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 has learnt her pattern of stress response. By which of the following can she gauge the depth of her problem?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The nature and severity of her symptoms or changes in behaviour
Option (1) The mean stress score of the life events she faced in the past year — Incorrect. The mean stress score belongs to a life events scale. It measures how many stressful changes a person has met.
Option (2) The nature and severity of her symptoms or changes in behaviour — Correct. A person who knows her pattern of stress response can judge how deep the problem is from the nature and severity of her own symptoms or changes in behaviour.
Option (3) The amount of catecholamines and cortisol released into her blood — Incorrect. Catecholamines and cortisol are released in the physiological reaction to stress. A student cannot read them from her own behaviour or use them to judge her pattern.
Option (4) Whether she appraises the examinations as a threat or a challenge — Incorrect. Appraising an event as a threat or a challenge decides how stressful the event feels. It comes before the response; it does not show how deep the problem has become.
NCERT (2026-27): “Signs and Symptoms of Stress |