Question

after going a long period of time without eating, the intestines release the hormone ghrelin into the bloodstream, which travels to the brain and signals hunger. after eating breakfast, hydrochloric acid and mucus travels through ducts to reach the stomach from the gastric glands and helps break the food down. what type of glands are the gastric glands? a. endocrine glands, because they release their contents into the bloodstream b. exocrine glands, because they release their contents into ducts c. exocrine glands, because they release their contents into the bloodstream d. endocrine glands, because they release their contents into ducts

Explanation:

To determine the type of gastric glands, we recall the definitions of exocrine and endocrine glands. Exocrine glands release their secretions (like hydrochloric acid and mucus from gastric glands) into ducts that carry the secretions to a specific location (the stomach, in this case) to aid in digestion. Endocrine glands release hormones directly into the bloodstream. Since gastric glands release their contents (HCl, mucus) into ducts to reach the stomach, they are exocrine glands. Option B states "exocrine glands, because they release their contents into ducts", which matches this definition. Option A is incorrect as endocrine glands don't use ducts. Option C is incorrect because exocrine glands don't release into the bloodstream. Option D is incorrect as endocrine glands don't release into ducts.

Answer:

B. exocrine glands, because they release their contents into ducts