1 markMCQSection A

Match the following :

Column 1 : 1. Continued exposure to the same stressor or additional stressors drains the body of its resources. 2. The mental exhaustion appears in the form of irritability, anxiety, feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. 3. The presence of noxious stimulus or stressor leads to activation of the adrenal-pituitary-cortex system. This triggers the release of hormones producing the stress response. 4. The parasympathetic nervous system calls for more cautious use of the body's resources. The organism makes efforts to cope with the threat, as through confrontation.

Column 2 : I. Resistance II. Exhaustion III. Burnout IV. Alarm

Q: Match the following : Column 1 : 1. Continued exposure to the same stressor or additional stressors drains the body of its resources. 2. The mental exhaustion appears in the form of irritability, anxiety, feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. 3. The presence of noxious stimulus or stressor leads to activation of the adrenal-pituitary-cortex system. This triggers the release of hormones producing the stress response. 4. The parasympathetic nervous system calls for more cautious use of the body's resources. The organism makes efforts to cope with the threat, as through confrontation. Column 2 : I. Resistance II. Exhaustion III. Burnout IV. Alarm

**Correct option: (B) 1-II, 2-III, 3-IV, 4-I.** Statement 1 (resources drained by continued stressor exposure) matches Exhaustion (II); statement 2 (mental exhaustion, irritability, hopelessness) matches Burnout (III); statement 3 (adrenal-pituitary-cortex activation, hormone release) matches Alarm (IV); and statement 4 (parasympathetic system, cautious coping/confrontation) matches Resistance (I).

Meeting Life's Challenges

Stress and General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Options

(A)1-I, 2-II, 3-III, 4-IV

(B)1-II, 2-III, 3-IV, 4-I

(D)1-IV, 2-III, 3-II, 4-I

Official Answer

Correct option: (B) 1-II, 2-III, 3-IV, 4-I.

Statement 1 (resources drained by continued stressor exposure) matches Exhaustion (II); statement 2 (mental exhaustion, irritability, hopelessness) matches Burnout (III); statement 3 (adrenal-pituitary-cortex activation, hormone release) matches Alarm (IV); and statement 4 (parasympathetic system, cautious coping/confrontation) matches Resistance (I).

General Adaptation SyndromeGASHans Selyealarm reactionresistance stageexhaustion stageburnoutadrenal-pituitary-cortex system

Marking Scheme

11 mark for correctly marking option (B) with all four matches accurate.

Hint

First identify the two physiologically described stages (Alarm = sympathetic/adrenal activation; Resistance = parasympathetic, coping) before matching the two psychological-state descriptions (Exhaustion vs Burnout).

Quick Oral Answer

The correct matching links resource-draining stressor exposure to Exhaustion, mental exhaustion symptoms to Burnout, adrenal-pituitary-cortex hormone release to Alarm, and parasympathetic-driven coping to Resistance — option (B).

Analysis & Explanation

This question tests Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) along with the related concept of burnout, which extends beyond Selye's original three stages.

Why (B) is correct

Statement 3 describes the sympathetic nervous system and adrenal-pituitary-cortex activation releasing stress hormones — this is the classic Alarm reaction (IV), the body's immediate 'fight-or-flight' response to a stressor.
Statement 4 describes the parasympathetic nervous system enabling more cautious, sustained coping/confrontation — this is the Resistance stage (I), where the body adapts to prolonged stress.
Statement 1 describes continued/additional stressors draining the body's resources — this is the Exhaustion stage (II), where the organism's resistance capacity collapses.
Statement 2 describes mental exhaustion (irritability, anxiety, helplessness, hopelessness) — this is Burnout (III), a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion from prolonged unresolved stress.

Why the other options are wrong

(A) '1-I, 2-II, 3-III, 4-IV' incorrectly assigns Exhaustion to Resistance and reverses the sequence entirely.
(C) '1-IV, 2-III, 3-I, 4-II' wrongly labels the resource-draining description as Alarm rather than Exhaustion.
(D) '1-IV, 2-III, 3-II, 4-I' correctly places 2 and 4 but wrongly swaps Alarm and Exhaustion for statements 1 and 3.

Common Mistakes

1Confusing the physiological Alarm stage (sympathetic activation, hormone release) with the Resistance stage (parasympathetic, coping through confrontation).
2Treating 'Exhaustion' and 'Burnout' as identical, when exhaustion is a stage of GAS involving depleted resources, while burnout is the resulting state of mental/emotional collapse.

Interesting Facts

Hans Selye first described the General Adaptation Syndrome in 1936 after observing that rats exposed to diverse stressors (cold, surgical injury, toxins) showed a strikingly similar three-stage physiological response.

The exhaustion stage of GAS is linked to Selye's concept of 'diseases of adaptation' — stress-related illnesses like ulcers and hypertension caused by prolonged coping efforts.

Spotted a mistake or something unclear?

Tell us — we fix reported answers fast.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the three stages of Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome?

Alarm reaction, resistance, and exhaustion — describing the body's physiological response to prolonged stress.

Is burnout the same as the exhaustion stage of GAS?

No. Exhaustion is the physiological GAS stage where the body's resources are depleted; burnout is the resulting psychological state of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion, often with irritability, anxiety, and hopelessness.