Lesson 3.6.4.2.2

3.6.4.2.2 Second messenger model and diabetes Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 6

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.6.4.2.2, Second messenger model and diabetes: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Biology (7402), Unit 6: Organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environments, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is the role of adenylate cyclase in the second messenger model?

    • It binds adrenaline at the outer surface of the cell membrane
    • It converts ATP into cyclic AMP inside the cell
    • It converts cyclic AMP back into ATP to release energy
    • It breaks down glycogen directly into glucose in the cytoplasm

  2. What is the second messenger in the adrenaline and glucagon signalling model?

    • Sodium ions moving into the nucleus
    • Insulin
    • Cyclic AMP (cAMP)
    • Glucose-6-phosphate

  3. Why do adrenaline and glucagon need a second messenger?

    • They are lipid-soluble and pass directly into the nucleus to switch genes on, so no second messenger is needed to carry the signal anywhere
    • They must enter the mitochondria before they can act on enzymes, so the mitochondria produce the second messenger that carries the signal
    • They are water-soluble and cannot cross the cell surface membrane, so they signal from receptors inside the cell
    • They are converted into cAMP before they can bind to their receptors, so the receptor itself only ever recognises the second messenger

  4. Which enzyme is activated by cyclic AMP in the second messenger model?

    • RNA polymerase
    • Lipase
    • Protein kinase
    • Amylase

  5. Type I diabetes is best described as:

    • A condition in which the liver stops storing glycogen after insulin is released
    • A condition in which alpha cells overproduce glucagon because beta cells are overactive
    • An autoimmune condition in which beta cells are destroyed, so little or no insulin is produced
    • A condition in which insulin is made normally but target cells do not respond to it

  6. Type II diabetes is most closely associated with:

    • Complete loss of beta cells from birth
    • Overproduction of glucagon by the adrenal glands
    • Reduced responsiveness of target cells to insulin, often linked to obesity and diet
    • Loss of receptors for ADH in the collecting duct of the kidney

  7. The usual management of type I diabetes includes:

    • Glucagon injections taken before each meal
    • Diet alone with no insulin treatment
    • Adrenaline tablets taken once a day
    • Regular insulin injections matched to food intake

  8. Which sequence correctly describes the second messenger model in a liver cell?

    • Hormone enters the nucleus, cAMP is made, adenylate cyclase binds glycogen directly, and glucose is released from the cell surface membrane
    • Hormone binds receptor, adenylate cyclase is activated, cAMP is made, protein kinase is activated, glycogen is broken down
    • Hormone binds receptor, protein kinase makes cAMP directly, cAMP is then converted into glycogen, and the glycogen is stored in the liver
    • Hormone binds receptor, glycogen is made first, adenylate cyclase is destroyed by the hormone

  9. A drug inhibits adenylate cyclase in liver cells. What is the expected effect on glycogen breakdown in response to glucagon?

    • Glucose uptake is increased because glycogen synthesis is switched on
    • Glycogen breakdown is reduced because less cAMP is produced
    • Glycogen breakdown increases because cAMP accumulates
    • Glycogen breakdown is unchanged because glucagon binds insulin receptors

  10. A type II patient has normal or raised insulin but blood glucose remains high after meals. What is the most likely explanation?

    • The kidneys are releasing too much ADH, so glucose is excreted
    • The pancreas has stopped making glucagon, so glycogen cannot be broken down
    • Target cells respond poorly to insulin, so less glucose enters them
    • The alpha cells have been destroyed, so insulin is converted to glucagon

  11. Which lifestyle change most helps to control type II diabetes?

    • Reducing high-sugar, high-energy food intake and increasing physical activity
    • Taking glucagon tablets every day, which lowers blood glucose by stopping the liver from making any new glucose in the body
    • Drinking more alcohol to raise insulin levels, since alcohol stimulates beta cells to secrete extra insulin into the blood each day
    • Stopping all carbohydrate intake permanently, which removes the glucose that must be controlled and so cures the diabetes within a few

  12. Each active adenylate cyclase molecule makes 1 cAMP molecule per second. If 5 molecules are active, how many cAMP molecules are made in 10 seconds?

    • 50
    • 10
    • 5
    • 500

  13. Glucagon is added to a liver preparation in which protein kinase has been inhibited. What is the most likely result?

    • Glucagon causes a larger than normal glycogen breakdown
    • Glucagon is destroyed before it can bind a receptor
    • Glucagon causes glycogen to be made from amino acids
    • Glucagon no longer causes glycogen breakdown

  14. Why must insulin be injected rather than taken as a tablet by people with type I diabetes?

    • Insulin is not needed by people with type I diabetes, since their beta cells work normally and only the liver fails to store glucose
    • Insulin is a protein and would be digested in the gut before reaching the blood
    • Oral insulin cannot bind receptors on cells once it has been absorbed, because the hormone is destroyed when it reaches the bloodstream
    • Gut enzymes would convert insulin into glucagon, which raises blood glucose and so makes the tablet form of insulin ineffective in patients

  15. Which statement about the second messenger model is correct?

    • cAMP passes through the membrane and binds directly to the hormone
    • One hormone molecule can lead to many cAMP molecules, amplifying the signal
    • Each hormone molecule produces exactly one cAMP molecule
    • The hormone itself must be broken down before cAMP is made

  16. Which claim is the best evaluation of diet and type II diabetes?

    • Diet and weight loss can reverse or control type II diabetes in some patients, but not in all
    • Type II diabetes is caused by overproduction of cAMP in beta cells, so lowering cAMP with diet alone is enough to cure the disease
    • Type II diabetes can only be treated with lifelong glucagon injections, since diet and exercise have no effect on blood glucose at all
    • Diet always reverses type II diabetes in every patient within a week

  17. Which point is the strongest reason for caution when a study links sugar intake with the incidence of type II diabetes?

    • Type II diabetes occurs only in people who never eat sugar, so any study finding sugar eaters with the disease must be flawed
    • A correlation does not show that sugar intake directly causes the disease, since obesity and activity levels may also differ
    • Correlation proves causation once more than 100 people are studied, so the size of the sample removes any need for further checks
    • Sugar intake is never linked to any change in blood glucose, so the study cannot tell us anything about diabetes risk at all

  18. One cAMP molecule activates 2 protein kinase molecules, and each kinase activates 3 enzyme molecules. How many active enzyme molecules result from 4 cAMP molecules?

    • 12
    • 14
    • 24
    • 9

  19. Adrenaline and glucagon act on liver cells faster through a second messenger than through a direct gene effect. Why?

    • The membrane becomes permeable to glucose within a few seconds of the hormone arriving, because the hormone opens channels that were closed
    • Existing enzymes are activated by phosphorylation, so no new protein synthesis is needed
    • Each hormone is converted into a gene before it acts on the cell, so the new gene is transcribed and the protein is made within seconds
    • The hormones are stored in the nucleus and released as needed, so the target cell already holds the hormone and needs no receptor

  20. A type I patient's blood glucose spikes after a meal despite the usual insulin dose. Which explanation is most plausible?

    • The patient is producing too much glycogen in the pancreas
    • The patient's kidneys have stopped reabsorbing glucose from the filtrate
    • The patient no longer has any liver cells
    • The insulin dose is too small or given at the wrong time relative to the carbohydrate eaten

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