What is the correct answer to the hormones and their functions NEET 2026 question?
Option B is correct for the hormones and their functions NEET 2026 question: excess growth hormone matches acromegaly, LH matches ovulation, vasopressin matches renal water recovery, and oxytocin matches uterine contractions. The source is the Biology paper re-held on 21 June 2026, Code-50. The question bank classifies it as medium difficulty, not an official difficulty rating.
The task is to connect these hormone labels with the listed outcomes:
- A: Excessive growth hormone; B: luteinizing hormone; C: vasopressin; D: oxytocin.
- I: Renal recovery of water and electrolytes.
- II: Uterine contractions during delivery.
- III: Acromegaly.
- IV: Release of an ovum.
The supplied answer combinations are:
Correct option: B. The reasoning follows through each hormone’s target and effect.
Why do excess growth hormone and LH match acromegaly and ovulation?
Excess growth hormone in adults causes acromegaly; the mid-cycle LH surge triggers ovulation. These establish A-III and B-IV. The first pairing depends on whether growth plates have closed; the second depends on LH’s action on the mature ovarian follicle.
Step 1: Excess growth hormone → adult bones and soft tissues → acromegaly. Abnormal enlargement involves the face, hands and feet. Once the growth plates have closed, excess growth hormone cannot produce the increase in long-bone length seen before closure.
Before epiphyseal closure, growth hormone excess produces gigantism. In adulthood, it produces acromegaly. The question does not explicitly specify adulthood, but acromegaly among the listed outcomes identifies the intended adult association. Therefore, A-III.
Step 2: LH → mature ovarian follicle → ovulation. Luteinizing hormone is secreted by the anterior pituitary. Its mid-cycle surge induces rupture of the mature follicle and release of the oocyte, described in the question as release of an ovum. Therefore, B-IV.
Why does vasopressin match water recovery and oxytocin match uterine contractions?
Vasopressin conserves water through the kidney; oxytocin stimulates uterine contractions during childbirth. Therefore, C-I and D-II are the remaining matches. Both hormones are synthesised in the hypothalamus, then stored and released by the posterior pituitary. Their shared release site does not determine their target or effect.
Step 3: Vasopressin → distal nephron → water conservation. Vasopressin is antidiuretic hormone, or ADH. It acts on the late distal tubule and collecting ducts, increasing their water permeability.
Greater water permeability allows more water to be reabsorbed into the blood. Less water is lost in urine, so urine becomes more concentrated.
This establishes the official match C-I, but item I needs careful reading. Its wording groups water and electrolyte recovery together. ADH’s defining direct action here is increased water reabsorption; this does not mean it increases electrolyte permeability in the same way.
Step 4: Oxytocin → uterine smooth muscle → strong contractions during parturition. This gives D-II. Oxytocin also causes milk ejection by contracting myoepithelial cells around mammary alveoli. Milk ejection moves existing milk out; milk production is chiefly associated with prolactin.
How do you assemble the matches and verify option B?
The complete sequence is A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II, which matches option B exactly. Compare all four independently justified pairings with the supplied options before selecting the answer.
Each line below gives hormone; target or context; outcome; match:
- Excess GH; adult bones and soft tissues; acromegaly; A-III.
- LH; mature ovarian follicle; ovulation; B-IV.
- Vasopressin; distal nephron; water recovery; C-I.
- Oxytocin; uterus; childbirth contractions; D-II.
Each Roman numeral appears once. That is a consistency check, not proof of correct biology.
Selecting A instead of B also changes the score: correct earns four marks; wrong loses one. The difference is:
Why does option A fail despite getting the first two matches right?
Option A swaps the functions of vasopressin and oxytocin. It preserves A-III and B-IV, but changes the final pairings to C-II and D-I. The first two associations alone cannot distinguish A from B.
Grouping both hormones only under “posterior pituitary” can produce this error. Their release site is the same, but their target tissues and actions differ.
Read the swapped matches as full claims:
- C-II would claim: vasopressin causes uterine contractions during delivery.
- D-I would claim: oxytocin causes renal water recovery.
Neither is the required physiological action. Identify the target before selecting the effect: ADH → kidney → water conservation; oxytocin → uterus → contractions. Use the release site to identify where a hormone enters circulation, not to infer that hormones released together perform the same function.
Can you solve three related endocrine questions using the same method?
Use the growth context or target tissue to justify each answer below. These are original chapter-practice questions, not additional verified PYQs. Attempt each question before checking its worked explanation.
Question 1: What disorders follow growth hormone excess before epiphyseal closure and in adulthood, respectively?
Answer: Gigantism and acromegaly. Before growth plates close, long bones can lengthen excessively, producing excessive height. After closure, excess growth hormone causes enlargement involving bones and soft tissues, especially the face, hands and feet. The hormone is the same; the growth context changes the disorder.
Question 2: If ADH secretion falls, how do urine volume and concentration change?
Answer: Urine volume increases and urine becomes more dilute. Reduced ADH means lower water permeability in the responsive distal nephron. Less water returns to the blood, leaving more water to be excreted.
Question 3: Match LH, oxytocin and prolactin with ovulation, milk ejection and milk production.
- LH: Ovulation, through its action on the mature ovarian follicle.
- Oxytocin: Milk ejection, through contraction of mammary myoepithelial cells.
- Prolactin: Milk production, through its action on mammary milk-secreting cells.
Production and ejection are separate processes controlled by different hormones. Cover these answers and write the target tissue beside each hormone before attempting the matches again.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the correct answer to the hormones and their functions NEET 2026 question?
Option B is correct: A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II. Excess growth hormone matches acromegaly, LH matches ovulation, vasopressin matches renal water recovery, and oxytocin matches uterine contractions.
When does excess growth hormone cause gigantism instead of acromegaly?
Excess growth hormone before epiphyseal closure causes gigantism because long bones can still lengthen. In adults, after growth plates have closed, it causes acromegaly, with enlargement especially involving the face, hands and feet.
Does ADH increase water or electrolyte reabsorption?
ADH's defining direct action in this question is increased water reabsorption through greater water permeability in the late distal tubule and collecting ducts. Although the listed outcome groups water and electrolyte recovery together, it should not be read as ADH increasing electrolyte permeability in the same way.
Why is option A wrong in the NEET 2026 hormone matching question?
Option A gets the growth hormone and LH matches right but swaps the functions of vasopressin and oxytocin. Vasopressin acts on the kidney to conserve water, while oxytocin stimulates uterine contractions during childbirth. Both are released by the posterior pituitary, but their targets and effects differ.