Grade 12 · CAPS

Grade 12 Human Endocrine System and Homeostasis

Life Sciences practice questions and a worked example

Grade 12 Human Endocrine System and Homeostasis covers the endocrine glands and their hormones, and how the body keeps blood glucose, water, salt, carbon dioxide and temperature within limits. The questions here ask you to name glands and hormones, explain negative feedback between the pituitary gland and the thyroid gland, describe how insulin lowers blood glucose, explain the roles of ADH and aldosterone in the kidney, and explain how the skin cools the body. Several questions use graphs, tables and investigations. They come from the NSC Paper 1 for November 2023, 2024 and 2025: multiple-choice and terminology items from Section A and diagram, data and passage questions from Section B, each with the marking guideline's answer.

Worked example

3.2 The diagram below shows the location of the adrenal gland in the human body. 3.2.2 State TWO characteristics of the type of glands that belongs to the system identified in QUESTION 3.2.1(b).

Answer

- It releases hormones - directly into the blood/and it is ductless

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Human Endocrine System and Homeostasis

Question 1 of 3

1.1.3 The diagram below represents the events that occur during the homeostatic control of blood glucose. Which ONE of the following represents gland X and hormone Y?
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More practice questions

Explore additional Grade 12 Human Endocrine System and Homeostasis questions.

  • 2
    3.2 The diagram below shows the location of the adrenal gland in the human body. 3.2.1 Identify: (a) Organ X
  • 3
    3.2 The diagram below shows the location of the adrenal gland in the human body. 3.2.1 Identify: (b) The system to which the adrenal gland belongs
  • 4
    3.2 The diagram below shows the location of the adrenal gland in the human body. 3.2.3 Describe the interaction between the adrenal gland and organ X in maintaining homeostasis when salt levels in the blood are low.
  • 5
    3.2 The diagram below shows the location of the adrenal gland in the human body. 3.2.4 Explain the effect that a secretion of the pituitary gland will have on organ X when a person experiences dehydration.

Common mistakes

  • Mixing up ADH and aldosterone. ADH controls how much water the kidneys reabsorb; aldosterone controls salt.
  • Mixing up glucagon and glycogen. Glucagon is a hormone; glycogen is the form in which glucose is stored in the liver.
  • Describing negative feedback without saying which gland is stimulated and what happens to the level of the hormone.

More Grade 12 Life Sciences topics

Aligned to CAPS Grade 12 Life Sciences — Human Endocrine System and Homeostasis. Curriculum source: CAPS for the FET Phase, Department of Basic Education.

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