only starts to rise after day 14
oestrogen peaks just before day 14 / oestrogen falls sharply after day 13
progesterone (is low until and) increases after day 14
(c)Answer: The progesterone (and oestrogen) concentration falls, and progesterone is needed to maintain the uterus lining
progesterone concentration falls (after day 21)
progesterone maintains the uterus lining, so it is no longer maintained
(d)Answer: It would stay high
it would stay high / not fall / increase
Question 3Hard7 marks
The menstrual cycle is controlled by four hormones: FSH, LH, oestrogen and progesterone.
(a) Which hormone is secreted by the ovary after ovulation and maintains the lining of the uterus?[1]
(b) Explain how FSH, LH, oestrogen and progesterone interact to control the menstrual cycle.[6]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: Progesterone
progesterone
(b)Answer: Level 3 answers describe the role of each hormone and link them through their effects on each other's release
FSH is released by the pituitary gland and causes an egg to mature in the ovary
FSH stimulates the ovaries to produce oestrogen
oestrogen causes the uterus lining to build up / thicken
oestrogen inhibits FSH release and stimulates LH release
a surge of LH stimulates the release of the egg (ovulation) at about day 14
after ovulation the ovary produces progesterone, which maintains the uterus lining
progesterone inhibits FSH and LH, so no further eggs mature
if the egg is not fertilised, progesterone falls and the uterus lining breaks down (menstruation)
the fall in progesterone allows FSH to rise again and the cycle repeats
Marked with levels of response: the full level descriptors are in the app.