Question

a swimmer is preparing for the next event at a swim meet by standing up on the starting blocks. the official with the starting buzzer accidentally sounded the loud alarm, startling the swimmer who then fell into the water. why does the loud noise cause the swimmer to fall into the water?

• the heart senses anxiety and begins to beat rapidly.
• the eyes see danger and the body reacts on instinct.
• the brain senses danger and tells the body to move away quickly.
• the ears hear a loud noise and the brain shuts down in response.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The heart doesn't "sense anxiety" to cause a fall; heart rate change is a response, not the cause of the fall.
• Option 2: The noise is heard, not seen, so eyes seeing danger is incorrect.
• Option 3: When a loud, unexpected noise (perceived as a potential threat) occurs, the ears detect it, the brain processes it as a danger signal, and then sends signals to the body to react (like a startle response that could cause a fall as a quick movement). This aligns with how the nervous system responds to stimuli.
• Option 4: The brain doesn't "shut down" in response to a loud noise; it processes the stimulus and initiates a response, so this is incorrect.

Answer:

C. The brain senses danger and tells the body to move away quickly.