Chemically, which of the following hormones is a polypeptide?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Endorphin
Hormones are classified by their chemical nature: steroids, polypeptides and amino acid derivatives. Endorphins, like insulin, are polypeptides: chains of amino acids joined by peptide bonds.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (1) Androgens — Incorrect. Male sex hormones such as testosterone are steroids, built on the four-ring steroid skeleton, not on amino acid chains.
Option (3) Epinephrine — Incorrect. Adrenaline is an amino acid derivative (made from tyrosine), a single small molecule, not a peptide.
Option (4) Norepinephrine — Incorrect. Also an amino acid derivative of tyrosine, like epinephrine.
NCERT (2026-27 edition):
Hormones – “Hormones are molecules that act as intercellular messengers. These are produced by endocrine glands in the body and are poured directly in the blood stream which transports them to the site of action. In terms of chemical nature, some of these are steroids, e.g., estrogens and androgens; some are poly peptides for example insulin and endorphins and some others are amino acid derivatives such as epinephrine and norepinephrine.”