Which statement correctly describes the autonomic nervous system and its subdivisions?

Which statement correctly describes the autonomic nervous system and its subdivisions?

• A. The sympathetic system calms the body after stress, while the parasympathetic activates fight or flight.
• B. The sympathetic system prepares the body for action, and the parasympathetic returns the body to normal.
• C. Both divisions mainly control digestion.
• D. They are part of the central nervous system.

Answer: (B)

Two divisions of the autonomic nervous system have opposite but complementary roles: one readies the body for action, the other calms and restores it after arousal. The sympathetic division activates fight-or-flight responses, increasing heart rate, widening airways, and directing energy to muscles to prepare you to respond. The parasympathetic division promotes rest and digestion, slowing the heart, stimulating digestion, and conserving energy to bring the body back to a normal, relaxed state. This is why the statement that the sympathetic system prepares for action and the parasympathetic returns the body to normal is the best description. The idea that the sympathetic system calms the body after stress or that both divisions mainly control digestion misrepresents their primary roles, and they are not part of the central nervous system but of the peripheral nervous system.

Two divisions of the autonomic nervous system have opposite but complementary roles: one readies the body for action, the other calms and restores it after arousal. The sympathetic division activates fight-or-flight responses, increasing heart rate, widening airways, and directing energy to muscles to prepare you to respond. The parasympathetic division promotes rest and digestion, slowing the heart, stimulating digestion, and conserving energy to bring the body back to a normal, relaxed state. This is why the statement that the sympathetic system prepares for action and the parasympathetic returns the body to normal is the best description. The idea that the sympathetic system calms the body after stress or that both divisions mainly control digestion misrepresents their primary roles, and they are not part of the central nervous system but of the peripheral nervous system.