Part 1: Key Ideas and Matching

Student-friendly definition: The autonomic nervous system is the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls automatic body functions, such as heartbeat, breathing rate and digestion. These actions usually happen without conscious effort.

Word bank: autonomic nervous system, sympathetic, parasympathetic, involuntary response, stimulus, reflex

1. Match each term with the correct definition. Write the correct number beside each letter.

A. Autonomic nervous system

B. Sympathetic

C. Parasympathetic

D. Involuntary response

E. Stimulus

F. Reflex

1. A quick, automatic response to a stimulus.

2. A change that causes a response.

3. The division that prepares the body for action or danger.

4. A response that happens without conscious control.

5. The division that helps the body rest and recover.

6. The system that controls many automatic functions of the body.

2. Complete the compare table by describing the usual effects of each division.

Sympathetic
Heart rate: __________
Pupils: __________
Digestion: __________

Parasympathetic
Heart rate: __________
Pupils: __________
Digestion: __________

Part 2: Video Follow-up

3. What is the difference between a voluntary response and an involuntary response?

4. Explain how a stimulus can lead to a response. Include one example from the video or your own experience.

5. How does the autonomic nervous system help the body maintain stable internal conditions?

6. Scenario: You hear a sudden loud bang and your heart beats faster. Is this mainly a sympathetic or parasympathetic response? Explain why.

Answer Key

1. A–6, B–3, C–5, D–4, E–2, F–1.

2. Sympathetic: heart rate increases, pupils widen, digestion slows. Parasympathetic: heart rate decreases, pupils return to normal or narrow, digestion increases or continues normally.

3. A voluntary response is consciously controlled; an involuntary response happens automatically.

4. A stimulus is detected and causes the nervous system to send signals that produce a response. Answers may vary.

5. It automatically adjusts body functions such as heart rate, breathing and digestion to keep internal conditions balanced.

6. Sympathetic. The loud bang is a stimulus that may signal danger, so the body prepares for action by increasing heart rate.