Riya and Kavya, two Class 12 students in Jaipur, share a crowded hostel room that stays noisy and very hot in summer. Both are preparing for the same board examinations. Over the past month, Riya has had frequent headaches and backaches, sleeps badly, worries a lot, has sudden mood swings and has begun missing her coaching classes. She has slowly learnt to read her own pattern of reactions. Kavya, in the same room and facing the same examinations, shows far fewer signs. Riya's grandmother has also fallen ill at home, and Riya's worry about her adds to her exam strain and her poor sleep.
Riya shows several symptoms of stress. Into which groups are the symptoms of stress classified?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Physical, emotional and behavioural
Option (1) Physical, emotional and behavioural — Correct. Symptoms of stress fall into three groups: physical, emotional and behavioural. Riya's headaches are physical, her mood swings emotional, and her missed classes behavioural.
Option (2) Physiological, emotional and cognitive — Incorrect. This mixes up symptoms with stress reactions. Stress reactions are physiological, behavioural, emotional and cognitive; this set also leaves out the behavioural group of symptoms.
Option (3) Physical, psychological and social — Incorrect. These are the three types of stress (physical and environmental, psychological, social). They name where stress comes from.
Option (4) Emotional, cognitive and behavioural — Incorrect. Cognitive responses, such as poor concentration, are one kind of stress reaction. The symptom groups are physical, emotional and behavioural, so this set drops the physical group.
NCERT (2026-27): “Signs and Symptoms of Stress |