Final answer:
The sympathetic nervous system will produce symptoms such as increased heart rate and dilated pupils during stress, as it prepares the body for a "fight or flight" response.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a patient is experiencing stress, the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system produces a number of physiological changes. These changes include an increased heart rate and dilated pupils, which prepare the body for a "fight or flight" response. This response can also lead to inhibition of salivation, dilation of bronchi in the lungs to improve oxygen intake, inhibition of digestion, and relaxation of the bladder.
The correct answer to the student's question is: a. Increased heart rate and dilated pupils. This is because the sympathetic nervous system's primary role during stress is to prepare the body for rapid action, which includes increasing the heart rate to pump more blood and oxygen to the muscles and dilating the pupils to allow more light and improve vision.