1.(ii) What underlying mechanism makes sports more effective than binge-watching or overeating for coping with emotional stress ? (A) activation of social bonding neuropeptides (B) enhanced serotonin and natural chemical release in the brain (C) increased caloric expenditure leading to mental clarity (D) diversion of attention through physical exhaution Paragraph (2)
1.(ii) What underlying mechanism makes sports more effective than binge-watching or overeating for coping with emotional stress ? (A) activation of social bonding neuropeptides (B) enhanced serotonin and natural chemical release in the brain (C) increased caloric expenditure leading to mental clarity (D) diversion of attention through physical exhaution Paragraph (2)
Options
Official answer
(B) enhanced serotonin and natural chemical release in the brain — paragraph 2 states sport increases serotonin and releases endorphins, which improve mood and relieve stress naturally.
Marking scheme
- 1.1 mark for selecting option (B) 'enhanced serotonin and natural chemical release in the brain'.
- 2.No mark for options describing distraction, calorie burn or social bonding, which are not the stress mechanism in paragraph 2.
Hint
Focus on paragraph 2 and look for the brain chemicals it names.
Quick oral answer
Sport beats bingeing on shows or food because it chemically raises serotonin and releases endorphins in the brain, lifting mood naturally — that is what option B says.
Common mistakes
- 1.Choosing (D) because 'physical exhaustion diverting attention' sounds logical, ignoring that the passage credits a brain-chemical change.
- 2.Selecting (A) by pulling the social-bonding idea from paragraph 7 into a paragraph-2 question.
- 3.Confusing calorie burning (paragraph 3) with mood improvement (paragraph 2).
Analysis and explanation
This MCQ asks for the biological mechanism behind sport's stress-relief benefit, sourced from paragraph 2.
Concept: Distinguish the true causal mechanism named in the text from options that are true elsewhere in the passage or merely sound scientific.
Key points
- Paragraph 2: sport 'increases serotonin... while the release of endorphins improves mood and provides natural pain relief' — this matches option (B) exactly.
- (A) 'social bonding neuropeptides' belongs to paragraph 7 (team belonging), not the stress mechanism here.
- (C) mixes up the weight-management idea (paragraph 3) with mood — never linked in the text.
- (D) 'diversion through exhaustion' sounds plausible but the passage credits a chemical brain change, not mere distraction.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a plausible-sounding physiological explanation instead of the one the passage explicitly states.
- Borrowing a true fact from a different paragraph and assuming it answers this question.
Interesting facts
Endorphins — the 'natural chemicals' the passage refers to — are named from 'endogenous morphine', because they bind the same brain receptors as morphine to relieve pain.
The mood lift some people feel after intense exercise, the so-called 'runner's high', is now linked as much to endocannabinoids as to endorphins, though serotonin remains central to long-term mood stability.
Question details
Q2 of 53 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 10
- Subject
- English (Communicative)
- Year
- 2026
- Section
- Section A
- Marks
- 1
- Type
- MCQ
- Chapter
- Reading Comprehension
- Topic
- Passage 1 (Sports and Health) - inference MCQ
- Bloom's level
- understand
- Syllabus topic
- Section A: Reading Skills — Unseen Discursive Passage (Sports, Health and Fitness): Inferring the underlying mechanism from stated detail
- Author
- CBSE
- Reviewed by
- Padhantu Academic Team
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Frequently asked questions
Why is the mechanism serotonin and not distraction?
Paragraph 2 explicitly says sport 'increases serotonin' and releases 'endorphins' that 'improve mood', attributing the benefit to a brain-chemistry change rather than to distraction or exhaustion, so option B is correct.
Is the spelling 'exhaution' in option D a mistake?
Yes, it appears to be a print/OCR slip for 'exhaustion' in the original paper. It does not affect the answer — option D is wrong regardless because the passage credits a chemical mechanism, not distraction.