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Quiz: Emotion, Stress, and the Body

Test your understanding of Chapter 11. Choose the best answer, then click Show Answer to check.

Question 1

Which gland, or part of a gland, releases cortisol?

  1. The adrenal medulla
  2. The adrenal cortex
  3. The anterior pituitary
  4. The hypothalamus
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Cortisol is made by the adrenal cortex, the outer layer of each adrenal gland, in response to ACTH. The adrenal medulla (A) is the inner core of the same gland, but it releases adrenaline in response to sympathetic nerves, not cortisol.

Concept Tested: Cortisol Bloom's Level: Remember

Question 2

What is the correct order of hormones in the HPA axis?

  1. ACTH → CRH → cortisol
  2. Cortisol → ACTH → CRH
  3. Adrenaline → CRH → cortisol
  4. CRH → ACTH → cortisol
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. The hypothalamus releases CRH, which makes the anterior pituitary release ACTH, which makes the adrenal cortex release cortisol. Option A reverses the first two steps, and option C mixes in adrenaline, which belongs to the fast sympathetic pathway, not the HPA axis.

Concept Tested: HPA Axis Bloom's Level: Remember

Question 3

Patient S.M. lost both amygdalae to a rare genetic condition. What did researchers observe when they exposed her to snakes, spiders, and a haunted house?

  1. She showed almost no fear and reported very little.
  2. She panicked much more than other people did.
  3. She could no longer form any new memories.
  4. She lost the ability to see the frightening objects.
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. S.M. showed no fear and reported almost none, which supports the amygdala's role in fear of outside threats. Option C describes the memory loss seen after hippocampal damage (like Patient H.M.), not the main finding for S.M.

Concept Tested: Amygdala Bloom's Level: Remember

Question 4

Why does the adrenaline response to a stressor start sooner than the cortisol response?

  1. Adrenaline is made in the brain, so it doesn't have to travel.
  2. Cortisol is only released when you are asleep.
  3. Adrenaline release is triggered directly by sympathetic nerves, while cortisol depends on a three-step hormone relay through the blood.
  4. Cortisol must first be converted into adrenaline before it can act.
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Sympathetic nerves signal the adrenal medulla within seconds, but cortisol needs CRH, then ACTH, then cortisol release, and it acts partly by changing gene activity. Option A is wrong because adrenaline comes from the adrenal medulla, not the brain.

Concept Tested: Fight or Flight Bloom's Level: Understand

Question 5

Which statement best describes fear extinction?

  1. The original fear memory is permanently erased from the amygdala.
  2. A new "this is safe now" memory is learned that competes with the old fear memory.
  3. The animal forgets the tone ever existed.
  4. The amygdala is destroyed by repeated exposure to the tone.
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Extinction is new learning, supported heavily by the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, that competes with the old fear memory. Option A is a common misconception. Because the old memory still exists, fear can return after a break or in a new place.

Concept Tested: Fear Conditioning Bloom's Level: Understand

Question 6

What does cortisol's negative feedback do in a healthy person?

  1. It makes the hypothalamus release more CRH, so the response grows stronger.
  2. It speeds up the heart through sympathetic nerves.
  3. It blocks all cortisol from reaching the body's organs.
  4. It reduces CRH and ACTH release, so cortisol returns toward its resting level.
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. Cortisol acts on the hypothalamus and pituitary (with help from the hippocampus) to reduce CRH and ACTH, which makes the stress response self-limiting. Option A describes positive feedback, the opposite of what the HPA brake does.

Concept Tested: HPA Axis Bloom's Level: Understand

Question 7

In the HPA Axis Feedback Loop MicroSim, a student checks Chronic stress and slides Feedback strength to 0. What will the cortisol line most likely do?

  1. Climb far above baseline and stay high
  2. Stay exactly at baseline because there is no feedback
  3. Rise once, then return to baseline within an hour
  4. Drop below baseline and stay there
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. Repeated stressors keep driving the HPA axis, and with no brake, nothing turns CRH and ACTH down, so cortisol climbs and stays high (about 6 times baseline in the model). Option C is what happens after a single stressor with intact feedback.

Concept Tested: Chronic Stress Effects Bloom's Level: Apply

Question 8

Before a big presentation, Maya notices her heart racing and tells herself, "My body is getting ready to focus. This energy will help me." Which strategy is she using?

  1. Fear conditioning
  2. Avoidance
  3. Cognitive reappraisal
  4. Extinction
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Maya is changing how she interprets the situation to change how it feels, which is cognitive reappraisal, an emotion regulation strategy linked to prefrontal control and lower amygdala activity. Avoidance (B) would mean skipping the presentation, which can keep fear strong.

Concept Tested: Emotion Regulation Bloom's Level: Apply

Question 9

Three months after a serious car crash, a 24-year-old has weekly nightmares, avoids driving, is easily startled, and blames herself for the crash. These problems are hurting her work. Which explanation best links her avoidance of driving to this chapter's neuroscience?

  1. Avoidance permanently destroys the amygdala, so fear can no longer be felt.
  2. Avoidance prevents new safety (extinction) learning, so the conditioned fear of driving stays strong.
  3. Avoidance raises cortisol so high that the hippocampus stops making memories.
  4. Avoidance is a sign of weakness and is not related to brain circuits.
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Driving cues became conditioned fear triggers during the crash, and avoiding them means the brain never learns that driving is usually safe, so extinction can't happen. Option C overstates cortisol's role; PTSD is not simply "too much cortisol," and some studies find lower-than-expected levels.

Concept Tested: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Bloom's Level: Analyze

Question 10

A rat under months of chronic stress shows weaker hippocampal and prefrontal function and a more active amygdala. Why would this combination make its stress response harder to shut off?

  1. The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex normally help turn the stress response down, while the amygdala turns it up.
  2. The amygdala normally releases cortisol, so a more active amygdala means more cortisol.
  3. The prefrontal cortex makes ACTH, so weaker prefrontal function means more ACTH.
  4. The hippocampus controls heart rate directly, so it can no longer slow the heart.
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. The hippocampus helps shut off the HPA axis and the prefrontal cortex calms the amygdala, so weakening both while the amygdala gets louder tips the balance toward a stress system that turns on easily and turns off slowly. Option B is wrong because cortisol comes from the adrenal cortex, not the amygdala.

Concept Tested: Limbic System Bloom's Level: Analyze