Mr Rao has worked night shifts in a stressful job for many months. A doctor explains his condition using Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome. Which of the following statements are correct?
(A) If his stress is prolonged, the resistance stage begins and the parasympathetic nervous system calls for more cautious use of the body's resources.
(B) Continued exposure to the same stressor or additional stressors drains his body of its resources and leads to the exhaustion stage.
(C) In the resistance stage, the physiological systems involved in alarm reaction become ineffective.
(D) In the exhaustion stage, stress-related diseases such as high blood pressure become more likely.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A, B and D only
(A) If his stress is prolonged, the resistance stage begins and the parasympathetic nervous system calls for more cautious use of the body's resources. — Correct. The resistance stage is the second stage. The body uses its resources more carefully and tries to cope with the threat, for example through confrontation.
(B) Continued exposure to the same stressor or additional stressors drains his body of its resources and leads to the exhaustion stage. — Correct. Stress that goes on, or new stressors added to it, drains the body's resources. This leads to the third stage, exhaustion.
(C) In the resistance stage, the physiological systems involved in alarm reaction become ineffective. — Incorrect. The systems of alarm reaction and resistance become ineffective only in the exhaustion stage. In the resistance stage the body is still making efforts to cope.
(D) In the exhaustion stage, stress-related diseases such as high blood pressure become more likely. — Correct. When the body's systems fail in the exhaustion stage, the person becomes more open to stress-related diseases such as high blood pressure.
NCERT (2026-27): “General Adaptation Syndrome … “3. Exhaustion stage : Continued exposure to the same stressor or additional stressors drains the body of its resources and leads to the third stage of exhaustion. The physiological systems involved in alarm reaction and resistance become ineffective and susceptibility to stress-related diseases such as high blood pressure becomes more likely.” |