What is the name of the system activated when an event is perceived as challenging or threatening?

• A. Cannon: Fight or Flight
• B. Parasympathetic Recovery
• C. Temporal Lobe Response
• D. Acute Stress Response

Answer: (A)

When a situation is perceived as challenging or threatening, the body triggers a rapid mobilization known as the fight-or-flight response. This reaction, described by Walter Cannon, activates the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system, releasing stress hormones that speed up the heart, increase blood flow to muscles, sharpen senses, and boost energy and alertness so you can either confront the threat or flee from it. That direct link between threat perception and immediate physical readiness is why the fight-or-flight label is the best fit here.

Understanding the other ideas helps reinforce the concept: the parasympathetic system is about calming and conserving energy after danger passes, not the immediate surge of readiness. The temporal lobe is a brain region involved in memory and processing, not a body-wide threat-response system. And while the term acute stress response describes stress reactions in general, the specific widely used name for this quick mobilization to danger is the fight-or-flight response.