FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about The Thyroid Gland
Quiz about The Thyroid Gland

The Thyroid Gland Trivia Quiz


Come and see how much you know about the thyroid gland, which is often overlooked in its import in keeping the body's systems in balance. Based on 3rd year of an Anatomy (BSc) degree, so may be quite in depth.

A multiple-choice quiz by reeshy. Estimated time: 5 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Science Trivia
  6. »
  7. Human Body
  8. »
  9. Endocrine System

Author
reeshy
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
336,337
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
1461
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 154 (5/10), sadwings (4/10), Guest 94 (0/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The thyroid is an endocrine gland, and is situated at the base of the neck. Upon which cartilage is it situated? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Which of these is not usually part of the adult thyroid gland, but can sometimes appear as a rare anatomical variation? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Where in the embryo does the thyroid gland first develop?

Answer: (One Word, basic body part)
Question 4 of 10
4. The bulk of the thyroid gland is made up of follicles, which contain thyroid hormones attached to a protein named thyroglobulin. From which amino acid are thyroid hormones derived? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Which hormone do parafollicular cells release? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Which of these is NOT an action of thyroid hormones? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Hyperthyroidism occurs when the body produces too much of the thyroid hormones. What symptom gives its name to exophthalmic goitre? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Cretinism, a condition that causes stunted physical growth and mental retardation, can occur in a baby if the mother does not have adequate iodine in her diet.


Question 9 of 10
9. When does postpartum thyroiditis, which involves both hyper- and hypothyroidism, occur? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The thyroid gland is supplied by two arteries, the superior thyroid and inferior thyroid arteries, which run into the apex and base of each lobe respectively. From which major blood vessel does the superior thyroid artery arise? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Mar 24 2024 : Guest 154: 5/10
Mar 23 2024 : sadwings: 4/10
Mar 14 2024 : Guest 94: 0/10
Mar 04 2024 : KK1926: 6/10
Feb 17 2024 : Guest 74: 4/10
Feb 05 2024 : ATC5: 5/10
Feb 04 2024 : Guest 94: 7/10
Feb 03 2024 : Guest 94: 1/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The thyroid is an endocrine gland, and is situated at the base of the neck. Upon which cartilage is it situated?

Answer: Thyroid cartilage

The thyroid gland is actually named for its position on the thyroid cartilage, which forms the Adam's Apple (also called the laryngeal prominence). The thyroid cartilage in turn gets its name for the Greek for "shield" referring to its shape. The thyroid gland is not shield-shaped at all; it tends to be thought of as butterfly-shaped and wrapping around the cartilage, however when the neck is opened to view the gland, it is rather amorphous.

The arytenoid and cricoid cartilages are indeed situated in the larynx, but the costal cartilages are not: they are the small areas of cartilage that join the bony ribs to the sternum.
2. Which of these is not usually part of the adult thyroid gland, but can sometimes appear as a rare anatomical variation?

Answer: Levator glandulae thyroideae

The shape of the thyroid gland can generally be thought of as a butterfly shape, or two teardrops linked by a bridge, the isthmus. Each "teardrop" is a lobe, each of which has an apex and a base. These structures are present in the normal thyroid gland, although the isthmus can be absent.

There can be a pyramidal lobe just above the isthmus, which is seen relatively often. The levator glandulae thyroideae (or: levator of the thyroid gland) is not a muscle, despite what its name suggests. It is in fact the fibrous remnants of the thyroglossal duct, which appears in embryonic development of the thyroid gland.
3. Where in the embryo does the thyroid gland first develop?

Answer: Tongue

I accept "tongue" although technically there is no tongue in the embryo at the time the thyroid gland develops - the gland develops in the pharynx from the foramen caecum, which is a shallow pit seen near the back of the adult tongue. From this foramen, the gland descends into the neck via the thyroglossal duct.

This descent can go wrong in various ways - if the thyroid gland does not descend, it develops at the back of the tongue in the adult, giving a lingual thyroid. It can also descend too far into the chest, giving a mediastinal thyroid.
4. The bulk of the thyroid gland is made up of follicles, which contain thyroid hormones attached to a protein named thyroglobulin. From which amino acid are thyroid hormones derived?

Answer: Tyrosine

Inside the follicles, the thyroid hormones and thyrogloublin together form a solid precipitate called colloid. The thyroid hormones are derived from the amino acid tyrosine and iodide ions - tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid, which means it is not required in the diet, as the body can synthesize it. However, it is important to keep your iodine levels at suitable levels to avoid a lack of thyroid hormones.

The thyroid hormones are T3 (or triiodothyronine) and T4 (or tetraiodothyronine, usually called thyroxine). T3 is more potent than thyroxine, so the latter is usually converted to T3 in the body.
5. Which hormone do parafollicular cells release?

