Final answer:
The sympathetic nervous system within the autonomic nervous system triggers physiological responses such as a racing heart and rapid breathing during stressful situations as part of the 'fight-or-flight' response. The correct option is a) Sympathetic
Step-by-step explanation:
Your racing heart and rapid breathing are triggered by your sympathetic nervous system. This division of the autonomic nervous system is responsible for the 'fight-or-flight' response, which prepares the body to deal with emergencies by increasing heart rate, dilating bronchi in the lungs for more air exchange, activating sweat glands, increasing blood pressure, and diverting blood to the skeletal muscles.
When faced with a stressful situation, the sympathetic nervous system diverges from a limited region of the central nervous system to a wide range of ganglia, coordinating a systemic response across multiple effector organs.
The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord, whereas the autonomic nervous system, part of the peripheral nervous system, includes both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which work in opposition to maintaining homeostasis.
The parasympathetic system is often referred to as 'rest and digest' and helps control functions like digestion when the body is at rest. The correct option is a) Sympathetic