FST -1

14th Part 

Q.  What are endocrine glands? List major types of endocrine glands. Give functions of any five of them.         

A.  Endocrine glands are the special gland that releases a chemical substance called hormones. These glands have no opening or ducts but release their secretions directly into the bloodstream as it passes through their tissues. Each hormone acts on a certain organ in a specific way. Many of the effects of hormones are long term changes, for example, the changes that take place in the body during growth and sexual maturity. However, some of the changes may be quick like the ones that occur when the heart rate and breathing rate is increased or decreased. The major types of endocrine glands are - 

1. Hypothalamus - It Stimulates or inhibits the pituitary.

2.  Pituitary - It Inhibits urine production. It also Causes utrine contractions in the delivery and production of milk. It Causes the growth of bones, muscles, and glands. It regulates the adrenal gland. Stimulates thyroid also it stimulates ovaries and testes.

3. Parathyroid - It increases the blood calcium level.

4. Thyroid - It increases or decreases the metabolic rate of the body and Lowers the blood calcium level.

5. Adrenal medulla - It Increases the heart and respiration rate and blood sugar level. It also raises blood pressure.

6. Adrenal cortex - Affects sugar and salt metabolism and response to stress. It also leads to the development of sex organs.

7. Pancreas - Enables the body to metabolize sugars, regulates the storage of fats. Increase the level of sugar in the blood.

8. Ovaries - Regulates functions of uterus, promotes secondary sexual characters. Promotes the growth of female reproductive tissue, maintains pregnancy.

9. Testes - Promotes the growth of male sex characteristics.

Q.  Some psychologists consider aggression as 'natural instinct' while others call it 'learned response'. State one argument in favor of each.       

A. Some psychologists believe that aggression is a natural instinct and give at least two kinds of arguments for it. Firstly, looking at our history which is largely a history of wars and we hear about the violent acts that take place daily in our society. Secondly, we know that aggressive behavior in animals is observed at every stage, we can even breed animals selectively for their aggressiveness, for example, bulldogs, hounds are more aggressive than other dogs, say poodles. Such dogs are trained for hunting and as police dogs. In the older days, the kings and nawabs bred and trained rams, cocks, eagles etc., for fighting matches. The pedigree was maintained for their aggressiveness. This indicates aggression as 'natural instinct' .

   Learned -  Aggressive behavior is learned through observation and is often reinforced by its consequences. For instance, if an adolescent who is larger and has more muscle power than other boys sees that he can get what he wants by threatening or beating smaller boys he will repeat this act as often as he can. 

Second - Children who watched an adult behave aggressively learned to imitate him and thus behaved in a more aggressive fashion like, hitting each other or pushing one another around. While another group of children who hadn't been exposed to such adult behavior showed no increase in their aggressive attitude.

Q.  What is an artificial satellite?                    

A. Artificial satellites are man-made objects orbiting the Earth and other planets in the Solar System. This is different from the natural satellites like the moon that orbit planet. Artificial satellites are created and launched in space to serve different purposes, such as communication, weather forecast and data gathering for scientific purposes or simply as a spy to keep an eye on the neighborhood. Satellite transmission has revolutionized the communication technology. Besides transmitting pictures and sound over long distances, it has transformed the telecommunication, telephone, telegraph sector. INSAT- 1 A was launched in 1982, but it developed technical snags. INSAT- 1B was then launched in 1983, and INSAT-1C in 1988. These satellites have been providing widespread coverage to the media, in addition to many other services like in the fields of meteorology, resource mapping, weather forecasting, telecommunication, and research, etc.

Q.  Describe the role of television in creating awareness in India.    

A.  The role of tv is to inform, educate as well as entertain the viewers with a view to creating awareness among the masses. It informs them about the nation's potential for development and its problems, widening their horizons, and soliciting their participation in the implementation of the policies, plans, and programmes of the government. It also informs the viewers about economic development and social change, achieving national security and promoting national integration. 

Political - Tv has an important political role of informing and enlightening the people, in order that they actively participate in political processes. Since 1977, each recognized political party is given equal time to broadcast their manifesto on tv during the elections. It helps each adult individual to decide whom to vote for thus he or she can vote in favor of a party candidate or an independent. The parties and individual candidates launch election campaigns during which they explain their stand on the most important public issues. They also make several promises. All this constitutes political communication and it enables the voter to make his choice. Thus the role of tv is to impart political awareness among masses to strengthen institutions on which our democracy thrives.