Answer: Calcitonin

Parafollicular cells are also called C cells, which reflects their release of the hormone calcitonin. The cells are located around the follicles in the thyroid tissue. They collaborate with parathyroid glands to move calcium ions around the body. The parathyroid glands are pea-sized glands that are situated at the back of the thyroid gland; they release parathyroid hormone. Parathyroid hormone acts to increase the levels of calcium in the blood by removing it from the gut and bone. Calcitonin keeps the balance by moving calcium back into bone from the blood.

It is vital that the balance is kept, because too much calcium can cause tetany (prolonged muscle contraction) which can be life-threatening.
6. Which of these is NOT an action of thyroid hormones?

Answer: Decrease temperature

The thyroid hormones work to increase the basal metabolism of the body, and tend to increase many of the body's functions, such as those mentioned in the alternative answers, plus increasing oxygen consumption and activating glycolysis (which is part of the respiration process, where energy is produced). Of course this means that an imbalance of thyroid hormones can have drastic effects, causing disease.
7. Hyperthyroidism occurs when the body produces too much of the thyroid hormones. What symptom gives its name to exophthalmic goitre?

Answer: The eyes protrude.

Hyperthyroidism causes a very high metabolic rate, which causes the patient to lose a lot of weight. It can also cause the patient to become fidgety and often warm. Goitre is the name given to an enlarged thyroid and can occur in either hyperthyroidism, or hypothyroidism. Exophthalmic goitre usually occurs as a result of Graves' disease, which is a form of hyperthyroidism.

The body retains water in its fat deposits in this disease, and because of the water that is held in the orbital fat of the eye sockets, the protrusion of the eyes can be quite a marked symptom. Hyperthyroidism can be treated by the surgical removal of half of the thyroid gland.
8. Cretinism, a condition that causes stunted physical growth and mental retardation, can occur in a baby if the mother does not have adequate iodine in her diet.

Answer: True

Sadly this is true. Congenital hypothyroidism is what causes cretinism, and is when the baby does not produce enough thyroid hormones. This in turn is usually caused by maternal deficiency in iodine. Thyroid hormones are vital for growth of the whole body, particularly the nervous system, so a lack can have disastrous effects, such as those seen in cretinism.

As well as mental retardation and a dwarf stature, those affected by cretinism tend to have a low body temperature. It can be treated by administering thyroid hormones to the baby.
9. When does postpartum thyroiditis, which involves both hyper- and hypothyroidism, occur?

Answer: After pregnancy

"Postpartum" means "after birth" and usually refers to conditions seen in the mother after giving birth, such as postpartum depression. In pregnancy, the immune system has to modify itself to avoid the attack of the fetus as a foreign body, and after birth, this can cause problems - postpartum thyroiditis is seen in approximately 1 in 20 women after childbirth, and usually resolves itself.

It begins with a period of hyperthyroidism and ends as hypothyroidism. In some women, it does not get better in time, and they must receive treatment for hypothyroidism for the rest of their lives.
10. The thyroid gland is supplied by two arteries, the superior thyroid and inferior thyroid arteries, which run into the apex and base of each lobe respectively. From which major blood vessel does the superior thyroid artery arise?

Answer: External carotid artery

As the thyroid is an endocrine gland, it has a rich blood supply from these arteries. The superior thyroid artery branches from the external carotid artery, as stated in the question, while the inferior thyroid artery branches from the subclavian artery. Each artery runs into the thyroid by a nerve; the superior by the external laryngeal nerve, and the inferior by the recurrent laryngeal nerve.

This can cause problems when the gland is surgically removed. Because of the rich blood supply, the arteries are usually ligated to control bleeding, but this can cause damage to the laryngeal nerves.

This in turn can cause an inability to speak due to paralysis of one side of the larynx. Sometimes the nerves regrow, but often they do not, so the patient has to relearn how to talk using only one side of their larynx.
Source: Author reeshy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series My Science Quizzes:

A collection of the science quizzes I've written, mainly based on my studies of anatomy and biomedical science. Enjoy! Evander.

  1. Stages of Meiosis and Mitosis Tough
  2. Human Tissue Types I: Epithelial Tissue Tough
  3. Why Does My Head Hurt? Average
  4. Eat Up! - Muscles of Mastication Tough
  5. Human Tissue Types II: Connective Tissue Tough
  6. Binary Star Systems Average
  7. Animal Behavior Tough
  8. The Thyroid Gland Tough
  9. The Structure of the Heart Tough
  10. One- and Three-Letter Codes of Amino Acids Average
  11. Ouch! My Funny Bone! Average
  12. Chemical Structure of Amino Acids Average

3/28/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us