Question

If a man could learn to stop his heart beat at will, he must have control over his

• A. Central nervous system
• B. Peripheral nervous system
• C. Autonomic nervous system
• D. Cranial nerves

Answer 1

The correct option is C Autonomic nervous system

The central nervous system includes brain and spinal cord. It integrates and stores the sensory information from external and internal sense organs and commands different organs to respond accordingly. This makes option A incorrect. Peripheral nervous system lies outside the central nervous system. It serves to carry the sensory information from external sensory receptors to CNS and motor signals from CNS to skeletal muscles via its somatic division (the voluntary actions). The autonomous division of peripheral nervous system controls the cardiac and smooth muscles and glands, thereby the functioning of internal organs, without our conscious control (the involuntary actions). This makes option B incorrect and option C correct. The 12 pairs of cranial nerves are part of peripheral nervous system and are mostly concerned with head, neck and facial region of the body (vagus nerve X being the part of autonomous division serves as an exception). Option D is incorrect. Correct answer is C.