Question

the pancreas produces ______ secretions that include digestive enzymes and hormones, respectively.

○ mucous and acid
○ secretory and absorptive
○ exocrine and endocrine
○ merocrine and holocrine
○ serous and sebaceous

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the pancreas's secretions:

• Exocrine secretion: The pancreas releases digestive enzymes (like trypsin, amylase) into the small intestine via ducts. These help in digestion.
• Endocrine secretion: The pancreas (specifically the islets of Langerhans) releases hormones (like insulin, glucagon) directly into the bloodstream to regulate blood sugar.

Now, let's eliminate other options:

• "mucous and acid": Mucous is produced by cells like goblet cells, acid by the stomach, not the pancreas's main secretions.
• "secretory and absorptive": Absorptive is more about the intestine's function, not the pancreas's secretion types.
• "merocrine and holocrine": These are modes of glandular secretion (e.g., merocrine - sweat glands, holocrine - sebaceous glands), not the pancreas's main secretion categories.
• "serous and sebaceous": Serous is a fluid type, sebaceous glands produce sebum (skin), not related to the pancreas.

So the correct pair is exocrine (digestive enzymes) and endocrine (hormones).

Answer:

C. exocrine and endocrine