UPPSC 2023 Prelims Q80: Which of the following hormones is secreted by the Beta

Q: What is the answer to UPPSC 2023 Prelims Q80?

C. Correct — C, Insulin. The islets of Langerhans are the endocrine part of the pancreas and contain distinct cell types. The beta (B) cells secrete insulin, which lowers blood glucose by promoting its uptake and storage in cells. (The alpha cells secrete glucagon, which raises blood glucose.) So the beta-cell hormone is insulin.

UPPSC 2023 Prelims GS Paper-I · Question 80 of 150

Verified against the official question paper. Answer as per the official UPPSC answer key.

Which of the following hormones is secreted by the Beta cell of Islet of Langerhans of Pancreas?

(a)Aldosterone
(b)Adrenalin
(c)Insulin
(d)Glucagan

Answer

Why

Correct — C, Insulin. The islets of Langerhans are the endocrine part of the pancreas and contain distinct cell types. The beta (B) cells secrete insulin, which lowers blood glucose by promoting its uptake and storage in cells. (The alpha cells secrete glucagon, which raises blood glucose.) So the beta-cell hormone is insulin.

Why the others are wrong

(a)Aldosterone — Aldosterone is a mineralocorticoid secreted by the adrenal cortex (it regulates sodium/potassium and blood pressure), not by the pancreas.
(b)Adrenalin — Adrenalin (epinephrine) is secreted by the adrenal medulla in the fight-or-flight response — it is an adrenal hormone, not a pancreatic one.
(d)Glucagan — Glucagon is a genuine pancreatic islet hormone, but it is secreted by the alpha cells (not beta) and it raises blood glucose — the opposite cell type and action to insulin.

Concept

The islets of Langerhans form the endocrine pancreas. Their beta cells secrete insulin (which lowers blood sugar), the alpha cells secrete glucagon (which raises blood sugar) and the delta cells secrete somatostatin. This question turns on matching the beta cell to insulin.

The strongest trap is glucagon (option d), which is also an islet hormone — but from alpha cells, not beta. Aldosterone and adrenalin are distractors drawn from a different organ altogether, the adrenal gland.

Key facts

Islets of Langerhans = the endocrine pancreas; beta cells secrete insulin.
Insulin lowers blood glucose; its deficiency or resistance causes diabetes mellitus.
Alpha cells secrete glucagon, which raises blood glucose — insulin's antagonist.
Aldosterone (adrenal cortex) and adrenalin (adrenal medulla) are adrenal, not pancreatic, hormones.

A stained microscope view of human pancreatic tissue showing a pale central cluster of islet cells (islet of Langerhans) surrounded by darker exocrine acinar tissue — The endocrine islet whose beta cells secrete insulin — the answer to this question.Image: Berkshire Community College Bioscience Image Library / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

Study next

Endocrine system — glands and the hormones they secreteDiabetes mellitus — Type 1 vs Type 2 and insulin's roleInsulin-glucagon regulation of blood glucose (homeostasis)Adrenal hormones — cortisol, aldosterone, adrenalinChemical classes of hormones (peptide vs steroid vs amine)

Common traps

Choosing glucagon — it is pancreatic but comes from alpha cells, not beta
Attributing an adrenal hormone (aldosterone/adrenalin) to the pancreas

UPSC/UPPSC routinely ask 'which hormone is secreted by gland/cell X' and set gland-hormone matching items.

Related PYQs

UPSC_2000_GS1_Q1202000Open & attempt →

Match List I (Endocrine glands) with List II (Hormones secreted): I. Gonads II. Pituitary III. Pancreas IV. Adrenal; A) Insulin B) Progesterone C) Growth hormones D) Cortisone.

(a) I-C, II-B, III-D, IV-A
(b) I-B, II-C, III-D, IV-A
(c) I-B, II-C, III-A, IV-D
(d) I-C, II-B, III-A, IV-D

Answer(c) I-B, II-C, III-A, IV-D (Pancreas -> Insulin)

Same concept — the pancreas (islets of Langerhans) is the gland that secretes insulin.

UPSC_2004_GS1_Q112004Open & attempt →

The hormone insulin is a

(a) Glycolipid
(b) Fatty acid
(c) Peptide
(d) Sterol

Answer(c) Peptide

Same hormone — insulin (the beta-cell secretion), here tested on its chemical nature as a peptide.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
Which cells of the islets of Langerhans secrete glucagon?
- (a)Beta cells
- (b)Alpha cells
- (c)Delta cells
- (d)Acinar cells
Answer(b) Alpha cells — glucagon raises blood glucose.
practice — not a real PYQ
Insulin, a hormone from the pancreas, acts mainly to:
- (a)raise blood glucose
- (b)lower blood glucose
- (c)increase blood calcium
- (d)regulate sodium balance
Answer(b) lower blood glucose — by promoting cellular uptake and storage.