Which of the following are examples of sympathetic responses?

• A. Increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, digestion stops, increased respiration, elevation of eyelids, pupillary dilation, dry mouth, flushed cheeks
• B. Only increased heart rate
• C. Digestion increases
• D. Pupillary constriction and salivation

Answer: (A)

Sympathetic responses are the body’s “fight or flight” reactions that prepare you for action by ramping up metabolic activity and alertness. The set described shows a broad and coordinated sympathetic activation: heart rate and blood pressure rise to deliver more blood to muscles, sweating increases for cooling and heightened awareness, digestion slows so energy can be redirected, respiration quickens to bring in more oxygen, eyelids elevate to widen the visual field, pupils dilate to let in more light and improve focus, mouth becomes dry from reduced saliva, and cheeks may flush due to blood vessel changes. This combination is the hallmark of sympathetic arousal.

The other options don’t fit as a sympathetic pattern. Increasing only the heart rate is just one effect and doesn’t capture the broader sympathetic shift. Digestion increasing is a parasympathetic action, not sympathetic. Pupillary constriction and salivation are also parasympathetic responses, opposite to what sympathetic activation would produce.