Question at position 12 You are driving on a busy highway. A car suddenly tries to merge into your lane - if they merge over, they will hit your car. Your heart starts beating faster, your breathing deepens, everything seems to look brighter and in sharper focus, and time even seems to slow down. You slam on the brakes and honk your horn, and the car goes back into their lane. Your heart is still racing and you're breathing faster for several minutes after narrowly avoiding an accident; eventually, your heart rate, breathing, and vision go back to normal, and you realize you're feeling hungry. Which division of the peripheral nervous system was activated when you thought the other car was going to crash into yours?parasympathetic divisionsympathetic divisionNeither of theseClear my selection单项选择题
A
parasympathetic division
B
sympathetic division
C
Neither of these

Question

Question at position 12 You are driving on a busy highway. A car suddenly tries to merge into your lane - if they merge over, they will hit your car. Your heart starts beating faster, your breathing deepens, everything seems to look brighter and in sharper focus, and time even seems to slow down. You slam on the brakes and honk your horn, and the car goes back into their lane. Your heart is still racing and you're breathing faster for several minutes after narrowly avoiding an accident; eventually, your heart rate, breathing, and vision go back to normal, and you realize you're feeling hungry. Which division of the peripheral nervous system was activated when you thought the other car was going to crash into yours?parasympathetic divisionsympathetic divisionNeither of theseClear my selection单项选择题

A

parasympathetic division

B

sympathetic division

C

Neither of these

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Sympathetic division of the autonomic peripheral nervous system produces the described “fight-or-flight” response.

1. Relevant knowledge points and concepts
- The peripheral nervous system includes the somatic (voluntary) and autonomic (involuntary) branches. The autonomic branch splits into sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.
- Sympathetic division: prepares the body for acute stress — increases heart rate, elevates respiration, dilates pupils, sharpens alertness, mobilizes energy (release of epinephrine/norepinephrine).
- Parasympathetic division: supports “rest-and-digest” functions — slows heart rate, promotes digestion, conserves energy.
- Adrenal medulla releases catecholamines (epinephrine) under sympathetic stimulation, prolonging physiological effects for minutes.

2. Step-by-step reasoning process
- Visual input (other car merging) activates sensory pathways to the brain (thalamus, amygdala, hypothalamus).
- Hypothalamus triggers autonomic output: sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the spinal cord are activated.
- Sympathetic efferents and adrenal medulla release epinephrine → increased heart rate, faster/deeper breathing, pupil dilation (brighter/sharper vision), heightened attention, and altered time perception.
- Motor commands (via somatic nervous system) produce immediate actions (slam brakes, honk horn).
- After threat passes, parasympathetic activity gradually restores baseline; lingering hormones explain elevated heart rate/breathing for several minutes and later hunger as normal digestion signals resume.

3. Intermediate physiological “steps” (no math)
- Stimulus → hypothalamus → sympathetic chain activation + adrenal medulla → catecholamine release → cardiovascular and respiratory changes.

4. Why the correct answer is correct
- The pattern of acute arousal (increased HR, breathing, vision, time-slowing) is classic sympathetic activation; these are direct sympathetic/autonomic effects.

5. Why other choices are incorrect
- Parasympathetic division would produce opposite effects (slower heart rate, increased digestion), not the arousal described.
- “Neither of these” is incorrect because the scenario clearly activates an autonomic stress response attributable to one of the divisions.

6. Conclusion
- Therefore, the sympathetic division is the activated division, matching the provided correct answer: sympathetic division.

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