Which of the following is a stage of General Adaptation Syndrome?

• A. Alarm
• B. Homeostasis
• C. Inflammatory
• D. Reflexive

Answer: (A)

The main idea assessed is how the body reacts to stress through the stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome. In the alarm stage, the body detects a threat and switches into fight-or-flight mode. The sympathetic nervous system kicks in, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is activated, flooding the body with catecholamines (like adrenaline) and cortisol. This creates immediate readiness: the heart rate and blood pressure rise, airways widen, glucose is released for quick energy, and overall alertness increases. This stage is all about mobilizing resources for rapid action.

That’s why this option fits as a stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome. The other terms don’t describe a stage of GAS: homeostasis is the normal balance the body tries to maintain, not a stage; inflammatory response is a localized tissue reaction to injury or infection; reflexive refers to quick, automatic neural responses, not a systemic adaptation stage. After alarm, the body may move into resistance and then exhaustion if stress continues, but the alarm stage is the immediate first phase.