Economic - High profile advertising is affecting the lifestyles of rural and urban populations, creating demands for products thus benefiting the economy.

Social - Through tv people in one part of India can now see the diverse cultural groups of our country. They realize the great diversity and unity in our cultural heritage. Thus, by appreciating each other's culture we can leave out the undesirable features and adopt the good points of other cultures. The exchange of literary and artistic forms between diverse groups can lead to a composite culture. It also creates awareness helping national integration for example if two religious groups do not interact, each group has a very wrong idea about the other's customs. This often leads to severe conflicts of various kinds. It also helps to motivate individuals or groups towards a course of action, provides entertainment; influences public opinion; makes people aware of their rights and privileges and helps them to improve their economic and social conditions.

Q.  How would you differentiate between creativity and intelligence? 

A.        Intelligence speaks highly about the achievements in school and to a lesser degree with achievements in later life. For example, a most successful businessman, or a cricketer, or a politician need not necessarily have a top-level IQ. To do well in a typical intelligence test, the subject must be able to recall and to recognize and to solve a problem in an analytical manner. The subject need not necessarily be able to invent new things--such as write poetry, paint a picture, invent a new kind of engine, or create a new theory. These latter abilities are involved in creativity.

         The ability to come up with novel ideas, is not entirely based on reasoning, because reasoning will lead every person to tread the same path and reach the same conclusion. One has to go beyond reasoning to state a new idea, which then may be tested for its usefulness. Similarly, an artist paints a new picture with an impulse to create something new and beautiful. Imagination is said to play an important role in creativity. People who are able to think fluently of many and provide unusual alternatives in a given situation are said to possess fluency and flexibility of ideas, which is conducive to creativity. It is this unusual ability, different from reasoning, analysis, and synthesis, which is responsible for major advances in the understanding of the world, and equally of great works of art that have been universally admired.

Q.  Discuss the factors that affect the psychological stability of an astronaut in space.        

A.  Weightlessness, isolation and having to work in a confined environment are important factors that affect the psychological stability of an astronaut in space. It leads to stress and disorientation of thought processes. Human beings hate to travel in he most unnatural circumstances and if there is a single astronaut, he has absolutely no company for as long as he travels, and most unfamiliar scenes-looking out of the window, he sees nothing except stars. This loneliness and absence of sensations from outside has been found to be a source of great mental stress. Weightlessness and confined to a particular area also weighs heavily on the mind. It seems our whole body-(digestive system, and even blood circulation) is accustomed to earth's gravity, and if it is nullified, we cannot be at ease. Even the movement of muscles is difficult.

Q.  With the help of a suitable example, explain how hormones work in coordination with the nervous system, to control the internal functioning of a person. 

A.  Hormones are vital for the proper functioning of the body. They

regulate the chemical reactions in the body and consequently play a critical role in maintaining normal physical conditions or homeostasis. If hormones are to serve a regulatory function. they must be produced at the proper time in proper amounts. This is controlled by the brain, receiving information from all parts of the body and giving appropriate signals to the glands. This feedback system is very much like a thermostat that controls the temperature in a machine. Any break in this feedback system leads to severe consequences. For example. the thyroid gland produces thyroxine which controls the metabolic rate in the body. Oversecretion tends to make a person thin, overactive and anxious while under secretion makes him over-weight and sluggish. Thyroxine deficiency, in fact, causes mental as well as physical retardation which can be prevented if the deficiency is discovered sufficiently early and the right amount of the hormone is given. The hormones work in close coordination with our nervous system. For example, in a situation of danger or fear, the sense organs convey the information to the central nervous system and the autonomic system is activated within seconds. The adrenal glands are also activated to release a hormone called adrenaline. When adrenaline reaches the alimentary canal and the skin. their blood vessels contract, diverting the blood supply to the muscles; the pupils of the eyes are dilated and glucose is released in the blood to speed up the rate of breathing. All these changes help a person who requires increased activity such as running away or fighting. Nervous control evokes these reactions very rapidly in the time of danger; hormones provide a backup that maintains the response after the initial shock is over. This explains the state of ‘nervous energy' that remains even after the final exam or performance is over.